Chapter 684

Juniper wasn't even sweating it; she was straight-up mocking Mira.

Mira was already on the warpath, and Juniper's attitude just threw more gas on the fire. "Check it yourself. Do I have to spell out every single mistake for you? You're a secretary, not a student. I'm not here to babysit you."

"But I don't see any problem," Juniper shot back, cool as a cucumber. And she wasn't just bluffing; she knew her stuff, even if she was new to the game.

Mira snapped, "That's 'cause your skills are trash."

"I don't think there's anything wrong with my report," Juniper locked eyes with her. "If you can find one data error, I'll quit on the spot."

Like Mira could find one. She hated Juniper's confidence-or was it arrogance? It made her blood boil.

Mira fired back, "Just looking at the data? The text is a mess. How can we show this to the client? Are we gonna embarrass ourselves? The client will think our company is a joke!"

Juniper stood her ground, "I think it's pretty solid."

"That's just your opinion," Mira shot back, ice-cold.

Juniper was getting frustrated. Mira didn't usually act like this. Sure, she was distant, but she was fair. Lately, though, she had it out for Juniper.

Juniper must've seriously pissed her off somehow, or she wouldn't be acting like this.

Juniper was about to ask when Terry strolled over.

Terry asked, "What's the drama about this early?"

"Juniper's report is a mess. I told her to fix it, but she won't," Mira jumped in.

This time, Juniper wasn't gonna roll over. "There's nothing wrong with the report. Check it yourself."

Mira sneered, "Terry's swamped, and you want him to check your report? Do you think he's your assistant?"

Juniper shot back, "But there's really nothing wrong with my report. I don't know what to fix."

Mira kept pushing, "You're just being lazy. I can spot the problems a mile away."

"Then point them out."

They weren't yelling, but the tension was thick.

"Alright, enough. Mira's been here for years and knows her stuff. If she says there's a problem, then there is. Take another look," Terry said before walking off.

Juniper was pissed but had no choice. Mira was Terry's right-hand woman, and her work was always on point. It made sense Terry trusted her. But with a report that had no issues, what was she supposed to fix?

"Hand it to me in half an hour. If it's not good enough, keep revising until I'm happy," Mira said smugly before leaving.

Juniper was stuck with the document. If Mira was set on making her life hell, no amount of revising would make her happy.

Juniper had no clue where to start but had to give it a shot.

She spent the whole morning tweaking the report, once, twice, three times, four times. The result was the same. No matter what she did, Mira wasn't satisfied. Mira would just glance at it and say it wasn't good enough, without any real feedback.

Juniper's patience hit rock bottom. She snapped, "Just tell me straight up, what's your beef with me?"

"You can't even write a simple report. Do you think I'd be satisfied with you?" Mira mocked.

"Just spill it. We both know this isn't about the report; it's personal."

Mira smirked. "Oh, so now I'm targeting you? Aren't you the hotshot from some fancy school? If you can't do your job, do you just blame others? Is that all you've got?"

"I said, spill it," Juniper cut her off. "If I ticked you off somehow, just say it. No need to drag work into this. We're all busy, and this is just wasting my time."

"It's you who can't even handle a simple report, messing up my workflow, and now you're saying I'm the one delaying you?" Mira looked like she couldn't believe it.

Juniper shot back, "We don't have any beef. If I did something wrong, just tell me. No need to make my work life hell."

"I'm not that petty."

Juniper was getting fed up. Mira's silent treatment was worse than Saffron's in-your-face attitude.

She didn't want to waste any more time.

"Let's just say this is the best I can do. This report is as good as it gets. If you're not happy, take it up with Terry," Juniper said, done with the argument.

Mira sneered, "Don't think Terry's gonna have your back just 'cause he hired you."

"I don't think that, but sorry, this is the best I can do," Juniper said, shrugging it off and walking away.

Mira frowned, thinking, 'Juniper's got guts. She's not banking on Terry but on Anthony. What's so special about her? A girl like her sticking around Anthony is trouble. I'll find a way to get rid of her.'

It wasn't until after eleven that Juniper saw Anthony.

She went to drop off a document.

Maybe she was being paranoid, but Anthony seemed even colder towards her. She tried to brush it off, but it really felt off.

After putting down the document, Juniper told herself to leave right away, but she hesitated, "Mr. Eilish, did you call me last night for something?"

Anthony was focused on the document, and after a few seconds, he replied, "Yeah, work."

Of course, it was work. She had been hoping for something else.

But Juniper still had a sliver of hope. "What was it about? You said on the phone if I have time..." She felt like the next part was important.

But Anthony just said, "If you have time, give me Wednesday's document early."

Juniper felt a bit let down and muttered, "So that's what you wanted."

Her voice was soft, but Anthony heard it and asked, "What else did you think it was?"

"Nothing."

She actually said it out loud and wanted to kick herself.

After a night of worrying, Juniper finally got her answer. All her speculations vanished, and she felt lighter. But along with the relief came self-mockery. She had been hoping for something more and ended up embarrassed.

After so many letdowns, she was about ready to give up.

Silently looking at him, she thought, 'Anthony, I used to like you a lot, but this is it. From now on, I'm moving on.'