Diary of Secretary Divya

Divya sat quietly on the cream sofa in the family sitting room, her arms folded across her chest while her father spoke with the kind of seriousness that always made her nervous. "I have made up my mind," Mr Parker said, adjusting his glasses as he looked at her. "You will start working at Parker Group next week." Divya blinked. "Dad..." "And before you start protesting," he continued, "you will be working directly with me as my secretary." "Your secretary?" Divya repeated, almost choking on the juice she had been drinking. "Dad, I studied business administration, not secretary work." Mr Parker sighed and leaned back in his chair. "You are not just going to be a secretary, Divya. You are going to learn how the company works from the inside. I will not allow you waste your talent in some random company where nobody values you." Divya frowned. "Or maybe you just don't want me leaving your sight." The room became quiet. Belema, who had been seated nearby with a glass of wine in her hand, glanced between them before forcing a smile. "To dad's new secretary," she said lightly, raising her glass. Mr Parker chuckled softly. Divya only pouted. "Don't you think dad is something else?" she asked Belema after a moment. "Does he have to make me his secretary? It's like I can't decide my own life the way you did." Belema moved closer to her sister and placed an arm around her shoulder. "Div, it's not his fault. Look, I'm way older than you and you know what that means. For now, it's still his responsibility to guide you through things." "But he's too clingy," Divya muttered. Mr Parker heard that and smiled faintly. "One day you will understand why I am the way I am with you." Divya looked away. She already knew why. Her mother had died because of her. Well, not exactly because of her, but because of the difficult pregnancy that brought her into the world. Her father had never said it directly, but Divya knew. Everyone in the family knew. Her mother had waited years before giving birth to Belema. Then, when Belema was already ten years old, she became pregnant again. That pregnancy had shocked everybody. And then it had taken her life. Ever since then, Mr Parker had treated Divya like someone he could not afford to lose. The following morning, Divya sat in the front seat of her father's black car, staring through the window as they drove towards Parker Group. The massive glass building stood proudly in the middle of the city, shining under the morning sun. "You look like someone going to prison," Mr Parker said with a smile. "Because that's exactly how it feels," Divya replied. Mr Parker laughed. When they entered the building, several workers greeted them warmly. "Good morning, sir." "Good morning, Miss Divya." Some of the older staff members smiled fondly at her. They remembered the little girl Mr Parker used to bring to the office during school holidays. Back then, she would sit in his office drawing flowers while he worked. "She's grown so much," one woman whispered to another. "Sir loves that girl too much," the other replied quietly. "She's lucky to have a father like him." Divya heard them and forced a smile. If only they knew how exhausting it was sometimes. By afternoon, she was already tired. She had answered calls, arranged files, taken notes, and followed her father around for almost every meeting. When she finally sat down in his office to rest, Belema arrived carrying bags of food. "Lunch delivery!" she announced brightly. The workers outside greeted her warmly as she walked through the company. Belema was beautiful, elegant, and naturally friendly. Everyone liked her. Unlike Divya, she seemed to know exactly who she was. "You look exhausted," Belema said as she placed the food on the table. "Because I am," Divya groaned. Mr Parker shook his head. "It's only your first day." "Exactly," Divya said. "And I already want to resign." The three of them laughed. Just then, there was a knock on the office door. One of the senior staff members stepped inside. "Sir, the CEO of Lennox Holdings is here for the collaboration meeting." Mr Parker stood immediately. "Send them in." A few seconds later, the office door opened again. Divya looked up—and froze. The man who walked in was young, tall, and strikingly handsome. He wore a dark suit that fit perfectly, and there was something sharp and confident about the way he carried himself. Behind him were a woman who seemed to be his secretary and another man who was likely his project manager. "Mr Parker," the young man said politely as he stretched out his hand. "It's an honour to finally meet you. I'm Leonard Cole." Mr Parker shook his hand. "Welcome, Leonard. Please, have a seat." Before anyone could say another word, Belema suddenly stared at Leonard. "Wait... Leonard Cole?" Leonard turned to her. For a moment, he looked confused. Then his eyes widened slightly. "Belema Parker?" She laughed. "You were my junior in high school." "I can't believe this," Leonard said with a smile. Divya looked between them. "You know him?" "A little," Belema replied. "He was quiet, smart, and always buried in books." "Still sounds accurate," Leonard said. After a few more pleasantries, Belema excused herself. "I should get going. I have patients waiting for me," she said. "It was nice seeing you again," Leonard told her. "You too." Once she left, the meeting began. Divya sat beside her father, writing notes while Leonard and his team discussed the collaboration plans. At first, she remained quiet. Then, as they began talking about marketing strategies, she finally spoke. "I think the campaign should focus more on younger consumers," she said. "People our age interact more with online content than traditional advertising." Leonard glanced at her briefly. "That's not entirely wrong," he said, "but younger consumers are unpredictable. The safer audience is older working professionals." Divya frowned. "But if you target only older people, the campaign will feel outdated." "Not if it's done properly," Leonard replied. "I still think—" "You're still a rookie," Leonard cut in smoothly. "You should spend more time learning before dismissing experience." Divya stared at him in disbelief. Rookie? Her cheeks burned. "And maybe you should spend less time acting like you know everything," she replied. The room went silent. Leonard's secretary lowered her head immediately. Mr Parker cleared his throat. "Divya," he said in a warning tone. Divya pressed her lips together. Mr Parker turned to Leonard. "Please don't mind her. She's still learning." Then he looked back at his daughter. "You should listen more and learn from people with experience." Divya lowered her eyes. "Yes, Dad." But before she could sink completely into embarrassment, Mr Parker added firmly, "Still, she has done very well today for her first day." Divya looked up. "She is intelligent," he continued. "She simply needs time." Leonard glanced at Divya for a brief moment. Then, unexpectedly, the corner of his mouth lifted. "I can see that," he said. Divya did not know why, but somehow, that annoyed her even more.