Be Your Lover Forever (Alicia)

They acted one way in public and another in private. As soon as Giselle left, the expression and tone of these people changed completely. All the goodwill Alicia had felt from her new colleague was instantly erased. Even the thought of making do was gone from her mind.

Sure enough, everything was just as she had thought it would be.

The more pressure and competition there was, the more intense the comparisons for sure.

In a company as prestigious as Soaver International, even an ordinary employee would act as if he or she were on a pedestal. Therefore, it was to be expected that things would be this way within the company.

In front of Alicia were several women wearing uniform black jackets and white shirts with short black skirts. At first glance, they all looked like ordinary suits, but on closer inspection, they were all dressed differently. Sof the suits had been made to fit well at the waist. Shad white blouses with low lapels, and sskirts were not just shorter but had also obviously been replaced with slim, stretchy fabrics. Of course, the subtle touches of sparkling diamond buttons, brooches and necklaces were not to be missed too.

Along the way, Alicia had learned that the International Affairs Department staff, who were required to work in the field at all times, did not require a uniform dress code. However, they were to have professional suits, preferably in dark colors. Perhaps the company thought that dark colors would give others a deep and dignified impression of them.

Several young women were also clearly wearing various designer brands, including Chanel earrings, Longines diamond watches. Alicia noticed that there were LV bags on the table as well. She could sense strongly that they were comparing themselves to her.

In fact, from the way they spoke, Alicia could sense vague contempt in their questioning. Perhaps, they couldn't decide on the reason for her sudden arrival, therefore they gave her sface. If she told them everything later, they would put on a grim face instead.

It was at this point that Alicia made her decision; she didn't even want to consider staying anymore.

Since they didn't want to be proper friends with her, she didn't have to be hypocritical in dealing with them. Pretending to be confused, she said, "What country? I don't even have a passport! My dream is to go to Moscow. I graduated from St. Abbott University. I'm not very good at French and I learned it in school. I think I have a Grade 6 French certificate. I had to take French in Grade 6 three times before I barely passed. I have a deep impression of that." With that, she looked down at the clothes she was wearing.

"Is this dress of mine a premium brand's? What is L.M. Couture? I've never heard of it. Is it expensive? My uncle gavethis dress! I don't know if it's a knock-off but as long as I'm comfortable in it, I'll be fine." "And what's this electrical and sectors thing you're talking about? Can you make it clearer for me? I'm a bit confused." Her words left several people dumbfounded. Meanwhile, Jennifer Gabby, who was the prettiest looking girl in the room, was a bit flabbergasted and squealed.

"Oh, my God! What the hell is going on? How on earth did you get in here? Why were you put in International Affairs? Did you cin here to hold us back?" At this moment, the few women who originally had smiles on their faces also started to look cross-eyed, full of disdain and doubt.

"We mainly deal with external affairs. Our daily external communication work, including emails, are sometimes in foreign languages, including French. It took you three times to pass French in Grade 6? How did you manage to join Soaver International?" "When did our company start hiring people with such bad taste? She's like a vixen! She was not sent by a rival company to mess us up, was she?" "What kind of connections are you relying on to get in?" Squinting and muttering, a few of them were clearly still a bit scandalized. Who would believe that such a person could get in without connections? Alicia didn't shirk either. She answered whatever they asked, "I sent in a resand the company letin." With a sharp slap on the head, another woman screamed, "Has the HR fallen under skind of spell? Or are they asleep? How can someone like that be personally sent in by Mr. Reynes?" "Did you mean Chet?" Nodding her head, Alicia added fuel to the fire.

"He's such a nice guy! I met him downstairs and he gavea tour because he knew I didn't know my way around on my first day. Oh, yeah! What's his number? I have to thank him!" The next thing she knew, a buzz followed by a flurry of blank stares cin unison.

"Who do you think you are to ask for Mr. Reynes' number?" "You've just gotten lucky!" "There's a six-month probationary period at Soaver International. You'll have to work your way up the ladder. Hopefully, you won't leave in a week. Otherwise, you'll set a new record! After all, the lowest probationary record in Soaver International so far is three months..." "Heh." Sure enough, within three minutes, a large part of the crowd surrounding Alicia disappeared and the last few left were all men.

"Miss Blanchard, my nis Bradley Finn. Everyone here callsBrad. Don't take what they say to heart. They're only jealous of your beauty. It's nice to meet you. Why don't you take my number? You can callif you need me." "Sure, thank you." Kindness was always returned tenfold. Alicia's treated both sexes equally. Although she had little affection for the slightly plump man in front of her, she had basic manners. Therefore, she did not mind exchanging phone numbers.

Another man, gentle-looking and also in a suit with glasses, was quite nice as well. The two had just exchanged numbers when Jennifer's sarcastic voice could be heard.

"Pablo! What are you doing? We're waiting for you to sign! Gee, has our high-flying 'international geek' been seduced by a vixen as well? Do you still want the order award or not?" "Jennifer, why are you talking like that?" The nJennifer really matched her. Before Alicia's arrival, Jennifer was the famous sultry beauty of the company's International Affairs Department. She was the number one goddess in the eyes of many men. As a result, she had a very arrogant attitude and often treated men horribly.

Pablo Hector, on the other hand, seemed gentle but was slightly shy. However, when he was at work, it was a different story. Pablo was so talented and quick-witted that he was known in the Department of International Affairs as the 'international executioner'. As a result, he was a well-known figure in the department. He was also known as the 'geek' because he never talked to girls but often spent his free twith books.

Yet, he didn't care much! He and Jennifer were partners on many occasions, and the two worked quite well together. Jennifer was very fond of him. Therefore, after seeing the way he treated Alicia, she was furious and even her tone turned nasty.

With the sudden coldness around her, Alicia was not amused. Raising a slightly mocking smile, she then wiped the table clean and slouched down.

When there was work to be done, she would act accordingly. Otherwise, she would just stay and laze around. She was merely here to muck in and muck out anyway.

Having figured that out, Alicia rested her chin and stared blankly at the computer. Occasionally when she got tired, she would look up at the busy people walking around to relieve her boredom.

When it was nearing ten o'clock, she was given a thick copy of the company's by-laws to read through. She finally had something to do! However, as she had no intention of staying, she only flipped through it briefly. Tcrawled when one was wretched. She felt tortured every second of the day.

Yawning, she scanned the tand realized that not even half an hour had passed. Alicia felt sleepy as hell. It was then that she remembered the TV series "Bored to Death".

Perhaps one could really be bored to death! What a bore...

After sitting for less than a morning, her body already felt sore all over. How was she going to get through the rest of the day? What a misery! After getting up and stretching, Alicia took out the cup she carried with her as she slipped away to the pantry.

As her seat was in the innermost corner, she wandered past every employee along the way.

As soon as she left the room, there was a loud clamor and the slamming of papers.

"What's wrong with her? We're busy here and she's so free." "She's new and clearly doesn't know any rules! What do you expect her to do? With that attitude, she probably won't even pass the test!"

"I wonder what's wrong with the HR department. How could they recruit such a person and put her in oum department?"V'Don't be so harsh. She speaks many languages and used to be a professional translator. It seems like she's only a temporary intern in our department." "We don't need such an employee. Why did anyone even hire her? Is this a joke?" "Her expertise is not what we need at all. And there's no way our company would spend money hiring an expensive translator for nothing!" "She's so lazy, and it's irritating to watch. She even sways when she walks!" "Jennifer, what's wrong with you today? Why are you being so mean and always deliberately targeting her? You walk with more of a sway than she does! You're not jealous that she has a better figure and looks, are you?" As soon as Brad's words were out of his mouth, Jennifer slammed a stack of papers at him.

"Why would I be jealous of a loser? Only you men are so limber and simple-minded that you care about such things. What's so goodlooking about her? She's just like us, with one nose and two eyes. I don't give a d*mn about her!"

"Jennifer, you are more talented and better looking! You guys are just sick of the old. Who in the whole om carve company can compare to Jennifer's devilish body? Can't you see all the rich heirs sending her flowers and blocking her way every day?"

Meanwhile, Alicia had just reached the door when she heard the vitriolic discussion coming from inside. M Helplessly she looked up at the ceiling and couldn't help but let out a long sigh. Sure enough, she was sidelined after all. It was all because of that d*mned Frederick! It wasn't easy to fit into a new circle. She hadn't even done anything yet and she was already disliked.

"Ahem..." After a few coughs to remind them of her presence, she slowed her pace and wandered back to her seat. If she couldn't do anything to prevent it, she might as well sit back and enjoy it. With her mind made up, Alicia continued to bum time.

Flipping through the books in her hands, she watched for movement around her. As long as she knew her enemy, she need not fear the results of a hundred battles. She couldn't just sit in this hellish cage and wait to die. Soon, the clock struck twelve and Alicia instantly sat up straight.

It was tfor lunch! Finally, something to make her feel a little happier! Peter Grill CH/F-PSE X