Book 2 Chapter 23

By the beginning of Yalda’s second week, she finally felt as if she was beginning to understand the office’s rhythm. Not the politics, that part still seemed like a minefield, but at least the flow of work: the systems, the schedules, the quiet corners where she could breathe for a moment when things became overwhelming.

Today was supposed to be simple, it was supposed to the usual routine. She'd tend t her work, have lunch with Ioannis, go back to work, and then head back. But the day had other plans.

It began just before noon; Helen rushed past her desk with a stiff expression and a stack of folders clutched tightly in her hand, she had Marina trailing behind her as she scrolled through her phone nonchalantly.

Nikos who had been passing by paused at Yalda’s desk and whispered, “Uh… I think something’s wrong. Helen’s in one of her moods.”

She could see that, she could tell from how rigid her posture was and how creased her temple was.

“Did something happen?” she asked Nikos.

“Financial projections for the London branch,” he replied quietly, it was almost as though he didn't want anyone overhearing him. “Someone messed up the numbers. The board meeting is later.”

That sounded serious, it sounded like something actually worth Yalda stressing over.

“Wrong how?” she asked him.

“Wrong wrong,” he said, emphasizing it with wide eyes. “Like… someone’s-going-to-get-fired wrong.”

Before she could ask more, Helen snapped her fingers sharply from across the room.

“Nikos! Come here, now!"

"Gotta go, Ms. Harris." He said as he hurried off like his life depended on it.

Yalda watched quietly as tension rippled through the department, Helen was making it hell for everyone and they were on edge. Helen and Marina began flipping through pages, muttering, pacing, they were clearly panicking.

The entire team was unsettled, they kept glancing nervously at the clock, the printer, and each other, all the while Yalda tried to observe what was happening and determine what the real issue was. No one seemed to know how to fix the mistake, and Helen’s irritation only made everyone more anxious.

Marina was no help, she was complaining loudly, throwing blame in every direction except toward herself. And after several minutes of watching the disarray, Yalda rose quietly and approached Helen.

“I might be able to help,” she offered. Surely she'd worked long enough to be able to correct or at least contain problems like this.

Helen barely spared her a glance. “It’s fine. I’ll handle it.” she replied curtly.

Yalda could see she couldn’t handle it, certainly not in this state.

“Let me double-check the calculations,” She offered. “I’ve done similar projections before.”

Helen snapped the, she turned towards her and handed her the file in annoyance.

“Fine. Do what you want.” she bit out.

Marina snorted softly. “Yeah sure, let her try. Maybe she’ll magically fix numbers she doesn’t understand.”

Yalda arched a brow questioningly but chose to ignore her, she didn't have time to engage in pointless banter. She simply returned to her desk, opened the file, and began reviewing the figures. And expectedly, once she started, something settled in her; old instincts and old confidence. Her mind sharpened, and her hands moved quickly.

She'd definitely encountered problems like this before, she just needed to tend to it gently and she'd unravel it.

The error appeared after twenty minutes, it wasn't just in the projections but in the raw data. Two revenue figures had been inverted, throwing every calculation into chaos. A simple mistake which was quite easy to miss, but also easy to fix.

She corrected it, cleaned up the file, restored the projections, and double-checked everything before printing the corrected report.

She couldn't believe the entire team had been thrown into turmoil because of something as little as this. She returned to Helen’s desk and placed the file down.

“Here's the corrected version,” Yalda said.

For a moment, Helen looked genuinely shocked, her gaze flickered between Yalda and the file in disbelief, then relief flickered in her eyes before she masked it again.

Marina leaned over her shoulder to inspect as Helen began flipping through the pages quickly.

“Impossible. She probably made it worse.” she murmured, and Yalda heard her all to clearly. A smirk curved her lips and she shook her head, she truly didn't have time for this.

Helen reviewed the numbers. Her expression shifted slightly, but it was enough to tell Yalda she'd realized she was right.

“Did she fix it? Or should we call finance?” Marina asked loudly, she wanted Yalda to hear this time. It was almost like she couldn't wait for Helen to announce that Yalda was wrong.

However, Helen shook her head. “It’s done. I’ll take it to the director.” she said gruffly.

She pushes her seat back and rose as she gathered the files, she gave Yalda one last look before she walked off with the confidence of someone who fully intended to take credit for what they hadn't done.

Yalda exhaled slowly. Shehadn't expected anything in return for fixing the problem in the first place, and she'd probably let her take the fall next time, it was as simple as that.

Nikos walked over to her the very second Helen and Marina left, he seemed to have been watching the whole exchange and he was visibly infuriated by what happened.

"Ms. Harris, you fixed that didn't you?" He asked. "Why is she acting like she had it under control?"

Yalda smiled, shrugging faintly.

“It doesn’t matter.” she replied.

“It does,” he insisted. "Why are you letting them walk over you like this?"

She shook her head, returning to her desk. He was young, and it was understandable that he'd want to react to such circumstances but she knew better now.

"Some things just aren't worth it." She told him, she was sure he wouldn't understand but it was fine.

She didn't care if Helen took credit for the work or if they talked behind her back and all, it was all good. Her pride didn’t depend on recognition, and besides, who could she possibly want recognition from? Ioannis? She already had his recognition and she was convinced that nothing in the world would change that.

~~

Later that afternoon, while Ioannis remained in meetings, Yalda returned to her tasks. She was sorting the documents Helen had left behind when Marina approached her desk, she could almost smell the haughtiness oozing off her.

She stopped beside her, smiling in a way that was all too fake and mocking.

“You’re settling in quickly,” She said, leaning closer. “Quicker than most new hires, honestly.”

Yalda's brow arched. What was she implying by that?

“I’m just doing my best.” she replied.

“Mmhm,” Marina hummed. “Trying, right.”

She lowered her voice, her tone was dripping with condescension. “Must be nice….. sleeping around to get what you want."

Yalda’s breath stilled. She most certainly hadn't expected that.

Marina leaned even closer, she wasn't done just yet.

“Women like you always find creative ways to enter offices. Honestly, I admire the effort.” she said.

From the next desk, Nikos looked ready to intervene, but Yalda raised a hand, stopping him. She didn't want to escalate it, as upset as she was right now, she didn't want to cause a scene and embarrass herself. Besides, she didn't need Nikos stepping up for her, she could definitely handle this without being herself down to Marina's level.

She stood slowly, meeting Marina’s gaze head-on.

“Marina, I’ll only say this once.” she began, her tone was icy but her voice was low, it was just loud enough for Marina alone. But the entire department stilled at that moment.

Even Helen looked up from what she'd been doing, she obviously hadn't expected her to talk back. Everyone was watching now and Yalda considered leaving this for another time, but she damned it all.

“My presence here has nothing to do with ‘creative ways’ into offices. If you have concerns about my work, address those. But don’t cross into personal attacks again. I won’t tolerate it.” she told her. And the look in her eyes told her she wasn't joking. There'd be consequences next time she said such things to her.

Her connection with Ioannis aside, she had worked for years with an influential man and she'd made tons of connections, and if that wasn't enough then surely, being Alexander Monroe's widow was more than enough to deal with someone as inconsequential as a jealous office bitch.

Marina blinked, startled. She hadn't expected this, she most certainly hadn't seen it coming. And something about the look in Yalda's eyes unsettled her.

“And for the record,” Yalda added, her tone still controlled, “I seem to have more qualifications than any one of you here, I don't need to get creative to get in."

With that being said, she sat back down. She was done talking to her.

Marina stared at her for a moment longer, she was speechless, everyone could tell she was intimidated at this point. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and walked away with a huff.