Jennifer spun around, expecting to see Patrick, but instead, Shirley was barreling towards them.
Shirley threw herself into Jennifer's arms. "Jennifer, it's been ages!"
Jennifer grinned. "Shirley, where have you been hiding? Let me get a good look at you. You're even more gorgeous!"
"Jennifer, I brought a little something for you and Karen." Shirley pulled out a fancy bag with two boxes of homemade cookies. "I just started my job and haven't gotten paid yet. I made these cookies myself this morning. Hope you don't mind."
Jennifer quickly took the bag and handed it to Karen. "Your gift is so thoughtful. Karen and I love it. Making cookies must've been a lot of work. If only Patrick were as dedicated as you, I'd be thrilled. He's barely been home in the past six months."
Karen jumped in, "Mom, what are you saying? Shirley's going to marry into our family. When that happens, Patrick will be home all the time. You won't be able to get rid of him."
Jennifer held Shirley's hand, beaming.
"As long as you like it." Shirley turned her head. "Oh, Emily's here too. Jennifer, you wouldn't believe how amazing Emily is."
Jennifer's face darkened at that. She thought, 'What's so amazing about Emily? Her talent for seduction or her bedroom skills?'
"Shirley, some people just like to be lowly and will do anything to get what they want. Don't think too highly of them." Jennifer turned away, clearly hinting at something.
Shirley looked at her with innocent eyes, holding Jennifer's arm. "Jennifer, what does 'lowly' mean?"
Jennifer replied, "Being 'lowly' means not knowing your place and dreaming of marrying into wealth. Shirley, you're young, so it's normal not to understand, but stay away from people like that."
Emily, who had overheard, decided to make a graceful exit. "Madam, there's an urgent matter at the company. I won't disturb you any longer."
Before leaving, she glanced at Patrick, who was busy chatting at the engagement party, oblivious to the drama.
Emily thought, 'Why did I expect him to help? If he did, he'd just embarrass himself in front of sweet Shirley.'
Without lingering, Emily left quickly. At the company, she was met by another assistant, Betty Anderson.
"Emily, we've got a problem."
Emily frowned. "What's up?"
Betty was flustered. "Mr. Rivera's schedule says he's signing a contract in Silverwood tomorrow, but the ticket we got is for Silvervale."
"The airline said Shirley booked the ticket. The Silverwood tickets are sold out. What do we do, Emily?"
Emily sighed. Shirley was more trouble than she was worth.
After a moment, she said, "Betty, call some travel agencies and see if there are any last-minute cancellations."
"Who cancels their tickets at this hour? Shirley's really messed things up!" Despite her grumbling, Betty started calling her contacts.
"Emily, it's sorted!" Betty hung up, grinning. "A travel agency had a VIP group heading to Silverwood tomorrow, and they just had two cancellations. It's all coordinated with the airline. We should have the tickets by this afternoon."
Emily let out a sigh of relief.
"Still, Shirley needs to learn from this. If it weren't for those cancellations, would we have had to put Mr. Rivera on a train?" Betty said, clearly annoyed.
With Patrick's soft spot for Shirley, he probably wouldn't have said a word against her, even if it meant taking the train. Emily shook her head, feeling helpless.
"She's new here. Mistakes happen," Emily said.
Betty left the office, but later that afternoon, HR brought Emily Betty's resignation form to sign.
A colleague from HR said, "Shirley was on her phone all afternoon. Betty reminded her a couple of times, and then Shirley ran to Mr. Rivera's office to complain."
"Alright, I get it. Leave the form with me for now."
Betty had been with the company for 5 or 6 years, always diligent and one of the best at her job. Losing her would be a big blow, especially with Shirley around.
Emily decided to go to Patrick's office. Before she entered, she heard Shirley crying inside.
"Patrick, it's my fault. I messed up and caused you trouble."
"It's fine. It's already sorted," Patrick replied flatly.
Shirley was crying and trying to lean into Patrick's arms.
Emily shook her head. It seemed there was no hope for Betty.
After all, Betty was just an assistant, and to Patrick, she was insignificant.
"What are you here for?" Patrick asked coldly when he saw Emily at the door.
Shirley glanced back at Emily and pretended to be hurt. "Is Emily here to complain about me too, Patrick?"
"What could she possibly complain about you for?" Patrick gestured for Emily to leave.
Emily walked back, feeling defeated. What right did she have to speak up?
Instead of returning to the office, she went to the break room, unsure how to face Betty.
"What were you about to say?" Patrick asked coldly.
Emily turned to face him. "Can you give Betty a chance?" she asked after a moment.
"No," Patrick replied decisively.
"But she's on my team!" Emily said through clenched teeth. She felt guilty towards Betty, who had done nothing wrong but was being treated unfairly.
"Do I need to report my decisions to you? Know your place," Patrick said, staring at her.
Emily had put in years of effort for the company, never asking anything of Patrick, always supporting his decisions. But now, because of Shirley, he was going to dismiss her team member. Had he ever considered her feelings?
The more Emily thought about it, the angrier she became. She turned her head away, refusing to look at him.
After all these years, for the company and for Patrick, Emily had no regrets. But did he not have an ounce of tenderness towards her?
Seeing Emily angry and sulking, Patrick became even more annoyed. "Don't challenge me."
The more she tried to move away, the more he wanted to get closer.
"You just need to accept my decisions."