Chapter 18: Customer ledger
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"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Sevano said amid his laughter, raising his hand as if giving up. "I'm just kidding. I didn't know that it would surprise you this much."
Ramona finally let go of her long breath, feeling relieved even though her chest still felt tight. However, his fast-paced heart rate was uncontrollable. Sevano's accusation just now really made him panic, even though he knew it was just a joke.
Sevano's laughter slowly subsided. His face turned serious as he continued the conversation. "A few years ago," he said in a low tone, "my company once had someone who was very loyal. I entrusted everything to him, all great responsibilities, all secrets. But for some reason, he decided to betray me. He stabbed me in the back, just when I didn't expect it."
Sevano's eyes stared intently at Ramona, as if looking for something. "Have you ever experienced anything like that?" he asked suddenly, his tone sounding cold yet full of curiosity.
Ramona swallowed, trying to control her nervousness. "No," he replied firmly, shaking his head quickly.
However, in her heart, Ramona felt uneasy. Sevano's words seemed to hit a weak point in his mind. The secret he kept tightly felt trembling, as if it was almost revealed. He tries to stay calm, even though he knows that Sevano is the type of person who is not easy to lie to.
Sevano watched Ramona with slightly narrowed eyes, as if reading her body language. However, instead of urging, he just nodded softly and leaned back in his chair.
"Good then," he muttered. "Losing trust is difficult, Ramona. I don't expect that to happen again."
Ramona only smiled slightly, hoping that this conversation wouldn't continue. But one thing is certain—he knows that he has to be more careful around Sevano.
Sevano let out a long sigh, his gaze briefly fixed on Ramona before he spoke. "My secretary will show you your room. You can start working today," he said in a firm but still professional tone.
Ramona smiled slightly, relieved to hear that certainty. "Thank you, sir," he said while nodding politely.
Sevano only nodded back before the door of his room opened. A young man in a neat suit walked in with a calm step. "Come, I'll take you to your room," he said in a friendly but formal tone.
Ramona followed the man out, walking through the hallway with a modern and elegant office atmosphere. They stopped in front of a glass door with a small name written "Ramona."
"This is your room," the man said as he opened the door and invited Ramona in. "You can let me know if you need anything."
Ramona nodded, but before the man left, she asked, "May I know what your name is?"
The man smiled slightly before replying, "Elors." The answer was short, but friendly. Ramona nodded again, feeling happy to get to know the staff in her new place.
After Elors left, Ramona walked into her room. He looked around with admiration. The room was clean, modern, and bright, with a large work desk fully stocked with advanced devices: the latest laptop, large monitor, office phone, and several other fixtures.
Ramona sat in her chair, feeling the comfort of the soft chair. His hand gently touched the surface of the table, then he began to open the small drawers to see the contents. Everything looks neatly organized.
"It's more than I imagined," he muttered, smiling slightly. Feelings of enthusiasm mixed with nervousness began to fill him, but he knew this was the beginning of a new journey that might be full of challenges.
A faint voice from the next room caught his attention. He realized that his room was right next to Sevano's room. That fact made him a little nervous, but he was determined to focus on his work and prove that he could do the job well.
The silence that surrounded Ramona's room was broken suddenly by the ringing of her cell phone. The sound made her jump, her heart pounding. With a slightly trembling hand, he grabbed the phone on the table and stared at the screen. Unknown number.
"Who is this?" he muttered quietly. His mind drifted at the possibility that it was Hunter. After hesitating for a few seconds, he swiped the screen and answered the phone. "Hello," he said quietly, though there was a hint of tension in his tone.
A cold and stern voice on the other side instantly rang out. "I'll give you your first mission," the man said without further ado.
Ramona sighed softly, her eyes sharply squinting, holding back the anger that was starting to burn. He knew the voice. "Hunter..." he thought angrily. His gaze turned hateful, but he didn't answer right away.
"You heard me?" said Hunter in a tone that began to sharpen when he realized Ramona was just silent.
Ramona finally opened her voice, stiff and unceremoniously, "Hurry up and say."
Hunter hissed softly across there, seemingly disliking Ramona's attitude against her. "Look for Bainchi's corporate ledger. It contains a list of customers who purchased their designs in the last three months. A photo of the page with a list of the customer's names, then send it to me. The sooner the better."
Before Ramona could reply or protest against his order, Hunter immediately disconnected the phone with a stern click.
Ramona looked at her phone with an angry expression. "So arrogant," he muttered as he put his phone roughly on the table. He took a deep breath, trying to suppress the overflowing emotions.
In his heart, he wondered how he would have to deal with this situation. However, he knew one thing: executing Hunter's orders wouldn't be as easy as the man had imagined.
Ramona squeaked in annoyance while leaning her back against the chair. "Stuck again with Hunter, that hellish demon," he muttered quietly. He massaged his temples, trying to ease the frustration. How could he possibly get his hands on the general ledger of the Bainchi company? Having just started working, he didn't even understand the tasks he had to do. "I don't even know where to start," he grumbled in an irritated tone.
Suddenly, the sound of the door opening shifted his focus. Ramona looked up, and the figure of Elors appeared in the doorway with his usual formal expression.
"Ramona," Elors called briefly. "Mr. Sevano wants you to work on the order from Mr. Holick. All the explanations and details of the request are in this file." He placed a map on Ramona's desk. "The deadline is tomorrow night. Before making the delivery, first discuss the design with Mr. Sevano. After getting approval, you can send the final result."
Ramona nodded, immediately picked up the file and began to read it. "Yes, I'll finish it soon," he replied confidently.
Elors nodded slightly before stroding out of the room, closing the door neatly behind him.
Ramona smiled slightly, reading the details of the request in the file. "It's very easy," he thought. The design request from Mr. Holick was not too complicated, and he was confident that he could complete it well before the deadline. "Tomorrow night? Even tonight I can finish," he muttered excitedly.
However, behind that confidence, there was another plan that began to cross his mind. With this job, he had a reason to meet Sevano in his room. It was an opportunity he might be able to take advantage of to find the ledger Hunter was referring to.
A feeling of longing for her son, Esther, began to flood her heart. He held the pen in his hand tightly. "I have to do it," he thought determinedly. Only by completing this mission can he hope to meet again with the Esther he has missed so much.
Ramona immediately begins her work, focusing entirely on the design for Mr. Holick, with thoughts torn between her new assignment and the mission Hunter provides.
Later that evening, Ramona finally completed the design for Mr. Holick perfectly. He leaned his back for a moment, observing his work with satisfaction. "Done," he muttered with a faint smile. Not wanting to delay, Ramona immediately got out of her chair, picked up the design, and stepped towards Sevano's room.
Arriving at the door, he took a deep breath, trying to calm his heartbeat. Hesitantly, he knocked on the door, "Excuse me, sir," he called out politely while pushing the door slowly.
However, the room was empty. There was no one there.
Ramona frowned, staring at the quiet workspace. "Where is Sevano?" he thought confused. But that confusion was soon replaced by something else—a realization that this was a golden opportunity for him.
He closed the door back slowly, making sure no one saw him. In his heart, he thought, "This is the support of God. I must not waste this opportunity."
Quickly, Ramona walked to Sevano's desk. He placed the finished design on the table, then began to shift his focus. His eyes swept across the room, looking for clues as to where the ledger Hunter wanted was kept.
His steps stopped in front of a large filing cabinet in the corner of the room. His heart was beating faster as he opened one of the drawers. The pile of documents looked so neat, but time was not on his side to go through them all one by one. With nimble movements, he examined the labels on the maps arranged within them, hoping to find something that matched Hunter's description.
"Hurry up, Ramona. Don't waste time," he whispered to himself, while his hands continued to work deftly.
Ramona is increasingly pressed for time, her body feels stiff because of the nervousness and anxiety that befalls her. He is determined to find the ledger Hunter requested, so that he can immediately get out of Sevano's room and return home to meet his son.
Focused, Ramona stepped quickly under Sevano's desk, where the under-desk drawer that had been checked twice before showed no results—just a pile of files and designs. "Where did he keep that big book?" muttered Ramona, her mind raging.
His gaze began to glance around the room, trying to find any clues that could help him. Then, his eyes focused on something unusual: Sevano's desk, which looked a little different. Under the table, there was a small box with stripes that indicated that it could be used to store things. Without thinking long, Ramona pressed the line carefully, and with a click, the box opened.
Inside, many books are neatly arranged, but what surprises Ramona is a gun stored among the piles of goods. His heart was beating fast, and he felt a little afraid, but he didn't have time to hesitate. Carefully, Ramona reached into the storage space and took out a large book with a thick black cover.
As soon as she opened the first page, Ramona was surprised. The list of customer names listed in the book looked like what he was looking for. A big smile appeared on Ramona's face, a moment of happiness at having managed to find what Hunter wanted. Quickly, he took his phone and took a picture of the pages.
However, before closing the book and returning it to its original place, Ramona looked back at the list of names she had just photographed. It seems that something is strange. All names on the list are male. "Why are the majority of customers male?" muttered Ramona confused, feeling that something was wrong.
Curiosity again prompted him to open the drawer where he had previously found sketch designs. He opened some files and was surprised to see the contents—not the design of the dress or clothes he usually encountered, but the design of a doctor's lab coat.
"Wait, why did they design a doctor's lab coat?" thought Ramona, her eyes widening in confusion. "Isn't this company famous for its dress designs?"
Then, he began to realize that there might be another side of the company that he didn't know about. Ramona guessed, wondering if there were any special orders received by this company other than fashion design. "Does this have anything to do with something bigger?" thought Ramona with a deepening curiosity.
In an instant, a new wave of questions popped into his mind, and he became even more interested in finding out more.
"Has Ramona come home?" Ramona immediately turned her head.
That's Sevano's voice.
"Looks like you've done it," Elors replied, prompting Ramona to put the designs back in a drawer.
Before Ramona had time to get out from under the table, the door was open.
"Take the ledger, I want to record two customers who were not written yesterday!" ordered Sevano to Elors.
Ramona kept her mouth shut, she had to hide under the table. His heartbeat was racing fast as Elors' footsteps towards Sevano's desk.
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