Chapter Thirty-Six

Giggling with her hands in front of her mouth, Rita winked.

"There is no reason to be shy, Shar. It's written all over your face of how you are waiting for you-know-who to call."

Brushing her comment aside, her cheeks flamed, Sharlene changed the subject. 

"Don't we have a meeting to attend? Let us get going."

Putting her folder in the first drawer, she grabbed her tablet and notebook, then side-stepped Rita.

Quickly following behind her, Rita whined.

"Oh, come on. I was teasing, Shar."

"Well, I do not like it."

Grumbling under her breath, she pulled the door open. 

Allowing Rita to walk out, she closed it with a soft bang. Not waiting for her to catch up, she briskly walked across the bustling corridor.

"Wait up, Shar."

Pretending she was angry, Sharlene huffed.

"I am not speaking to you again."

"Really?"

Rita gasped, horror written all over her face. She looked as if her dog had died.

"Really." 

Smiling as if she sensed her look, Sharlene continued to speedwalk. Hearing her loud sigh before she rushed to walk at her level, Sharlene hid her chuckle with a cough. 

"I will not tease you anymore, so do not be angry, okay?"

"I am not angry."

Saying such words with a passive expression, Sharlene glanced in Rita's direction under her lashes. She burst out laughing, for her charming and relieved smile was amusing. 

"You were teasing me!"

She exclaimed, her quick-witted attitude something Sharlene always liked about her.

"How did it feel?"

Speaking through giggles, Sharlene ignored the confused stares she received from her colleagues in the enormous working space. 

"Awful."

Groaning, Rita lightly slapped her on the shoulder.

Sobering up, Sharlene returned her light pat while slowing down into a comfortable gait, which Rita quickly mimicked. 

"That was how I felt."

"Okay, okay, I understand. But putting teasing aside, did he not call you yet?"

Whispering for only her ears to hear that last part, Rita was curious. Everyone they passed glanced in their direction with furrowed eyebrows because of their odd interactions. 

Rita Choon-Ha Kim recently moved to the Visual and Art Design Department. But unlike her other colleagues, she was due for a promotion at the end of June. Her reputation as a fast learner and successful worker was a boast for such achievement. She was the one who encouraged Sharlene to apply to the company when the HR Manager was begging to replace the recently fired secretary of Madam Sinclair.

Her heart was content when Sharlene got hired the following week she moved to Colorado. 

Now they were working at the same company and living in the same country. 

Shaking her head with a blush tinting her cheeks, Sharlene felt sullen. Sensing her sudden mood change, Rita smiled.

"Do not worry. He will call soon or surprise you with an I-arrived-earlier-than-I-presumed-but-brought-sweet-scented-flowers charade on your doorstep."

Giving her a are-you-serious look, Sharlene shook her head.

"This is not a rom-com movie, Riri. It is r-e-a-l-i-t-y."

Singing the last part, Sharlene giggled.

Shrugging her shoulders with a you-never-know-what-could-happen smile, Rita pressed the button for the elevator when they arrived in front of it. 

"A girl can dream."

"Why did you not become a rom-com author then instead of working in a jewelry company?"

Smirking, Rita pulled her into the elevator as soon as it opened.

"The same as why you did not become an actress instead of a jewelry designer."

Shrugging her shoulders, Sharlene was not amused.

"Touché."

"Right. Now. Let us go meet our boss from the underworld."

Laughing, Sharlene punched the eighteenth floor on the keypad.

Fifteen minutes later, they walked out of the elevator and into a familiar hallway. They continued talking, their laughter echoing against the wall as smiles adorned their faces. 

When they bent their third corner, they came to a stop because the generally empty hallway was bustling with activity. People came in droves. To and from the conference room and the large working offices lower down the hallway.

Raising their eyebrows as they glanced at each other, Sharlene and Rita were confused, especially when a girl wearing thick glasses passed between them with a skittish 'sorry' as she made her way down the hallway as if there was a fire on her behind.

Not even five minutes later, the girl passed by with a heap of files in their hands, almost falling over with heels that looked more suited for staying on the shelf. 

Unfortunately, she bounced into a scurrying person while trying to catch her balance. That resulted in some papers falling onto the floor.

"WATCH WHERE YOU ARE GOING, KAREN!"

The man shouted while a bottle of water from the few he held had also fallen onto the ground. He looked familiar, but Sharlene and Rita could not remember his name.

"I am sorry."

Repeatedly, the girl apologized, her face turning red from the stares. Huffing, the man picked up the bottles and matched into the conference room. Sighing, for she realized she had survived the ordeal, the girl gathered her wits by breathing in and out while ignoring the whispers and stares of her embarrassing moment. 

During her little peep talk in her head, Sharlene and Rita approached with soft-spoken and polite words of sincerity. 

"Are you alright?"

Slightly widened eyes, as she turned in their direction, the girl blushed beet red in embarrassment. 

"Yes, I am."

Hurriedly, she reassured the strangers. 

"Are you sure?"

Rita pressed, her eyebrows slowly rising due to the annoyance the words 'I am fine' brought her. 

"Yes, I truly am."

Not reassured by her curt answer but not wanting to be viewed as a pusher, Rita quickly changed the conversation as she glanced around the chaotic room. 

"What is going on?"

Perking up, the girl looked obliged to explain.

"An important guest is arriving in an hour."

Amazed by this news, Rita placed a hand underneath her chin in contemplation.

"Really? Why did I not hear about it?"

"That is because it was a last-minute announcement made by the COO, who most likely did not share this with enough people."

Humming, Rita blatantly agreed.

"She sure does her job back-to-front. I was surprised the CEO gave her the task of handling the upcoming project," she scoffed. "You know? With her incapability of doing things under pressure, she could crack. That could be a serious problem."

Sharlene quickly reprimanded her.

"Don't say that, Riri. She is our boss."

Rolling her eyes, she was the least offended.

"So?"

Sighing, for she knew Rita was right, Sharlene dropped the subject and instead averted to look at the widened-eyed girl. She had not expected someone to be so fearless when talking about their boss in such a manner.

"Please do not mind her words. She tends to say everything she is thinking out loud."

Sending a playful glare in Rita's direction while she said this, Sharlene looked back at her with a lovely smile. Politely, she introduced both herself and Rita.

"My name is Sharlene, and this is my best friend, Rita."

"It's nice to meet you, Sharlene and Rita."

Saying this, the girl had suddenly become shy.

"You can call me Riri."

Rita included with a friendly smile.

"And you can call me Shar."

"Very well then, Shar and Riri, my name is Janice."

The girl spoke, her tone turning softer while the blush on her face grew redder. Frowning, for she found this odd, Sharlene voiced out her thoughts.

"But the man called you Karen earlier."

Chuckling or more like forcing to, Janice placed a strand of her hair behind her ear. 

"My workmates occasionally forget my first name, so they call me Karen instead since it is my second name."

"But that's not good. Does your boss call you Karen as well?"

Blushing while averting her eyes from their faces, Janice was embarrassed to speak of the matter.

"No. He calls me Alicia."

Scrunching her face as if the audacity upset her, Rita huffed.

"Your boss needs a lesson or two in remembering names."

Laughing but genuine this time, Janice enjoyed Rita's remarks. 

"You are a funny person." 

"Why, thank you, Jan. Should I call you Jan?"

Smiling, Janice felt comfortable in the presence of the two women.

"You both can call me Jan since it is the nickname my family and friends call me by."

"Aw. How sweet. Are you considering us your friends, Jan?"

Nodding, Janice was happy to finally make genuine friends after so many weeks of working on her new assignment. Imported from another branch a few weeks ago, Janice's days in her new working environment were vastly different in South America–her home she dearly missed.

"We would love to be your friend, Jan."

Smiling, Sharlene was happy to make a new friend. 

"What department are you from?"

"The Planning and Event department. I was actually from another branch in South America but working under the same department."

"Wow."

Sharlene was amazed.

"So, you are from the department competing with us?"

"I am guessing you are both from the Visual and Art Design Department?"

"Yes, we are."

"Then yes."

"And what do you work as?"

"I am the secretary of the Team Manager of our department."

"What an uncanny coincidence. I am the secretary of the COO."

"Wow. Being friends will be difficult since our bosses don't always see eye to eye. Speaking of that..."

Suddenly, they heard a loud commotion coming from the conference room. Glancing at each other, they rushed towards the noise, joining the gathering crowd.

"How dare you come here and tell me what to do, Silvestain Pierre!"

That was the first thing they heard when they entered the large room. A small crowd had already formed inside the room, the IT department being a part of it since they were responsible for setting up the equipment. 

"And how dare you raise your voice at me, Madam Sinclair! I have every right to tell you what to do since I will be the one in charge of carrying the rest of your work!"

Someone else screamed. 

Widened eyes, as they watched Madam Sinclair and Silvestain Pierre committing a stand-off in the center of the room, Sharlene was amazed. 

"Why did you not open your jaws to refute the CEO to incite your arrogant point of view?! Why did you wait when everything was approved before you started barking like a dog on a leash?!"

Everyone sucked in their breath as they heard Madam Sinclair's harsh rebuff. 

Glancing between the fuming Madam Sinclair and Silvestain, Sharlene could briefly remember the rumors she had heard about them on her first week of work. 

Rita was the one who had briefed her on the tea. An awkward chemistry between the two past lovers remained. Their romance deteriorated into nothingness and replaced with dislike and scorn. Childhood sweethearts, who had a beautiful future ahead of them, had dated for one year and then had gotten married the next. 

Their romance was benevolent to their past friends and left a lasting impression on others. However, two years later, the couple had gotten a divorce. It was only over the fact that they were no longer compatible.

Eighteen years of young love. Two years of marriage. The passionate love disintegrated because of their incompatibility. One was far too opinionated, while the other was headstrong. 

Their romance soon turned bitter, and even after seven years, they still disliked each other, their history spreading like fire among their employees and employers. It was only by coincidence the past couple had landed a job at the same company, and they had been competing ever since. 

"Do you think I wanted to work with you?! Does it look like I have a choice?! I am only doing this because whoever perfects the best designs will receive the position of COO!"

Loud gasps enveloped the room, causing Sharlene to break from her reverie, for she had almost missed the rest of Silvestain words. 

'What was he insinuating? The departments working together ensured that the products for the event would be excellent and professionally done.'

She thought. 

"I am sure you have warmed that position for far too long, Madam. It is time for another person to benefit from the blessing. And besides, I heard it was your recently hired pretty little secretary who has been doing most of your work anyway. So you were not fully COO of the company, right?"

His voice was mocking, while a saccharine smile adorned his lips. Other rows of gasps envelope the room. 

"Was he spying on their department?"

She heard people whisper amongst themselves. 

"I can't believe the boss is going to such lengths to prove himself. Isn't he looking to get fired instead of promoted?"

"This is the worst I have seen those two fight in the seven years working here."

While the whispers spread around the room, Sharlene saw Silvestain's resolve slowly crack, his eyes darting towards the crowd as if he had suddenly realized they were standing there.