"Morning, Ma'am," I greeted politely. I arrived exactly as planned, twenty minutes before Krystal's arrival. When she saw me, she seemed to frown. Is there something wrong? Before even sitting at my desk, I had checked my appearance multiple times. Nothing was wrong, and it seemed perfectly fine.
"Morning, Anya." Krystal smiled sweetly. I recognized the Christian Dior Rouge lipstick she was wearing; it's her favorite brand. Sometimes, when meetings or gatherings are held at the Washington DC mall, Krystal would pull me aside and we'd visit the store. Some of my collections are from there as well.
"You look... different," she said again. I didn't know how to respond; my mind was telling me this was a bad sign.
"Good or not?" I asked softly. Actually, I rarely seek Krystal's opinion because this beautiful woman in front of me always has a way to make the person she's talking to spill everything on their mind.
Krystal simply laughed and walked into her office, leaving me feeling weak and more convinced that my position will soon be replaced. Oh God! My luck is just so terrible!
My spirit vanished into thin air, and I only knew one thing to do: continue with my routine. I would work tirelessly, and somehow, things would fall into place. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. I repeated this process several times to not be too carried away by the situation. Inside, I felt completely lost.
"Anya?"
Huh? Reflexively, I wiped the tears that I didn't even know when they had started to fall. I cleared my throat briefly and challenged the eyes of the person standing in front of me. Cedric stared at me with a puzzled look.
"What's wrong with you?"
"None of your business," I retorted sharply.
***
"Are you sure about hiring Anna?" I asked to make sure. The interview session had ended five minutes ago. Once again, I carefully read Anna's CV, a twenty-two-year-old girl. Personally, she seemed intelligent and could work quickly. Her demeanor was friendly, and well, I thought she would be a good fit working with Krystal.
"Are you alone?" I didn't know what to say. For me, having competition meant that I didn't want Anna to be here. Sharing my workload with her sometimes made me feel nauseous. But for now, I didn't want to throw up because of work. Rather than being discarded again, "I'm confused, Ma'am," was my answer.
Krystal chuckled. "Oh, Anya, you're something else. I want someone new to help you, you know, so your workload can be lighter. The tasks that can be done at the office, let your assistant handle them."
I became even more puzzled with Krystal's thoughts. Then what about me? What am I supposed to do here? Stand idle? Be a figurehead? Is that it?
"Think carefully about Anna's qualifications. If she fits, let me know, and we'll arrange for HR to set up a psychometric test."
I nodded in response. Feeling like there was no longer any importance in this room, I chose to step back. But before I could fully walk away, Krystal's words froze me.
"Pregnancy hormones are indeed different, right, Anya? You look so beautiful today, I'm amazed. Feeling like I'm losing in comparison."
A laughter escaped Krystal's lips. I blinked in confusion.
"You're just too much. Everyone agrees that you're the most beautiful one here." I spoke honestly.
"I'm glad to see you smile like that, Anya. I read that pregnant women need to have positive energy. Smiles can transmit positive energy."
If Krystal only knew why my thoughts were always negative. I mustered a smile in response to her words, then excused myself from the room, carefully closing the glass door behind me. My face, which was initially beaming, became tense. This didn't feel right. It's like Krystal was deliberately playing with me, right?
As I returned to my desk, a message came in. Initially, I didn't want to open it, but soon enough, my group chat became active.
Dona: We're eating there, no doubt. I'm so bored with the canteen food. Ew!
Naomi: You're so loud! Anya, what do you want to eat? Dewa said we get a discount.
Naomi: He's been texting you, but you haven't replied. Are you too busy?
Naomi: Hey! Don't take too long to decide where to eat. It might get full.
Dona: Anya! Oh my god!
Dona: She's not going on a date with Cedric again, is she?
Naomi: Krystal's going to chop her off later.
Dona: Yeah. The devil can't stay still now. More trouble and annoying.
I smiled as I read the series of messages. I sometimes wonder why they refer to Krystal as the devil. Wait, I'm part of this group too, which means I must agree that Krystal can sometimes transform into a devil. Lately, though, her behavior has softened toward me.
Anya, please! Don't be naive! You're going to be replaced! I closed my eyes and silently agreed with my previous thoughts. I quickly replied to the messages.
Anya P.: I'm good. Dewa's place is fine. I want strawberry smoothies.
Naomi: Okay.
Then I promptly replied to Dewa's message. It didn't seem fair for me to read the message and not respond, as if I were being arrogant.
Anya P.: Sorry for the late reply. I was busy earlier. I'll come with the kids. Does the discount still apply? (smiling emoji)
Not long after, Dewa replied:
Dewa: Sure. It's on me for Anya.
I went back to focusing on my work. I put Anna's application letter in the top drawer. Maybe I'll reread it and make a decision during lunchtime. Should I talk to Krystal about it? In reality, I don't need an assistant. It was Krystal's idea. I'm not that burdened right now, am I? Well... it's a bit troublesome, but I can still handle it. My work is organized and well-structured. Oh, whatever. It's better to finish the remaining tasks today because as soon as I refresh my email, there'll be many new messages that need to be answered.
Someone approached and entered the room, causing me to look up in their direction. When I realized it was Cedric, I returned to my tasks. Who is it? In this BoD room, only I, Krystal, Cedric, and the cleaning staff can come and go freely. For other staff or employees, even managers, they must make an appointment beforehand or if Krystal needs them for a meeting inside.
"Anya," Cedric greeted, and I gave him a sharp glance. "Wanna have lunch delivered?"
"No. I'm taking my friends out."
Wait... why did I have to tell Cedric about our lunch plans? It's not important, is it? I rubbed the tip of my nose to reduce my anxiety. Damn you, Cedric, when I glanced at him earlier, he smiled.
His signature smile that always managed to make me annoyed and irritated at the same time.
"Oh, okay."
Then he entered Krystal's office. It took quite a while, and I marked about twenty minutes Cedric spent in there. I became suspicious. But Cedric wouldn't do anything wrong. Krystal's office is filled with many CCTV cameras; she's a beautiful woman who is also the boss here. The ruler.
We all submit to her and follow her orders and commands, including Cedric. But honestly, it doesn't reduce my curiosity. If anything, it only intensifies. Occasionally, I glance toward the glass room. Most of it is covered with wallpaper, but I can still observe the movements of people inside.
Cedric stands near Krystal's desk while my boss seems to be talking, but I can't hear what they're saying. Ah, why am I so curious about this?! Wouldn't it be better if I focused on finishing my work today, and then work overtime tonight to complete the financial reports that need to be done soon?
Just as I start to focus, the sound of the door opening interrupts me. I don't know why, but I turn my head in that direction. Two figures come out of the room, with Cedric now looking a little downcast.
"Well then, I'll take my leave, Ma'am," he says, and I can hear it clearly.
"Of course, Cedric," Krystal replies, patting his shoulder gently. Cedric's steps move away while she heads toward my desk. I'm not prepared and end up panicking when Krystal pulls a chair and sits in front of me.
"What's wrong, Anya?"
"Me? Nothing's wrong, Ma'am." I'm puzzled by her question.
"Are you jealous?"
Oh my goodness! Where on earth did my boss get such an idea?