Olive pouted, scowling for about five seconds. Her eyes kept darting back and forth between Riana and Darius, clearly annoyed. "Useless friends," she muttered.
"Hey, Liv, we are useful. Look, we found out the real gossip," Darius said.
"What!" Olive put her spoon down a bit forcefully. She had devoured a bowl of meatball soup with instant noodles that she loved. Though she was full, thinking about the behavior of someone like Thomas earlier made Olive want to eat even more. "Don't let it spread everywhere, okay? I don't want trouble at my new workplace."
Riana and Darius laughed even more.
"You're taking it too seriously," Riana said while patting Olive's shoulder.
"It's not just about being too serious, Na." Olive's shoulder slumped. "He's just so annoying, seriously. Totally different from Mrs. Sonia. I really regret agreeing to this transfer."
"It's only been a day, Liv," Darius chimed in. "Aside from the new boss, is there anything else annoying?"
Olive shook her head weakly. "Just him."
Riana flicked her finger right in front of Olive's face. Her friend's action made Olive furrow her brows. She gently removed Riana's hand, which annoyed her.
"Stop being silly," Olive said, glancing at her G-shock watch still strapped to her left wrist. "It's eight o'clock, guys. Don't you want to go home early?"
"Oh my God! We're kicked out, Darius," Riana said with a laugh. "Even though I miss her."
"Especially me, Liv." Darius puffed up his chest. "There's no one at the office like you."
Olive waved her hand dismissively. "Let's go home. We still have work tomorrow. Don't be late. In CBD, if you're late, it's two dollars a day."
"Seriously?" Darius responded, drawing attention from several café-goers. This also prompted Riana to give him a strong shoulder nudge, making him cover his mouth. "Sorry, slipped."
"Is that true, Liv?" Riana asked incredulously. She even pulled Olive's arm to sit back beside her.
"Yeah," Olive couldn't deny it. "The rule isn't written on a sign, but it's strictly enforced. The money goes towards meals at the end of the month."
Understandably, both Darius and Riana burst into laughter. "Wow, 'from the people, for the people'," Darius joked, making Olive pout even more.
"But the gossip about Mr. Thomas being handsome is true, right, Liv?" Riana asked, playing with the end of her straw. "My sister is really impressed with him. I'm curious about what he's really like."
"I've been talking about Mr. Thomas this whole time, didn't you hear, Na?" Olive said.
Riana laughed. "Don't hate too much, Liv. Falling in love can be complicated!"
Hearing Riana's comment sent shivers down Olive's spine. "Ew!" She quickly rubbed both of her arms. "Ew, ew, ew! Is there anything more horrifying than that?"
"Being in a relationship with Darius?" Riana asked mischievously.
Olive widened her eyes in disbelief at Riana's comment. "Are you insane?" Meanwhile, the man they were both talking about just chuckled, as if he was used to being the subject of their gossip.
"Go on, go home!" Olive shooed them away.
"Why? Haven't been kicked out by the café owner yet?" Darius teased.
Having a friend like Riana, even though Olive didn't want to meet Darius too much, what they talked about somewhat reduced her irritation about her new office. So, Olive considered this evening quite enjoyable.
"I'll come back here tomorrow," Darius said just before Olive could leave the long bench where she had been sitting. Riana had already headed to the parking lot while putting on her jacket. Darius took full advantage of the situation.
"What for?" Olive tried to free herself from Darius's grip. She didn't want Riana to see her like this. Olive had a feeling that Riana might actually like Darius. There was no way Riana would just accompany Darius if she didn't have feelings for him, right?
Olive had no interest in being in the middle of a love triangle. Besides, she...
"Well, we meet again. How have you been, Liv?" Darius smiled broadly. "Even though we're not in the same office anymore, I didn't stop at just that. In fact, if I could, I'd like to be even closer to you."
Olive pursed her lips slightly. "You should see who's close to you right now, Darius."
"That would be you, right?" Darius wiggled his eyebrows, making Olive roll her eyes.
"We never really connect when we talk," Olive retorted. She quickly grabbed the sweater she was wearing to fend off the evening chill. Even though this snack shop wasn't far from her house, Olive still had to bundle up. She didn't want to catch a cold, especially since she hadn't fully adjusted to her new office.
And speaking of her new office, Thomas's comments about time and punctuality still irritated her.
Darius sighed deeply, allowing Olive to walk ahead of him. Why was it so difficult to make Olive believe that he was serious about getting closer to her? Was it because he often looked ridiculous? But when it came to his feelings, he was dead serious. It took a whole year just to sit down and have a meal together with Olive. The blonde girl only replied to his chats with more than just short words in the past few months, and that was only because he got closer to Riana as well.
Oh boy, it seemed like Darius had a long journey ahead.
"Come on!" Riana snapped. She handed Darius his helmet, which she had been holding since earlier. "It's late. Are you going to replace the worker here?"
Darius scowled. "You're such a pain!"
"Besides, your attempt at inviting me to dinner is pitiful, especially at a snack shop. Real cool," Riana mumbled as she adjusted her helmet and jacket. "I'm sure my parents are looking for me. Come on, hurry up!"
"Patience, Anonying!" Darius got on his motorcycle. "You're such a bother!"
"Hey!" Riana protested. "I'm a bother? You're the one who's a bother!!"
Once again, Olive checked the condition of her house. She didn't want to leave anything behind, especially issues with the stove and electricity. She was very afraid of causing problems because of those two things. And since the distance from her house to her office took up quite a bit of time, she intentionally left much earlier than usual."Hey, Olive, are you heading out already?" Bu Kiran, one of her neighbors, asked. The black bags she was carrying suggested she might have just come from a local store."Yeah, Bu," Olive replied with a friendly smile. "I'm leaving first.""Be careful, Liv. Why are you heading out so early?" Kiran was a bit surprised. In Kiran's eyes, Olive was a good and polite girl, despite her mother..."Yeah, I am. I've moved to an office in the CBD."Kiran simply nodded in response to Olive's words. "The CBD is quite far, isn't it? Well, you take care, Liv."Once again, Olive nodded."Has your mother not woken
Olive stomped her foot in frustration. She hit the innocent motorcycle's seat quite hard. If only she could scream in the parking lot to vent her anger, she would have done it. But Olive was using her wits to behave herself. She didn't want to unleash her desire to curse out her boss right now. And what if someone else heard her and made things even messier?Being humiliated in front of Dela and Ayana was already bad enough.She breathed heavily in frustration, scanning her surroundings. "Argh!" She couldn't take it anymore. "So annoying!!!" She wanted to say: "You damn boss, you're so annoying and jobless!" But she held back. "Oh Lord! Give me plenty of patience! Don't let me grow old in my mind because of this crazy boss!"But Olive couldn't get rid of the image of her boss and his words, still echoing in her mind since earlier.It all started during the busy hours when the queue was quite long, and one of the priority customers wanted to be served firs
Olive winced for a moment as her neighbor tended to her. Her mother still hadn't come home, and she didn't know if her daughter's arm needed medical attention, although it was just a minor injury, it still hurt. Luckily, Olive's neighbor was a kind-hearted person, even though she often criticized Olive and her mother for working in what they considered an unsuitable place. At least someone cared about Olive, right?"If possible, don't go to work tomorrow, dear," Miranda said. She was the neighbor who was tending to Olive's injured arm. Getting pinned under the motorcycle and getting a small scratch on her elbow had caused her a lot of pain on her way home earlier. She decided to leave her motorcycle in the parking lot of the building instead of riding it with her injured hand, a suggestion Yohanes had strongly encouraged (more like forced)."What's the rush, anyway? You acted like you'd seen a ghost." Yohanes laughed as he picked up Olive's fallen motorcycle, the resul
It's been three days since Olive had her motorcycle accident, and her hand is much better now. However, Dela still hasn't returned. The food poisoning, she suffered from left her in a worrying condition. She had tried to be cautious, but it turns out the meal she had contained shrimp. As a result, her whole body swelled up, and she had trouble breathing.Hearing about Dela's condition, Olive really wanted to visit her, even if just for a short while. But what could she do? Even though she could read maps, when she got off work, she was tired and just wanted to get home. It would be dangerous to push herself, wouldn't it?The CBD branch was never short of visitors. There was always someone coming in, and there were always priority customers who made Olive nervous. She didn't want to overexert herself and end up getting sick and needing to take time off work. She didn't want to deal with Thomas again.For some reason, she had to be back in Thomas's office. That da
Thomas hasn't dealt with a stack of money for a long time, whether it's the hundred thousand or fifty thousand bills. But because he has to check the report that Olive made, he's forced to do it. With Ayana and Dela watching, after their last customer has been served, Thomas really makes his statement a reality.Olive can only watch from the outside area, confused and annoyed about why Thomas is being so thorough. In her opinion, the amount of money on hand matches the calculations and the report. But for some reason, Thomas seems to be trying to find a way for Olive to get into new trouble. She's absolutely sure that's what Thomas is up to. Why else would he be talking about his credibility as the new head teller candidate?Oh my goodness! What did Olive do to upset Thomas so much? Is that why her boss is blocking the promotion that was offered to her? Is it because she moved to the CBD branch? Is that what he wants? If only grumbling in front of him while he counts m
Matthew couldn't stop laughing, even though what they were discussing wasn't all that funny. Or was it ridiculous? Who knows? But Matthew really didn't want to lose his sense of humor over this."You seem quite amused, sir," Thomas remarks as he sips his coffee. "I'm just stating the facts.""Yeah, I know." Matthew tries to compose himself. He clears his throat briefly and looks back at Thomas. "But why is the report I received different, then?"Thomas just shrugs. "You should ask Ms. Sonia about that.""But so far, her work has been, okay?""Just okay isn't enough, right, sir?" Thomas voices his concern again. This is about Olive. Who else could they be talking about that's making Thomas a little annoyed? Why is this girl the topic of discussion? After all, meeting with Matthew isn't just about discussing Olive, right?"I understand, Thomas." Matthew puts down his cup. "As long as it doesn't cause problems in the CBD, I think it's okay."
Seira lies weakly with an IV drip on her left side. Since last night, Olive hasn't left her mother's side for a minute. Occasionally, she lovingly strokes the slightly pale face. Seira's condition is much better now compared to when she first arrived at the emergency room with Koni. Olive can't imagine what would have happened if Koni hadn't been with her mother last night.Koni, upon seeing Olive arrive and hearing her talk about Seira's condition at work, left them both. It wasn't easy, but what could she do? There was work she needed to finish first. She promised to join Olive as soon as her workday ended.It didn't matter to Olive, though. Her mother was already in the care of the hospital staff. She was confident that her mother would be fine. At least she needed to maintain a positive outlook because her fear was not unfounded. Besides exhaustion, her mother had consumed a significant amount of alcohol. It could be said that her mother had a seizure because her a
Olive never expected a visit from Thomas. Earlier this evening, Yossie and Bu Marta had already come to see her. Ayana had conveyed her apologies for not being able to visit her mother. Olive completely understood that, and it wouldn't have been a big deal if Marta and Yossie hadn't come either. Olive knew they both were probably busy and it would be inconvenient to visit the hospital.Their visit didn't last long. It was just about inquiring about Seira's condition, who was now awake. Although still weak, her condition was no longer too worrisome."Thank you so much, Mrs. Marta and Yossie, for coming. Sorry for the trouble," Olive said."Oh," Marta smiled. "You've been apologizing all along. You take care of your health too, Liv. No one can replace you in taking care of your mother, right?"Olive had shared a bit about her family, but for the real issues, she wouldn't say a word. The most important reason was that her mother was exhausted from working to