Yolanda scoffed, "Cornelia and I are buddies? You're giving me way too much credit. She never really opened up to me."
Cornelia wasn't the easiest person to befriend, but once someone’s in her circle, she was all in. She was fiercely loyal.
But with Yolanda, she barely went beyond regular co-worker pleasantries. They exchanged greetings at work, collaborated on tasks when needed, and all their interactions were strictly work-related.
After work, Cornelia and Yolanda hardly crossed paths. Their WhatsApp chats were all about work. Yolanda had no clue about Cornelia's personal life, whether she posted cute selfies on Instagram or whatnot.
Yolanda admired Cornelia's capabilities and had always wanted to be friends with someone as accomplished as her.
She initially thought she could be pals with Cornelia, since among the horde of secretaries, she was the only one who could level with her.
But after all this time, she couldn't get past the surface with Cornelia, and she knew zilch about her personal life.
The fact that Cornelia was entangled with their boss, willing to be someone's plaything made her blood boil.
Yolanda was so angry her face was almost contorted, "I thought Cornelia climbed to the PA to the CEO position by her own merit. I was so naive. I should have suspected something fishy when she was suddenly transferred from the branch office to head office."
Ben shared the same disdain for extramarital affairs, but he felt compelled to defend Cornelia when someone put her down, "Although some things do raise eyebrows, Cornelia's work capabilities are undeniable. She did earn her position as PA to the CEO by her own merit. President Hartley definitely didn't pull any strings for her. He didn't even know her before she became his assistant."
Yolanda was about to retort, but Ben cut her off, "There's a lot of work to be done in the secretarial office. Get to it, and stop talking about this."
Seeing his words had little effect, Ben added, "Yolanda, you've been working in the CEO's office for years. You should know what can be said and what can't. Don't let a moment's impulse ruin your future."
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