Chapter 3
People immediately started chiming in.
Someone said, [Come on, Mr. Shelton and Ms. Sanford get along so well. That can't be true.]
Another person added, [Maybe Ms. Sanford is joking.]
But those flimsy excuses were quickly drowned out by more details.
Someone said, [Joking? Who would joke about something like this?]
Another person added, [Are you blind? Didn't you see Matilda's message? 'Tonight at my place.' How could that be fake?]
Someone else said, [I've always thought Matilda was up to something. She's always all dolled up. Her mind is never on her job.]
Another person added, [Yeah, at the last project celebration, she kept stepping in to drink for Mr. Shelton, got wasted, and he had to take her home.]
Everyone loved to kick someone when they were down, and this time was no exception.
Matilda's carefully crafted image as the "perfect secretary" was torn to shreds in an instant.
About half an hour after I sent my message, Matilda, the other person at the center of all this, finally showed up.
She posted a long message in the group chat.
Her words were full of emotion, casting herself as the victim and sounding tearful and pitiful.
Matilda: [Hey everyone, I'm sorry for dragging you all into my personal drama.
[Last night, Mr. Shelton was at a business dinner, trying to land a big deal, and the other party kept pushing drinks on him until he could barely stand.
[As his secretary, I felt responsible for his safety, so I made sure he got to a nearby hotel to sleep it off.
[He was so drunk that he threw up on himself, so I took off his suit jacket and covered him with a spare one I had in my car, the one Ms. Sanford left at the office so he wouldn't catch a cold.
[Once he was settled, I left. I called his family, but nobody answered.
[When things got hectic, I remembered Ms. Sanford's WhatsApp and figured I should reach out to her.
[Maybe my message came off the wrong way and caused all this confusion. I swear, that's not what I meant.
[I have no clue why Ms. Sanford would post something like that. I was caught off guard.
[Nothing is going on between Mr. Shelton and me. It's a straightforward boss-and-secretary thing. That's all. Please, stop jumping to conclusions.
[Ms. Sanford, if you see this, I'm begging you. Could you please say something to set the record straight?
[I'm a girl, and now my reputation's in tatters. How am I supposed to show my face ever again?]
She even tagged me at the end, calling me out directly.
What a classic bitch she was, playing the victim to perfection.
Her public statement was flawless, without a single loophole.
She made herself out to be the perfect, blameless victim who did her job and got wronged for no reason.
She dumped all the blame on me.
She said I "misunderstood," that I was "making a big deal out of nothing," and that I'd ruined her reputation as a girl.
As soon as she posted that, the tide in the group chat started to shift.
Some clueless "do-gooders" started coming out, trying to play the peacemaker.
Someone said, [Oh, so that's what happened. I knew it had to be a misunderstanding.]
Another person chimed in, [Ms. Sanford jumped the gun this time. She blasted it in the group chat without checking the facts. That's too much for Ms. Palmer.]
Someone else added, [Yeah, Ms. Palmer's a young woman. How's she supposed to keep working here after this?]
Someone else chimed in, [Poor Matilda, hugs for her.]
As I read those messages, the more sarcastic my smile became.
Was she trying to play the PR game?
Matilda was too inexperienced for this.
Right then, my phone started ringing.
The name flashing on the screen made my expression turn icy.
It wasn't Rhett.
It was my mother-in-law, Lisa.
I let it ring until the very last moment, picking up before it would have disconnected.
"Hello." There was no emotion in my voice.
On the other end, Lisa's voice came through, sharp and furious. "Monica, you finally picked up. Have you lost your mind?
"What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to destroy Rhett?"
Her voice was hoarse and shrill with rage, nearly breaking from how furious she was.
In the background, I could hear the chaotic noise of things being smashed.
I held the phone a little farther from my ear, my tone flat. "Lisa, what are you saying? I don't understand."
"Don't play dumb with me," Lisa's voice shot up another octave.
"Look at the mess you've made. Now the whole company knows.
"How is Rhett supposed to show his face? What about the company's stock price? You vicious woman!"
I listened in silence, without interrupting her.
Her rant finally wore her out, and she was left panting.
Then, I said slowly and calmly, "Lisa, why don't you ask your golden boy what kind of 'good deeds' he's been up to?"
Lisa yelled, "Come on, what could he have done? He's a grown man, getting wasted at business dinners. It happens all the time, doesn't it?"