After stepping into the secretaries' office, Evelyn greeted Amy Harper and Ella Baker before grabbing a cup to get some water.
Amy and Ella exchanged a knowing smile.
As Evelyn poured her water and prepared to head back to her desk, she ran into Chloe Parker arriving for work.
"Good morning, Chloe!" Evelyn said cheerfully.
"Morning, Evie. That dress looks lovely on you today!" Chloe replied with a grin.
"Really? What's so special about it?" Evelyn glanced down at herself. It was the same professional outfit she always wore, with no extra details.
"It just fits you perfectly. That's what makes it beautiful!" Chloe added.
"Thanks!" Evelyn smiled.
"Did you have too much to drink last night?" Chloe asked.
"Not really. I forgot to sing later on. How about you guys?"
"We had a blast too!"
"Yeah, I had a great time! It was my first dinner party like that. It was really fun!"
"You'll get to join more in the future!" Chloe said warmly.
"I'm not sure if I'll get another chance!" Evelyn replied with a soft laugh.
"Why wouldn't you?"
Evelyn just smiled and said nothing.
Her internship was almost over. If she didn't get a contract, she wouldn't be able to keep working at Sterling Group.
Even if she did sign, she wouldn't necessarily stay in the secretarial pool. So she probably wouldn't get to attend any more dinners hosted by the president.
Evelyn noticed something different about today. Usually, her mornings were packed with tasks. The secretaries would pile work on her.
She'd be so busy she barely had time for the restroom.
But this morning, aside from Amy, none of the other secretaries gave her anything to do.
She wondered if she'd messed up somehow, making them hesitant to trust her with tasks.
Then again, maybe she was overthinking it. Having no work in the morning wasn't so bad!
She brushed off the worry and focused on finishing what Amy had assigned her.
By eleven, she had nothing left to do.
So she took the initiative to ask Chloe if there was anything she could help with.
"I can handle my own work. There's not much today. If you're free, just take a break!" Chloe replied with a smile.
"Oh, alright. I'll brew some flower tea for everyone then," Evelyn offered.
"Evie, you don't have to push yourself so hard. Relax!"
"It's no trouble at all!" Evelyn said, getting up and heading to the break room to make the tea.
It was still an hour until lunch, and everyone was probably getting hungry.
A cup of flower tea would be just the thing.
After Evelyn left, Chloe sent a message to Ella.
"What's the deal between her and him?"
They both knew exactly who "her" and "him" referred to.
"I'm not sure, but I heard she left in his car last night!"
"Did you see him touch her head during the game last night?"
"Yeah, it felt like he was treating her like a little sister!"
"Little sister? Well, maybe they're relatives!"
"Whatever the relationship is, we can't afford to offend her. Better not make things difficult for her!"
"When did I ever make things difficult for her?"
"I'm just saying! I've got a ton of work today. Looks like I'll be working late tonight!"
"You're not going to ask her for help?"
"That's not the same thing!"
"Haha!"
Chloe sent Ella a laughing emoji.
Since they hadn't figured out the situation yet, they were all taking a wait-and-see approach.
Before, they'd been happy to share half their workload with Evelyn.
After all, having an extra assistant made things easier.
Even if she couldn't handle complex tasks, she could still help with the small stuff.
But now, she might be the boss's wife, his lover, or his relative.
If they piled too much work on her, who knew if she'd complain to him?
So they decided to hold back for now.
Once the flower tea was ready, Evelyn brought it to the secretaries' office and poured a cup for each of them.
Then she made another pot and took it to the president's office, pouring a cup for Alexander.
"You should drink more flower tea and less coffee!" Evelyn explained.
"You interns are way too nosy!" Alexander said with a chuckle.
Evelyn looked up at him and smiled.
"It just shows how responsible your intern is!"
"Lunch together?" Alexander invited.
"Sorry, Mr. Sterling, but this little intern already has plans!" Evelyn replied.
"With who?" Alexander asked.
"I'm not telling you! Get back to work. I'm going to ask Grace if she wants some. There's plenty left!" Evelyn said, walking out of his office.
Alexander watched her go and shook his head with a smile.
Evelyn entered Grace's office.
"Grace, would you like some flower tea?"
"Sure, pour me a cup! Thanks!" Grace said, finishing the water in her cup.
Evelyn walked over and poured a cup for her.
"Grace, thanks for singing with us last night. We all had a great time!"
"Glad you enjoyed it!" Grace nodded with a smile.
If I'd made you unhappy, your husband would never let me hear the end of it, Grace thought to herself.
Evelyn smiled and nodded, about to leave with the teapot.
"Evie—"
"Hmm?" Evelyn stopped and turned to look at Grace, waiting.
"Keep up the good work!" Grace replied with a smile.
"Thanks, Grace! I will!" Evelyn smiled and nodded.
She left Grace's office and went to check on the vice president, pouring the rest of the tea for him.
Then she put the teapot back in the break room and returned to the secretaries' office.
"Are you busy now, Evie?" Madison asked.
"No, I don't have anything on hand right now!" Evelyn said.
"I'll send a document to your email. Sort it out according to the instructions and send it back to me."
"Okay!" Evelyn nodded eagerly.
She'd been so busy before that being suddenly free felt strange.
So when Madison gave her something to do, she was genuinely happy.
She sat down at her desk, turned on her computer, and checked the email from Madison.
"Evie, it's time for lunch! Let's eat together!" Chloe said to her.
"Okay, I'll be ready in a minute. Can you wait for me?" Evelyn asked.
"Take your time. We'll wait!" Chloe said with a smile.
Evelyn finished her work in two minutes and got ready for lunch.