The Urban Abyss

The War Between Two Women

Vivienne was in charge of the company-wide attendance tracking, spending most of her day collecting employee leave forms, including those for external visits, sick leaves, and business trips. Her role allowed her to quickly integrate into the community. 

Within just three days, she became friends with Mira, the saleslady on the ground floor, Dominic, the general affairs manager on the eighth floor, and Ela, an administrative officer in her own department. Particularly with the talkative Ela, who, after being treated to a lavish meal by the newcomer Daisy, became an open book.

After work one day, Vivienne invited Ela out for ice cream. Ela, having recently broken up with her boyfriend and thus having ample free time, was thrilled. They sat in a quiet corner, enjoying their ice cream while chatting.

Daisy, batting her distinctively clear black and white eyes, said, "Ela, I've noticed our company has a lot of people who seem to have been sneaked in. Are they all relatives of the chairman?" Given Ela's three years of service and her position in the well-informed administrative department, Vivienne believed she could gather much insight from her.

Ela, taking a bite of her ice cream, replied, "Don't be so sensitive. The chairman is a shrewd person and knows the downsides of nepotism. Apart from his children who hold high positions in the company, there are no other relatives. Well, there is one exception—Aurelia, the Financial Department Head. She's the chairman's cousin. Naturally, the person in charge of the company's finances has to be someone the boss can trust."

Daisy made an "oh" sound and then added, "Right, our manager isn't married yet, right? With her credentials, it can't be that she's still unmarried in her thirties?"

Ela winked mysteriously, "Shush, our manager is a person of significant background, you know. It's a top-secret within the company. Don't tell anyone else."

Daisy nodded vigorously.

Ela continued, "We moved to this building just over a year ago, and most of the staff joined after the new building was completed, so many are unaware of past events."

Ela narrated like telling a story, "Our company's previous office was a rented space, and we had only half the number of people back then. But even at that time, Jennifer was already the head of the Administrative Department. She had another role—Gregory's girlfriend. They had been together for several years, and Jennifer was promoted from Gregory's secretary to department head."

"You haven't met Gregory. Oh, he's nothing like his sister. Gregory studied art—oil painting—and was reluctantly dragged into the company by his father. He was a hundred times unwilling and frequently skipped work. His father, having no choice, still gave him the title of General Manager. Later, the old man found a beautiful and capable secretary, Jennifer, who managed to keep Gregory at work properly for a couple of years. However, it's said that his heart was never in managing the company; he was always focused on his oil paintings, leaving the decision-making to Jennifer."

"Jennifer quickly rose to the position of head of the Administrative Department. Back then, she was second to none, and everyone thought she would be the future lady of Max Properties. But, fate had other plans. Just as the old man was about to arrange their engagement, Gregory suddenly decided against marrying Jennifer and even fled to Australia, refusing to return for nearly two years."

Ela took another bite of her ice cream, "If I were Jennifer, I wouldn't have the face to stay at this company. Everyone says our manager is still waiting for Gregory. However, our boss and Rebecca have always maintained a good relationship with Jennifer. It's said her salary has been raised several times!"

Daisy feigned surprise, "Ah? Isn't our salary information confidential? How do you know about the manager's raise?"

Ela scoffed, "It's all because of Financial Manager Aurelia. She particularly dislikes Jennifer. Aurelia, holding a master's degree in economics and being a senior economist, thinks highly of herself, especially despising women who rely on men for their status. She considers our manager to be such a person. Otherwise, how could a mere secretary stand on equal footing with her? She says she hates those who overstep their boundaries and eye her father's wealth."

Daisy clicked her tongue, "Aurelia really seems tough to deal with. Even our amiable manager can't get along with her. Besides, she's just a cousin, another employee!"

Ela laughed, shaking with mirth, "Exactly, we all find her annoying! Behind her back, we call her 'the old maid.'"

"Ah? She's not married?"

Ela replied, "Yeah, with her pickiness and peculiarities, who would want her?"

"Oh," Daisy understood. It was inevitable for such different women to clash: "How does our manager respond to her provocations?"

Ela smiled proudly, "Hehe, our manager is always one step ahead. She never confronts Aurelia directly. She just works the upper echelons. Jennifer has good relations with the boss and Rebecca. A little word from her is enough for Aurelia to deal with. Rebecca even scolded Aurelia once for Jennifer's sake, and she's her cousin!"

Ela shook her head, "You know, the relationship between these two is known within the company as the war between two women."