Chapter 17 Targeted
Noah had heard too much similar mockery already, and he was indifferent.
"Daniel, you should start taking the Omega-3 fish oil as soon as possible. It won't be as nutritious as now if you put it aside for too long."
Daniel glanced at Noah and nodded expressionlessly. "I see."
Larry was at the hospital taking care of Daniel last night, so Noah was up tonight.
Noah had no objection, as he figured it was what he was supposed to do.
That night, Sarah, Larry, and the others went back home, leaving Noah alone in the ward. There was no bed for him, so he could only sleep while bending over the table.
The next morning, his phone alarm woke him up.
After a quick washup in the bathroom, he went downstairs to fetch breakfast for Daniel, then with a tired body, he hopped into a taxi and headed to MedicaVibe Ventures.
Today was his first day at work.
"Stop!"
The second he stepped in, he heard a cold voice.
He looked over and saw Mia walking over from the reception desk.
She was in black business attire with her legs in tights, wearing heavy makeup.
Looking at Noah sternly, she said, "Noah, you're late on your first day. Your 50-dollar attendance bonus this month will be deducted. Sign."
She handed over a sheet for him to sign.
Noah was taken aback. "My work starts at 9 a.m., right? It's only 8:50 a.m. I'm not late!"
"9 a.m.? Who told you that?" Mia looked at him coldly.
He said, "The company policy clearly states that my working hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m."
Mia deadpanned, "We have a morning meeting at 8:30 a.m., and work officially starts at 9 a.m. The morning meeting was over, and you didn't attend, so, you were late. That's why I'm deducting your attendance bonus."
"A morning meeting? But you didn't tell me yesterday." Noah frowned. If she had told him, he would have been there.
The 50 dollars was nothing to him, but he didn't like being jerked around.
"What is it? Am I supposed to tell you everything? You should have asked!"
Mia's voice rose. "Stop making excuses. Sign or leave! You're late on your first day. What does that say about you? Clearly, you're nothing but a burden to us!"
As she was so loud, many people heard her and looked over, their gazes mixed with curiosity and gloat.
Instead of arguing with her, Noah shook his head, took the sheet, and signed.
He had a job finally, and he didn't wanna get fired on his first day.
Seeing him sign, Mia smirked.
After signing, Noah went to his cubicle, which was in fact in the utmost corner of the office, next to piles of used garbage bags on the floor. He could smell an unpleasant odor from time to time.
"Noah, this is the scope of your work. Go through it yourself." Mia slammed a thick pile of documents in front of him.
"Just like that? There's no pre-job training?" Noah asked, puzzled.
"Pre-job training? Nah. No one but you is joining us during this time. It's not worth our time and resources to hold pre-job training just for you," Mia sneered, glancing at him sideways. "Oh, and don't forget to dump the trash bags next to you during lunch break. It'll be your spot from now on. Might as well be responsible for dumping trash from now on."
Then Mia turned around and left.
Seeing her leave, Noah picked up the documents from the desk to read.
He worked in the Marketing Department, and his main job was to develop the market, cooperate with various hospitals and clinics, and supply medical devices.
He spent all morning reading the files. At lunch, he dumped all the trash bags downstairs, as a filthy working environment was the last thing he wanted.
Seeing that, his colleagues started to whisper.
"The newcomer here does whatever Mia tells him to do, including dumping trash."
"He probably offended her somehow. We've never had a morning meeting, and no one's attendance bonus has ever been deducted."
"So true. And he's new here. I feel so bad for him. The first day on board, he lost 50 dollars."
"Cowards are bound to suffer! If I were him, I would have snapped!"
***
At lunch break, Noah soon fell asleep with his head resting on the desk. He didn't sleep well last night.
Suddenly, some loud sounds woke him up.
Hearing someone tap his desk heavily, he opened his eyes, still sleepy. It was Mia.
"What's up?" he asked.
"Go to Royalty Hospital to close our deal with them," Mia said, tossing a stack of documents onto his desk.
"It's lunch break..."
"Lunch break? Go home if you wanna take a nap. This is the workplace. Slackers won't be tolerated! Either get down to business or go home!" she urged ruthlessly.
"Fine."
Shaking his head, Noah took the documents and went out.
Some others witnessed the whole thing and sighed, "I feel sorry for that guy."
"Who did he offend? Ms. Hart picked on him on his first day."
They were woken up from their nap. Looking at Noah's back with pity, they soon went back to sleep.
Meanwhile, Mia went to Michael's office after ordering Noah to go out.
"Mr. Mill, I've asked him to go out. It's quite hot outside. He could use some sunbathing!" Mia entered and smiled.
"Good job." Michael was sipping coffee and enjoying the air conditioning.
"I weep for him. Of all people, he chose to be your rival in love. He's gonna suffer as long as he's here," Mia said, grinning.
Then she continued, "About the deal with Royalty Hospital..."
Michael sneered, "Robert is a tough nut to crack. I came over there the other night, and he just wouldn't say yes. I've given up already."
He remembered it clearly, as it was the same night he bumped into Noah and Lisa.
"So, I'm sure Noah isn't gonna close the deal with them at all. After he gets back, we'll use this to pick on him. We can deduct his salary, perhaps."
"Mr. Mill, it's his first day. Are we too hard on him? What if he can't stand it and quits?" Mia was worried.
Stunned, Michael then said, "Makes sense. I want him to suffer so much that I've got carried away. Well, I guess the smart move is to slow things down. It wouldn't be fun if he quits, right? Looks like we need a long-term plan. I'll need some time to think..."
***
Robert was in his office at Oceanbridge City Royalty Hospital.
He was sitting in his office chair, smoking a cigarette, looking worried.
Somehow, he couldn't shake off the thought that emerged in his mind out of nowhere yesterday.
He pondered, 'On the phone, Mr. Scott asked me to transfer Daniel, and he said it was what Mr. Rusk wanted. Apparently, whoever wanted this favor from them had something to do with them. At first, I thought it was Mr. Crichton.
'But something was off. Every time I saw him, he was always fawning on me. If it was indeed him, why would he do that? After all, even Mr. Scott had to treat Mr. Rusk with respect.
'In sharp contrast, Mr. Anderson always looked calm when he saw me.
'Is it possible that ... Mr. Anderson is the real deal?'
The second this idea hit him, his body trembled with thrill, and his eyes flickered.
