A Lot Of Work

Emily entered the now familiar open-plan office with a flourish. She paused briefly at the doorway, as if making an entrance on a show staircase. She basked in the admiring glances of the men. And the angry sideways glances from the women were simply delicious.

Yes, Emily had earned herself a certain reputation in the company. And that felt good.

David, her tutor, rushed toward her. He seemed even more nervous than the day before.

“Good to see you. There's a lot to do.”

“Oh, even more than yesterday?” It was meant as a joke, but David didn't get it. He waved frantically for her to follow and walked quickly ahead to her workstation.

"In your inbox, you'll find an email with several attachments. The data in it is very important for a project that is being sponsored by the top management. Unfortunately, an error has crept in and now all the figures have to be checked against a control table. The email explains how to do this. It's best to start right away, as the deadline is 4 p.m. today. If you have any questions, call accounting."

He wiped his forehead with his sleeve. He was clearly under a lot of stress. Emily's natural charm bounced off him like on a wooden block today.

Well, fine, she thought, if it's important to the top brass, maybe I can get a bonus out of it. So let's get started.

The whole thing turned out to be worse than she had feared. It was exhausting, boring, and she felt like she was about to get a headache.

But she couldn't just leave the work undone. She urgently needed another solution.