Chapter 72
“Alright, everyone. Back to work,” Alex’s assistant announced, dispersing the crowd. Turning to Jolene, he added, “Ms. Harrington, your tasks will now fall under my supervision. Please complete your handover and proceed to HR to finalize your resignation.”
Jolene looked utterly defeated. Her face was pale, but her eyes burned with jealousy and resentment as they fixed on me.
“The Hastings family are really something,” she spat bitterly, wiping away tears while hastily packing her belongings. “You rich people must find it so amusing to toy with us common folk.”
“You knew I liked Mr. Hastings. You knew I couldn’t stand any woman around him. And yet, as his sister—you said nothing! You were probably feeling so smug, watching me act like a fool, weren’t you?”
Her constant whining grated on my nerves. Standing abruptly, I raised my voice. “Let me set the record straight. You’ve been dumping your work on me since day one. You would have done the same to anyone else. Instead of doing your job, you spend your time preening as if you’re in a beauty pageant. Alex hired a head office assistant, not a fashion model. And as for me ‘toying’ with you? You walked into this mess yourself. Alex is the head of this company! Of course, there will be women around him. What gives you the right to be mean to them? If you hadn’t been so arrogant and overambitious, you wouldn’t be in this mess.”
I remained calm but firm, not giving Jolene a chance to speak. Jolene glanced at our colleagues, but they merely nodded in agreement.
“I’ll remember this,” Jolene muttered, shoving a framed photo into a box. She shot me a hateful glance before storming out of the office.
“Jolene’s too arrogant for her own good,” one colleague muttered. “She always thinks people will give in to her.”
“Yeah! This time, she really bit off more than she could chew,” another agreed.
“She’s always going on and on about Mr. Hastings,” someone else scoffed. “You’d think she was married to him from the way she talked.”
“I’m just glad she’s gone. Working here was unbearable with her around.”
The office buzzed with whispers and complaints about Jolene, but I noticed their sideways glances directed at me.
“Uh, Serena,” one brave colleague finally spoke, offering a tentative smile. “You’re really Mr. Hastings’… sister?”
I hesitated, reflecting on Alex’s bold declaration. He had left me no choice but to comply. Reluctantly, I nodded.
“Wow!” The room erupted in amazed whispers, their reactions almost theatrical. “Serena, you’ve been keeping such a low profile! We were so scared of Jolene that we didn’t dare be friendly with you. Please don’t take it personally.”
I sighed, understanding their true motives. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s just focus on our jobs from now on. Alex and I aren’t blood relatives. It’s just a formal arrangement. You don’t need to treat me differently.”
“Don’t worry, Serena. We get it. We won’t say anything to anyone,” one assured me.
Despite their promises, by lunchtime, I learned how quickly news traveled in an office.
“Ms. Alitoed, have some fresh fruit,” one colleague offered.
“Ms. Alitoed, here’s a yogurt for you,” another said.
“Ms. Alitoed, I just bought this makeup last week. It’s quite good. You should try it,” a third chimed in.
I felt overrated as I looked at the gifts piled on my desk and listened to the office buzz. Some were eager to curry favor, now that they knew my supposed status, while others likely cursed me in hushed tones behind my back. I could already imagine their gossip.