After Jefferson had left, Emma made her way over to Rita, taking her hand with a gentle squeeze. "I'm so sorry, Rita. I should've known better. Linda's got a real talent for spreading nasty rumors. Looks like she fooled all of us!"
Rita let out a sigh, the tension melting from her shoulders.
"It's okay now. I don't have to worry about it anymore," she said, her voice light with relief.
Emma's expression turned serious, and she leaned in a little closer.
"But you know, I've got this hunch that the boss has a soft spot for you. I'm serious! He seems to really value what you do. So, if you get a big promotion or something, you better call me. We've gotta celebrate!"
Rita couldn't help but smile at the thought.
"For sure! I'll let you know," she promised.
Inside, though, Rita felt a twinge of guilt.
She wasn't keen on lying to Emma, but the truth about her and Jefferson's marriage was too complicated and risky to share at work.
Their marriage was more of a business deal than a love story, and she was still unsure of Jefferson's true feelings for her.
Just then, another coworker joined them, his curiosity written all over his face.
"Emma, come on. Don't you think the boss treats Rita a bit differently? I can totally see it!"
Emma shot Rita an inquisitive look before responding, "Hey, don't you see you're bugging Rita with all this talk? But, hold on a second... Rita, didn't you blush a little when our dashing president stood up for you? If I were in your shoes, I might have a little crush on him!"
Rita's mind raced.
Sure, she'd felt a flutter, but what did it matter?
She had hurt Jefferson in the past and was convinced he hadn't forgotten.
Keeping things cordial was enough; she dared not hope for more.
She forced a smile.
"I wish I could go there, but... it's just not possible," Rita managed to say.
Emma, ever the gossip, pounced on the hint of a story.
"Why's that? You must've had some history with Jefferson, right?"
Rita hesitated, then decided to share just a sliver of the truth.
"Okay, I'll spill. I met Jefferson a long time ago, and yeah, I hurt him. That's all there is to it. Nothing's gonna happen between us."
"What happened?"
Both Emma and the other coworker leaned in, eager for the juicy details, but Rita clammed up.
Seeing Rita's discomfort, Emma finally backed down.
"Alright, if you say it's a bad memory, I'll drop it. I believe you, a hundred percent."
With Linda's firing, the company's attitude shifted, and they started to see Rita as someone who wasn't to be trifled with.
For the time being, Rita found herself in a safe haven, free from the swirling eddies of office gossip.
---
Meanwhile, Linda, clutching her personal items, stood defeated outside the office building.
Her teeth clenched in anger as she seethed, "How dare they do this to me! Rita, you're going to regret making me lose my job!"
In a fit of rage, she dumped her belongings and stormed off to a nearby café to simmer down with a cup of coffee.
As she sipped, her mind raced with plans to shadow Rita after work, gather dirt on her, and plot her revenge.
As the day wore on and quitting time approached, Linda's senses sharpened.
She was like a hawk, eyes peeled for her prey; she couldn't afford to lose sight of Rita now.
Just as she was scrutinizing the office building's exit, Rita appeared.
Linda hastily settled her café bill and slipped out unnoticed.
The café staff whispered among themselves, "That strange lady finally took off..."
Linda kept a discreet distance as she tailed Rita, who was deep in thought, pondering how to express her gratitude to Jefferson upon his return.
Oblivious to the fact that she was being followed, Rita made her way to the bus stop.
Linda, not taking any chances, grabbed a taxi and trailed the bus all the way to Rita's apartment building.
She snapped a few photos of the exterior, already scheming her next move to gather more ammunition.
But as Linda turned to leave, she caught sight of Jefferson in the distance.
"What the heck? Jefferson? Is this just a coincidence, or...?"
Ducking out of sight, she watched intently until she confirmed with her own eyes that Jefferson entered the same building Rita had just gone into.
Linda crept closer to the building, trying to get a better look, but then she noticed Jefferson hadn't actually gone inside.
He was just standing there, looking like he was waiting for someone.
Linda didn't dare make a move.
She crouched down in a bush, her eyes glued to Jefferson, trying to figure out what he was up to.
Then, out of the blue, she spotted Neo.
"Neo lives here too? What is this, some kind of company housing or what?"
Linda thought to herself, puzzled.
Neo seemed to be in a rush, like he was still on the clock or something.
That's when Linda overheard him giving a report.
"Mrs. Ted's back now. She looked like she had a lot on her mind. I did some digging, and it turns out her parents went to the Hum family on their own. No one forced them or anything," Neo said, sounding all official.
"Alright, I understand," Jefferson replied with a nod, and then Neo hurried off.
Linda's hand flew to her mouth to stifle a gasp, still hidden in the bushes.
"What the heck? Mrs. Ted? Jefferson's married? But who's the wife? Is it Rita? That sneaky woman has been lying to me and everyone else! I've gotta expose her and break up her marriage. That way, my dream guy will be free again!"
With her mind set on a devious plan, Linda finally retreated from the apartment building.
She was determined to convince Rita-and everyone else-that there was some kind of secret affair between her and Jefferson.
Once safely away, she scrolled through the collection of photos on her phone, all of them taken covertly during her time as Jefferson's secretary.
She had captured every one of his expressions, his gestures, and she often found herself admiring his looks when she was alone.
Picking out one particular photo where Jefferson looked especially charming, Linda decided it was the perfect candidate for her scheme.
She wanted to doctor the image, to create a scandalous picture that would make it seem as if she and Jefferson had been intimate.
She knew just the person for the job-a professional photo manipulator with a reputation for creating convincing fakes.
Linda didn't hesitate to pay a hefty sum for their services.
When the manipulated photo was sent back to her, showing her and Jefferson in a seemingly compromising position, a wicked grin spread across her face.
"Rita, your days as Mrs. Ted are numbered!"
Linda whispered to herself, her eyes gleaming with malice.