Chapter 7: Work Wars and Unexpected Shifts

Lillian was a powerhouse at work, often barking at clients over the phone at lightning speed, leaving my head spinning.

Her voice would rise and fall in quick bursts, switching from gentle to firm in seconds. I admired how she never let anyone talk down to her, not even the most stubborn client.

Our work overlapped a lot, and whether she was genuinely dissatisfied or just picking on me, she was always tossing files at me or losing her temper.

There were days when I felt like her personal assistant—running to the copy machine, double-checking numbers, fielding her exasperated sighs. Sometimes I thought she was testing me, seeing how much I could take.

Natalie couldn’t stand it and tried to mediate: “What’s up with you two? Weren’t you fine before? Jason, what did you do to tick off Lillian? Watch yourself!”

Natalie played office referee, but usually just made things more awkward. Her efforts to lighten the mood often fell flat, like a sitcom laugh track after a bad punchline.

Naturally, Lillian laid into me even harder.

It was like Natalie’s interference gave her permission to be even stricter. I braced myself every time I saw her coming.

Gradually, I started to resent her, even considered asking the boss for a transfer.

I looked up job postings during lunch, fantasizing about escaping the drama for a quieter office somewhere—maybe a sleepy town outside Columbus, where the worst rivalry would be over the best barbecue joint.

She probably wished I’d move away too.

I caught her sighing heavily sometimes, and wondered if she ever dreamed of working with someone less clueless than me.

But things subtly changed after a business trip.

A twist of fate, really—the kind you never see coming, but that ends up changing everything.