We arrived at the office by 6:00 AM, which was late by my employer's standards. I walked into the building feeling exhausted, with stress gnawing at me from the inside.
As we reached the top floor, he handed me his car keys and headed into his office, closing the door behind him. This was my favorite part of the day because once he entered that room, he didn't come out until closing time.
My boss was a true workaholic, and I appreciated him for it. I headed to the staff common room to grab a cup of coffee. There was only one other employee there—Lara, the red-haired girl who always carried an ominous aura. Or maybe I was just overreacting, but I was certain she hated me. There was a rumor going around that she had applied for my position a few months before I got the job, and that she was my employer's childhood friend.
But still, I tried to be friendly with her every time, even though she wore an angelic mask to seem saintly. I felt like I could see right through her facade.
"Good morning, Lara," I said as I walked up to the coffee maker on the white counter in the room. She looked at me, her coffee mug in hand, already filled. She stirred it slowly with a teaspoon, her eyes fixed on me in a way that felt malicious.
"Good morning, Sophie," she replied, beaming in a way that struck me as sarcastic.
"How was your night?" I asked out of courtesy.
"Why? You really wanna know?" she said, her tone dropping into the most sinister voice I'd ever heard from anyone. My heart skipped a beat instantly. Anxiety rushed in—I didn't want to get into a conflict so early in the morning. Great, now my day was ruined.
"Just kidding! I had a great night, thanks for asking. And you?" she added, giggling as if to clear the air. But it only made me more anxious, so I decided right then to never give her any attention again. I made my coffee and quietly left her there all by herself. I hurried back to my desk.
She didn't call after me; she just let me walk off. From that moment, my suspicions about her grew even heavier.
Later that day, I was called in to review the conclusions from the last meeting—the one with the foreign delegates. I had been tasked with writing down the minutes for the entire session.
It was such a stressful job that it made me fall ill the next day. Because of that, my boss cut my earnings in half, since he had to handle everything himself that whole week. I wondered why he wouldn't hire an assistant secretary, and when I asked, Mr. Robert said he wanted only me for the role.
I felt both stupid and important in that moment, and a strong sense of duty kicked in. That was how badly I craved any kind of validation or appreciation—it gave me the boost I needed right then.
As the day wound down, I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that Lara's hidden motives were just the tip of something bigger lurking in the office shadows. With my boss's trust weighing on me and tensions simmering under the surface, I wondered what secrets would unravel next—and whether I was ready for the storm that seemed to be brewing.