It’s a Rough Ride from Here

As soon as I returned to the office, a colleague informed me that Fiona, who had called me earlier, was already at my desk.

I reiterated the explanation I had given her over the phone and even called Revenant Corp for her.

However, the person on the other end of the line immediately hung up when they heard me claim that a phone was damaged due to a bad SIM card.

I couldn't help but envy their assertiveness. Frankly, it made me want to change companies.

Still, the company I work at prioritized service above all else. Thus, we were expected to greet a customer with a smile no matter how unreasonable they might get.

Fiona threw the SIM card at my face. Sadly, I had to stuff my anger into a little box and squeeze a smile.

In the end, I gave up and sought help from the director, Connor Aloe, due to her incessant harassment.

"Is she crazy? Wait here. I'll toss her out," he growled.

Connor stormed into the reception room. Yet, his face did a complete 180 when his eyes landed on Fiona. "Hello, ma'am. I'm the director. How can I assist you on this fine day?"

It was obvious he was also upholding the rule that the customer was always right.

Fiona didn't hesitate to point at me. "I want to file a complaint against her."

My heart sank. A promotion was going to be up for grabs next week.

I was a shoo-in for the manager's position based on my stellar work performance.

Now, a total of 100 points would be deducted from me because of a single complaint. That would affect my chances of getting that promotion.

I couldn't help but voice my protest. "Ms. Johnson, how is your request related to my job? I'm only a customer service representative. You can't file a complaint against me for this."

She rolled her eyes at me. "I do what I want. Do I have to tell you the reason? I could rescind that complaint, but only if you pay for a new phone out of your own pocket."

I was on the verge of tears due to sheer rage.

I, myself, was using a second-hand phone worth 300 dollars. Yet, she wanted me to get her a phone that cost more than one grand?

Plus, I was the innocent party!

I had to restrain myself from choosing violence when I saw her smug expression.

Alas, I could only swallow my anger as I recalled my near-weightless wallet.

Meanwhile, Fiona continued to rant. She even went as far as to curse my parents.

When I heard that, I couldn't help but blurt, "Ms. Johnson, please watch yourself."

Before Fiona could respond, Connor, who had been silent until then, became agitated. "Maya, how could you speak to a customer like that? You're at work!"

Fiona could not be deterred from filing a complaint against me. So, the director shot me a discreet look.

I could roughly understand what he was getting at.

After all, not every complaint would lead to immediate penalty toward the staff. There would be an opportunity for the staff to appeal against it.

The higher-ups would generally ignore those unreasonable complaints.

It seemed he wanted to placate the unruly Fiona and then help me withdraw the complaint later.

This was a relief for me. So, I no longer feared Fiona's complaint.

I was exhausted both mentally and physically after that farce.

Nevertheless, I chose to work unpaid overtime for the sake of my work performance this month.

I was the top employee in this department, consistently achieving the best results each month.

My colleagues had grown accustomed to my work habits, so none of them had ever commented on it.

Yet, Anna decided to approach me with a pout. "Maya, why are you always working overtime? Are you slacking off during the day and pretending to work hard after hours?"

My iron grip on my temper loosened as I recalled the events earlier today.

"Keep your mouth shut if you've got nothing good to say. Are you so blind that you can't tell that I'm the top employee every month?"

Anna froze before she started crying right in front of everyone. Then, she choked out, "I just graduated. I'm not really good with workplace intricacies. Please don't hate me, Maya."