Chapter 14: 14. Mysterious Photo
New morning, new day. The morning sky was a bit cloudy, but that didn't dampen Rissa's enthusiasm to go to work. What made her even more excited was knowing that she would be practicing the choir again after today. That means she will meet again with the man she loves.
Rissa arrived at the office at half-past seven. The office is still quiet. She cleaned her desk with a table cloth she had picked up from the cupboard. And then, she was wiping down her computer monitor.
She looked at Esther's computer not far from her desk. Even from a distance, Rissa could see the dust on Esther's monitor.
She walked over to Esther's desk, then cleaned up the monitor and desk simultaneously. She picked up the books on the table and wiped them while humming the White Christmas song. Something fell from the book that she was holding. Something like paper then tucked under the table.
Rissa was surprised. She crouched down and groped the floor around her. Rissa was wearing a skirt; it seemed complicated and embarrassing for her to crawl under the table. After that, she got that paper. It turned out to be a photo. She saw the text on the back of the photo: "Ther & Charl 01-04-2005".
When she turned the photo, Rissa saw a wonderful photo of Esther with long, wavy hair hugging a man who seemed to know Rissa.
Suddenly, from behind, someone was pulling the photo from her hand.
"Ooops! Please don't ever touch my things without permission," said Esther, hastily stuffing the photo into her bag. Then, she put the load on the table while sipping coffee in the other hand.
Risa's face suddenly turned pale. "I'm sorry, Esther. I didn't mean to. I was cleaning up your desk."
"That's fine. But next time, I'll just clean it myself," Esther turned her face without expression, but then she turned around again. "By the way, thank you Rissa for cleaning my desk, but next time...." she shook her head with a smile, and then she really went out of the room.
"Okay, I understand."
Rissa looked down at the floor. She was feeling very embarrassed because someone was caught her touching someone else's personal belongings. Although it seemed that Esther was no longer someone else to her, Rissa still felt terrible.
"Esther, how are you? Do you get better?" Rissa asked, trying to be as friendly as possible.
"Not bad," Esther replied curtly.
With a bit of sad feeling, Rissa returned to her desk. She started taking out her work as usual. Shortly afterward, Esther returned to her desk and began to get busy with her work.
Rissa still thinks that she knows the man in the photo. She was sure that the man in the photo was not Esther's husband. Too bad she only got a glimpse of the picture. Rissa felt like there was something Esther was hiding. During this time, Esther had never spoken much.
Rissa remembers that when she worked there for the first time, she was often hostile to Esther. Many employees do not like Rissa. However, Esther's attitude was steadfast, and she didn't allow Rissa to make the slightest mistake.
One day, Rissa managed to complete the report perfectly, just exactly like what Esther wanted. Since then, Rissa and Esther have become very close. They eat lunch together, come home from work together, discuss work together, and go to church.
No one else dared to gossip about Rissa. In fact, her co-workers started to like Rissa, and many praised her in front of Esther without shame.
Even though they were very close, Esther never told her about her life. Until one day, Rissa found out that Esther was the daughter of the company's owner where she worked. Her demeanor was a bit cold, but Rissa always felt that Esther really cared about her.
Rissa thought that the photo was probably a photo of her ex-boyfriend. Rissa just smiled inwardly. She imagined if she had known the man. Rissa noticed Esther, who had been struggling with the computer and phone. She is earnest about her job.
Then, suddenly Esther stood up and approached Rissa, "Please type this. This afternoon, I have a meeting with the Golden Group."
"Okay, Esther. I will type it right now," answered Rissa.
Rissa immediately typed a document about sales in her company, Kharisma Company. The company is a significant distributor of spring beds. The sales situation hasn't been so good lately. They must enter into a contractual agreement with the Golden Group to help increase sales at the company.
Within an hour, Rissa finished her report, and then she handed it to Esther. Esther's face looked even paler than yesterday.
"Esther, here it is. I have finished my work."
"Thank you, Rissa," said Esther weakly.
"Esther, are you alright?" asked Rissa worriedly.
Esther closed her eyes and held her forehead. "I'm dizzy and nauseous, Riss. I shouldn't drink the coffee. I think I'm going to throw up."
Esther sound like someone about to vomit. She covered her mouth, but there is nothing came out.
"Oh no! Esther, sit down first." Rissa carried Esther and then sat her on the sofa. She fetched a glass of warm water which Esther drank immediately.
"Riss, you really understand the document that you typed, right?"
"Yes, Esther. Of course, I understand. At least, I have learned about it. What's the matter?"
"You'll be joining the Golden Group meeting in an hour," said Esther weakly.
Risa speechless. Esther handed back the document, and slowly Rissa took it. "Are you sure about this? I...." Rissa shook her head.
"I really sure. I know that you can do this. You just need to explain all the contents of the document. All about the types of foam mattresses and the specifications of the springbed mattresses. You also understand about the advantages of each type, right? The discounts are all listed and you will explain the contract agreement again later. It just like our briefing last week. Got it?"
"Okay," answered Rissa a little hesitantly.
"Don't worry. The Golden Group will definitely agree with Kharisma's offer. You just need to explain the document convincingly. Everything will be fine."
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone