That day, after picking up my paycheck, I ran into a group of new employees right outside Finance.
The girl leading them wore flawless makeup, expensive perfume, and the kind of sharp eyes that never stopped calculating. Trouble, basically.
The HR coordinator spotted me and introduced me to them. "This is Louise, Mr. Sean's personal assistant."
That girl's eyes lit up. "Nice to meet you, Louise!"
I nodded.
She immediately smiled and stepped a little closer, like we were already friends.
"I'm Lena Ross, fresh on the job today."
I didn't respond.
Her eyes landed on the watch around my wrist and lingered there for two seconds too long.
"Louise, as Mr. Sean's assistant, you must make good money—look at that watch!"
A senior employee walked past holding a coffee and casually added, "Better than good. She makes 150k a year."
Lena's eyes widened instantly. "One-fifty? For what? Just scheduling meetings and having dinner with the boss?"
She stressed the word "just" hard.
The senior employee chuckled. "Of course, she's Mr. Sean's PA—completely different."
Lena turned to me, barely hiding her jealousy.
"So, Louise, what exactly do you do?"
I answered calmly, "Schedule his meetings. Attend dinners. Take Boss's drinks."
"That's it?" She almost laughed out loud. "So basically, any competent person can do your job?"
I nodded lightly.
She laughed, like it was the funniest thing she'd heard. "I thought it was something big. All that money for scheduling and taking drinks?"
I didn't explain.
That senior employee pointed at my watch, dripping with envy.
"It's not just the salary. See that Patek? Boss gave it to her. Worth a million."
Lena stared at my wrist again. The diamonds caught the light, undeniably extravagant. Her jealousy was no longer hidden—it was written all over her face.
"Boss really trusts you, Louise." She paused. "But with all that pay, why do you look so unhappy? If I were you, I'd make sure everyone in the company knew he was getting his money's worth."
I said nothing.
She gave me a dismissive look. "Don't tell me—you don't want to be his PA. You want to be his wife?"
I shot her a cold glare.
She flinched, but pushed on. "Am I wrong? An assistant should know her place. Anyone else could do your job. Maybe better."
Every word came out sharp enough to cut skin.
Around us, people had already started whispering.
"She's not wrong though."
"Seriously, one hundred and fifty grand, and she never even buys coffee."
"If others are capable, why shouldn't they go for it?"
Hearing that, Lena's smile widened. She stepped closer and lowered her voice, though it was still loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.
"Don't worry, Louise. If I have the chance to be Boss's assistant, I won't hog all the benefits for myself. Coffee, afternoon snacks, team dinners, I'll cover everything."
Then she straightened up again, smiling sweetly in the fakest way possible.
I looked at her face. I wasn't angry. Wasn't hurt either.
I only had one thought in my head.
'Thank God! Finally, someone was willing to take that demon off my hands.'