Two

" It is not that bad. " Maisie said after she got over her first reaction and immediately try to do damage control with her friend.

  " Try again. You didn't convince me and right now, I am almost on a plane heading to you. " Betty said.

  " What about your family. " Maisie asked.

  " They will understand, they always do. " Betty replied and Maisie could hear some shuffling in the background.

  " Tell me you are joking. " Maisie pleaded.

  " Well, I am not. "

   " Everything is fine. I can handle it and did you forget what will happen to me if you come to visit me. " 

  " I am not coming for a visit. I am staying. " Betty told her. 

  " Be serious. " Maisie snapped at her friend, already at the end of her limit. Her apartment was a dump and she had just two days to fix it before she had to go to work, she was wasting precious minutes trying to convince her hard-headed friend that she will be fine on her own.

  " I am completely serious. " Betty replied in an equal measured tone as if it was Maisie who was trying her patience.

   " Your family will hate me. " Maisie said after taking a deep breath so as not to quarrel with her friend.

  " That is as much of a possibility as them disowning me which will never happen. They love you to pieces. " Betty told Maisie what she already knows.

  " Please I am begging you, give me a week then I will tell you everything about me in a video call. When you see the place then, you can decide if you want to come here or not because I need help. Whatever your decision is. I wouldn't try to change your mind. " 

 Berry remained silent for a few seconds and Maisie knew it was not to think about the offer.

She was finding a better way to see if she will bend the situation to please herself. Betty proved her deduction right with her next statement. " if I do decide to come. I can do anything I want with your apartment. "

  " Done. "Maisie agrees immediately.

   " Fine. " Betty said as they said their goodbyes and hang up.

   Maisie looked around her as she tried to figure out what to do first. There is no way she will allow Betty to have free reins, she would go overboard. The best way to stop her was to make her apartment splendid and that was what she planned on doing. When she was done with that task then she will meet her realtor and rain down chaos on the firm for what they put her through by lying to her.

  *******

  The last two days had been nothing if not hard for Maisie, she was pleased with her work on her apartment. Betty would not find anything wrong with the apartment. Now all she had to do was to arrange her stuff within the next five days. Her Realtor was a real bitch. When Maisie had brought up about the condition of the house. The Realtor reminded her that she told Maisie that the apartment was a little rough around the edges so Maisie really couldn't do anything about the agency. They did warn her even though they did it in an unethical way, she knew that she couldn't blame them.

 Now, Maisie spent the last half hour getting ready for her job. She did this with a smile, she was finally going to be able to say that she has gotten her dream job and she was enjoying it. She smiled as she put on her black heels, one of the few good pairs she had. With her salary of next month, she had budgeted it for food, clothes, and transport, then her next salary after that will be for her savings and other minor expenses. 

 With a smile at her mirror, she stepped out of her room and nearly twisted her ankle in a bid to escape the mess she saw on her front door. There was something brown right where she almost put her leg and from the smell of it, she knew that it was poop. She looked around and saw a dog grinning at her. Maisie narrowed her eyes at the door, but the dog stepped into the apartment he was standing in front of.

     Marching to the apartment, Maisie tried to control her temper on the way, it wouldn't do her good if she got on the bad side of her neighbors within a week of moving in. Still she pounded on the door and the person within took his sweet time before opening the door and when the door was flung open, she found herself staring at the chest of a man. " what. " the irritated voice asked her and she tilted her head to look at the man with the sculpted chest and she knew without feeling her cheeks that they were red as she felt a blush rising. She had been ogling her neighbor chest and she was not that type of girl.

  " Y-yo your dog " Maisie stammers.

  " What about Axel. " the man said with that irritated tone.

   " He pooped in front of my door. " Maisie said as she tried to make her voice as firm as possible.

   " So, you could have cleaned it. " the douche standing in front of her said.

   " Excuse me. " Maisie asked hoping that her ears heard wrong.

   The man shrugged as he replied. " the time you stood banging my door. You would have cleaned it up. "

  " As you can see, I am not dressed for that kind of activity. I suggest you clean it up since it is your dog. " Maisie replied frostily.

  " Fine. I will. " the man said before he slammed the door close on her face.

 Maisie good mood was evaporated as she stumped to the elevator. She hoped the rest of her day was better than her meeting with the douche neighbor.

  On getting to her working place. The incident of that morning was already far from her mind. What occupied the front row of her mind was how she would introduce herself. She didn't delude herself thinking that she is the best but still, she knew that she would have to prove herself useful and memorable and she plans on starting right from the beginning. With a memorable introduction.

   " Hello, my name is Maisie... " Maisie started only to be cut short.

   " New intern. " someone asked.

   " Not really, I was offered a job here while I was still in school about six months ago. " Maisie said.

  The man who asked her if she was a new intern scoffs: " one of Zachary's attempts to introduce new blood. At least, we can see what he saw in this one, she is easy on the eyes. Put her in Huggins team, let's hope he will make good use of her looks. " the man concluded as a woman who sat close to the man stood up.

  " This way Maisie. " the woman said as she left the room. Maisie turned to look at the man but the man was already focused on the documents before him, Maisie rushed after the woman and meet the woman in front of a door. She opened the door and stepped inside. " Mr. Huggins, your new team member. Try not to get the firm in trouble this time. " the woman said as if she meant the exact opposite, she turned on her heels which would look better on a runway show than a law office and left the room.

   Maisie took a deep breath and looked at her new team who were looking at her in disgust and scowls. " hello, my name is Maisie Williams. "

 " Nice to meet you. Miss Williams " a short pot-bellied man said not to her face but her chest. 

   " Err, the same to you? " Maisie said with a question visible in her tone.

 The man pulled his eyes up. " can you get some files from the secretary on the Winston case. She will direct you on your future duties. "

  Maisie stood with her mouth opened in shock. They plan on using her like a secretary!