Aliya stared at herself for the hundredth time in the mirror, admiring the new outfits she had received as gifts yesterday at her old team's celebration party for her promotion. Her team would miss her, as she had moved up to a higher position.
She felt very nervous, thinking about how her new colleagues would treat her and how she should act toward them. She knew she had to be careful, as any slightest mistake could lead to her being fired, and many people would be vying for her position.
"I should have bought Debra a gift if I had known she worked so hard in secret to help me get here," Aliya thought to herself.
"Aliya! You might want to come outside and see this," Emily interrupted her thoughts.
"What? What's happening?" Aliya asked, curiosity tinged with worry rising within her.
"One of the VIPs is causing a scene," Emily replied as she moved out of the dressing room where Aliya was. Aliya quickly followed her to see who was causing such a commotion on her first day.
They found a man, probably in his forties, yelling at some juniors who were assigned to work with Aliya.
"Where is Debra? Call for Debra right now!" the man shouted, disturbing some customers outside.
"Why is he looking for someone who no longer works here?" Aliya wondered, trying to figure out how to handle the situation.
"She must be hiding, right? After deceiving me into buying an expensive dress for her, she thinks that ignoring me will make me leave her alone. Call her out right now!" the man continued, trying to force his way into the dressing room.
People were murmuring, and some staff members were shaking their heads in disgust at the thought of Debra asking for a dress.
"With all due respect, you can't enter there, sir," Aliya quickly said, realizing she had chosen the wrong words.
"What?" the man responded, looking dazed as he shot her a death stare.
"I said, you can't enter there without permission, sir, because the person you're looking for is not inside," she clarified, hoping to diffuse the situation.
"Aliya, you shouldn't anger the client. He's one of our top VIPs," Emily whispered urgently in her ear.
"Who do you think you are? Do you know who I am? You're all the same, hiding her inside while mooching off my money!" the man yelled, advancing toward Aliya.
"Any damage you cause here, sir, will be your loss, because the person you're looking for no longer works here. That's what I'm trying to explain to you," Aliya said calmly, maintaining a smile.
"I need a refund!" the man demanded, pointing a finger at her.
"A refund?" Aliya echoed, struggling to hide her disbelief. "If we get the police involved, you'll be in the wrong because you willingly bought a dress for whoever it is and made the payment yourself. That's business. Whatever personal relationship you have with her is between you and her, not with the company. You can't mistreat the company because of a personal conflict," she said, intentionally provoking him as some staff members grinned secretly.
"What did you just say?" he asked, almost fuming.
Aliya reached out, gently taking his hand. "You are valuable to us, and I don't want anyone to view you negatively. We can't reach Debra because she is no longer an employee, and whatever she is doing is her business. However, you wouldn't want to find yourself on the wrong side of everyone because of this situation, would you?" she said softly, noticing that he appeared to be calming down.
"We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience, and we will ensure that you and our staff don't fall into this trap again. We appreciate your business," Aliya continued gently.
The man cleared his throat and adjusted his suit. "You don't need to worry about that. I'll look for her myself," he said before leaving, hands in his pockets.
"Do come again, sir," Aliya said with a constrained smile. She took a deep breath and exhaled as she noticed her juniors looking impressed by her.
"That was bold! Debra would never have faced a VIP like that without groveling," Emily exclaimed.
"Push and pull; you have to make them think you're on their side without harming the other party," Aliya replied, noticing that Emily seemed lost in thought.
This was going to be tougher than she had anticipated, Aliya reflected.