บท 2: Irene Gallagher's First Day At Work
Mr. Collins clicked his tongue in displeasure when he saw that Irene Gallagher did not try to be modest at all during the job interview. She was a dull woman through and through without the slightest sense of fashion.
The good news was that Mrs. June Henderson truly had good eyes for ugly women.
The bad news was that everyone in the company had to tolerate this sad new secretary, especially the general manager.
The first thing that Mr. Collins did after Irene Gallagher arrived was take her to the uniform section. Decades ago, the Primavera employees wore uniforms to work. This rule was discarded as soon as the business grew and management recognized that women often looked prettier if they got to choose their own outfits.
The uniform section was so deserted that Mr. Collins had to ask his secretary to find Irene some uniforms of her size. Although the black-and-white uniforms were outdated, they were still better than what sad clothes Irene was wearing.
Mr. Collins gave Irene five sets at once, one for each working day.
The only good thing about Irene's appearance was probably her slim body and a pair of two slender legs that came alive as soon as she changed into the white shirt and black A-line skirt.
Mr. Collins nodded in approval.
"Good," he grunted. "Follow me."
After Irene was deemed more or less presentable, Mr. Collins took her for a new employee orientation around the company. Everyone had heard about the ridiculous prerequisite to be Mr. Henderson's new secretary and they were dying to see the ugly duckling in person.
"This is Miss Irene Gallagher," Mr. Collins would say every time they arrived on a new floor. "Today is her first day as Mr. Chris Henderson's new secretary."
Everyone nodded politely at the new employee. Most sneered at the new clown in the company.
By the time Irene had been paraded around the company, it was already 10 AM and Chris Henderson had not been served his second cup of coffee yet.
When Irene showed up at his door with said cup of coffee, Chris' mood worsened visibly.
The general manager was not at all delighted by this new secretary. As the grandson of the company owner, he considered it his privilege to be surrounded by beauties. Unfortunately, his wife June's temper had been quite volatile since she got pregnant with their first child.
Her jealousy literally went off the chart. One stray look at a voluptuous beauty was enough for her to bombard her husband about the meaning behind the look.
Suzie Simmons was merely one of her many victims.
Chris Henderson thought that June was nuts.
All the other employees knew better.
Of course June Henderson felt insecure when hot, young dolls like Suzie Simmons strutted around her husband. She too was once hot and young, back when she was still Chris Henderson's secretary. Now that she grew heavier and her belly grew bigger, she was afraid that her husband would be seduced by the new secretary.
Just like how she once seduced Chris Henderson and stole him away from the poor, poor Amalia Jones.
"Put the coffee on the table," he said with a brusque tone.
Irene did as she was told, but she did not leave Chris' office.
"Is there anything else?" Chris asked, annoyed by Irene's mere presence.
Irene flashed him a professional smile.
"Mr. Henderson, may I read your agenda for the rest of the day?"
Chris groaned in his heart. He wanted to hear Suzie's sweet voice and not Irene's. Nevertheless, he still had to attend to his work so he lazily gestured for Irene to carry on.
Irene Gallagher whipped out a tablet and read Chris' appointments for the day one by one.
"Lastly, there is a birthday dinner event at Mr. Henderson Sr.'s house," Irene concluded.
That last one was the most important event of the day. Chris gnawed at his fingernails. He must perform well tonight if he wanted to stake a claim for Primavera.
"Get my best suit from the dry cleaner. Cancel my 4 PM meeting, I need to go to the spa to get rid of these black circles. God."
"Of course, Mr. Henderson."
During the past three years when she lay low, Irene had monitored not only Chris' personal and professional life closely, but also his family circumstances.
Grandpa Henderson was getting on in age, and he expected to pass Primavera to a worthy heir in the family.
As of now, there were two possible candidates to inherit Primavera: Chris Henderson the general manager and his youngest uncle Damian Henderson.
Chris might be weak in both character and ability, but he at least already worked in Primavera for a few years. Damian Henderson spent his time abroad, away from the family and the family business.
If Chris could impress Grandpa Henderson tonight, the latter might just be willing to appoint him as the heir.
Irene smiled to herself while she was sitting in the company car after picking up Chris' suit.
Well then, what could she do tonight to ruin Chris' chance in front of Grandpa Henderson?
She let her fingers brush against the velvety feel of the expensive suit.
Her lips curled up into a vicious smile.
Sure enough, there was something she could do.
As soon as Irene stepped out of the car, she marched toward the Research and Development Department with the suit in her hands.
Walking the path toward the R&D section was akin to taking a trip to the past.
As soon as Amalia Jones graduated, she submitted her application to work at a company as distinguished as Primavera.
She started as a junior perfume researcher in the R&D department. Thanks to her brilliance, she stood out among her peers. Eventually, her abilities were recognized and she was given the position of a senior researcher a few years later.
Irene thus knew all about the perfumes that the perfume department kept in their storage, having invented some of them herself.
At the moment, she had her eyes on a particular blend.
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