“Move away, I will look for it.”
Adeline moved away from her desk as Shirley sat on her seat to look for the file on her computer. It took her a few attempts, but she also couldn’t find the file.
“Are you sure you saved it?” Shirley questioned her.
“Yes, I did. I am sure.” Adeline said.
The commotion already caught the attention of the rest of the department staff.
“Shit.” The word lingered on Shirley’s lips.
“What are we supposed to do now?” Adeline asked Shirley.
Shirley glanced at Adeline before calling Sandra's attention.
"Sandra, call an IT personnel. Now." she said.
Sandra immediately stood up. "Okay."
She ran out of the office to fetch an IT staff while Adeline remained worried yet trying to calm herself down. With things like this, there's no room for error.
Shizuko tries to approach Adeline to comfort her. She placed her hand on her shoulders which caught the worried newbie's attention.
"Is there something you would like me to help you with? I can do it," she said.
"Thank you, Shizuko. But, searching for the file is the only important matter now." Adeline's voice was shaking. She couldn't avoid it from happening.
Shirley stood up from her seat. "When the IT staff comes here, ask him to look for the file as soon as possible. I will keep the audience entertained for some time."
Adeline nodded at her before she left the office going to the meeting room. She waited for a rescue and finally, after a few minutes, Sandra came back with an IT staff.
Adeline told the staff about what happened before and after the current happening with the file. The IT staff fixes her computer and looks for the missing file.
It took the staff about 15 minutes before he got the result. Shirley at the same time has arrived again.
"What is happening now? It has been 15 minutes and the audience are getting impatient," she exclaimed.
The IT staff looked at Adeline. "Someone could've permanently deleted the file you were looking for. I've tracked some progress of which you have logged in yesterday around 9 PM."
"9 PM? But, I went home around 7," Adeline said.
"Did you go back here to the office at 9?" Shirley asked her.
"No," Adeline shook her head. "What for?"
"I don't know. Maybe you forgot something?" Shirley said.
Adeline couldn't believe such a thing was happening to her. Her mind went rumble, and it's confusing to her. She knew she did all her best to be committed to her work for the awaited promotion. The only question left in her mind is 'why?'
"Is there any way for you to retrieve the file?" Shizuko asked the IT staff.
"If it has been deleted from yesterday and there is no other data that could overwrite the file, I think I can retrieve it."
The IT staff's statement gave Adeline new hope, and it gave her enlightenment.
"Please, I need you to retrieve it, sir." Adeline pleaded with the staff.
"I will do my best, ma'am. Please give me a moment."
They waited for a few more minutes and finally; the staff retrieved the file that has the same filename Adeline used.
"Is this the file, ma'am?" The staff asked her.
Adeline looked closely. "Yes. That's it."
"But, I can see that the bytes of the file are 0. It means there's nothing in it."
"What do you mean nothing?" Shizuko asked.
"Let me open it for you." The staff double-clicked the file and Adeline couldn't believe what she was seeing.
The file was empty. None. Nothing.
"That's impossible." she told herself.
"How did that happen? The file has a name, but it has no content or anything stored," Shizuko questioned.
"It could be one of the reasons: you forgot to save the file after composing it or the content has been deleted before it was saved, the reason why the title was the only one that remained with the file," the staff said.
The hope that Adeline felt a little earlier immediately crashed down. She doesn't know what to do anymore. She can only think of crying out, but she doesn't want them to see her weak side.
A disappointing sigh was heard from Shirley. "Forget it. The authorities had withdrawn from the meeting."
Adeline glanced at Shirley with a terrified look on her face.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Adeline. But, you wasted it. I just don't know if you will still be able to have it next time. I don't even know if there will be a next time for you," she continued.
"I'm sorry…" Adeline's voice weakened.
Shirley shook her head in disappointment, before walking away, going back inside her own office.
What just happened made Adeline lose her confidence. It made her stop believing in herself and question for something like this to happen in her life when she's not even ready for it. Just for a bit.
Sandra approached her before trying to talk with the IT staff.
“We would like to see the CCTV footage from yesterday with the timestamp of 9 PM,” she said.
The IT staff has led Adeline, Sandra, and Shizuko to the CCTV room which was handled by the IT management. They watched the recorded footage of the mentioned timestamp.
They noticed the camera can only capture a complicated angle from which they cannot see the faces of the people entering the advertising department office. Also, the camera was located outside the office and there’s none inside.
When the timestamp arrived at 8:50 PM, they all noticed someone entered the office again but they couldn’t recognize who it was. However, after fast-forwarding the footage until 9:05 PM, they couldn’t believe who the suspect of sabotaging was. They couldn't clearly see the face, however, they immediately recognized the person based on their attire. It was wearing thick-framed pointy eyeglasses and very familiar clothing.
Shizuko almost covered her mouth in surprise. “No way. Is that..?”
“Of course, why didn’t we think of that?” Sandra said.
Adeline couldn’t help but breathe heavily as if she was panting. She’s furious. She will not tolerate it anymore.
She couldn’t help but rush back to the office to confront who did her wrong. Sometimes, when a person got enraged, they don’t recognize anyone. Whether they’re higher than her.
Adeline angrily approached their co-worker, who has said insulting words to her ever since she started working in the same department.
Angie glanced at her. “What the hell are you looking at?”
“You did it to me, didn’t you?” she asked her.
“What are you talking about?”
“You sabotaged me!” She exclaimed, tears forming in her eyes.
Sandra and Shizuko went beside the furious victim of workplace harassment. Shirley also overheard the argument happening inside the office, the reason for her to get out of her private office.
“I did nothing to you. Are you insane?!” Angie raised her voice at her.
“Just admit it already. We saw you on the CCTV footage. You came back here inside the office at exactly 8:50 PM yesterday and you left at 9:05 PM. The file was deleted at 9 PM from Adeline’s computer," Shizuko insisted.
“Is that true?” Shirley asked them calmly as Shizuko nodded at her.
“Why are you people blaming me for that bitch’s mistake?” Angie questioned them.
“You’re the bitch here, you bitch!” Adeline couldn’t hold her emotions anymore. She’s crying because of anger.
It surprised Angie after being insulted. She didn’t see that one coming. Adeline’s hands were shaking, but she pointed a finger at the old woman.
“What did I ever do to you to do something like this to me?” Her teeth are gritting at the elder.
“Nothing. And I’m telling you, I have nothing to do with your unfortunate life,” Angie told her.
Sandra went to approach Angie’s chair and took the cardigan that Angie always used to wear. She showed it to the owner.
“This is yours, right?” she asked Angie.
“Yes. And what do you want?”
“This is the proof seen from the footage. The suspect of sabotaging Adeline was wearing this cardigan,” Sandra said.
“What? No. This was returned to me by the security guard earlier as I-” Angie paused after realizing something.
She remembered a certain text message yesterday about her missing cardigan being found and was surrendered to the security guard to hand over to their rightful owner the next day.
But, because Angie was the person who has pride and exalts herself, she didn’t hear- or she didn’t even listen to the security guard telling her who had found and surrendered the cardigan.
When she looked at Sandra’s face, that’s when everything went back to her. The security guard mentioned the name Sandra, but Angie just ignored it. Before Angie could open her mouth again, Shirley handles her.
“You’re the senior employee of this department, yet, you are doing something awful to your juniors. I can’t believe you did that to Adeline," she told her.
“How stupid of you to believe these brats every word they said!” Angie yelled at Shirley.
“Right now, they may be brats. But, I believe what they’re telling me. Unlike you, putting down your juniors and abusing your high position power of authority in this department. I’m so ashamed of you," Shirley said.
Angie looked at the others around her and it was the first time she was being insulted. No one can help her, even the people who always serve her.
“I’m sorry, Angie. But, you’re fired.” Shirley continued.
“You cannot do this to me, Shirley.”
“I have the right to protect my staff from abusive people like you. So, please. Just leave.”
Accusations cornered Angie, even if she didn’t do them. And yet, she couldn’t speak for herself. She couldn’t defend herself. Now, she knows how Adeline must be feeling. Being unable to do something after being pushed down so hard.
Angie glanced at Sandra, and the latter secretly gave her an evil smile.
After dealing with the disaster during work hours, Adeline went home alone. She did not want anyone to feel sorry for her or sympathize with her because she knew the sadness she was feeling would only get worse.
She couldn’t help but wonder where she had gone wrong, or if she had really done something wrong. She didn’t make a joke of preparing for the presentation, for the sake of her promotion. Everything she did is for the best and yet, there will always be a mistake waiting to ruin her.
An email notification notified her that her promotion chance would be only ten percent possible to get approved after what happened. She has made the second-level authorities waste their time waiting for her and failed their high expectation to a potential company ace-like her.
‘Fuck this life!’ she thought.
A bar suddenly caught Adeline's attention. It made her stop from walking and stared into it, the flashy lights captivating her. In her mind, there’s only one thing she wants to do.
Forget everything.