With a soft 'chime', the elevator doors slid open, and Juliet stepped out, her heels clicking softly against the tiled floor. She walked confidently toward her office space, a warm smile lighting up her face as she greeted her colleagues along the way.
"Good morning, Peter."
"Hi, Sophia."
Her cheerful demeanor left her coworkers stunned. This was unlike the Juliet they knew, the reserved, timid woman who usually rushed straight to her desk without a word. Today, her confident gait and sunny attitude turned heads. Whispers followed her as she passed.
"Is that really Juliet?"
"What happened to her overnight?"
Stephen, a colleague who often chatted with her, couldn't hold back his curiosity. Approaching her with a friendly grin, he said, "Good morning, Juliet. You seem to be in a great mood today. Did you win the lottery or something?"
Juliet chuckled. "Good morning, Stephen. I wish! I just decided not to let anything mess with my mood today."
"That's a good mindset," Stephen agreed, though he looked puzzled. "But honestly, this is such a sudden change. I almost didn't recognize you!"
Juliet shrugged with a small smile. "People change, don't they? Anyway, is Mrs. Charles in her office? I need to see her."
"Yeah, she got in not too long ago. What's up? Something urgent?"
"I lost my ID card and need to arrange for a replacement," Juliet explained.
"Lost it? How?" Stephen asked, his brow furrowing.
"I was robbed on my way home last night," Juliet replied, her expression dimming at the memory. "They took my bag and everything in it."
"WHAT?!" Stephen practically yelled, drawing the attention of nearby staff. "Are you okay? Were you hurt? Did you go to the police? Did they catch them? Why are you even at work today? You should be resting!"
Juliet was startled by his outburst but managed a reassuring smile. She appreciated his concern, Stephen had always been kind to her, like a protective older brother. She knew his caring nature came partly from his own experiences as a single father.
"I'm fine, really. They just took my bag; they didn't hurt me," Juliet lied, not wanting to worry him further.
Stephen's frown deepened. "Still, you shouldn't be here. Come on, we're going to HR right now, and then to the police."
Before she could protest, he gently but firmly guided her toward Mrs. Charles' office.
---
Knocking on the door and being given permission to enter, Stephen and Juliet went into the office, which was wide enough and comfy. There was a huge desk in the middle with a flat-screen desktop computer and a stack of neatly arranged documents. Placed at the forefront was a small plaque containing words that read: "Diana Charles, Head of Human Resources." To the right was a small shelf containing awards and accolades. On the other side was another shelf, big enough but not too huge to ruin the aesthetic of the office. In it were well-placed books of different categories, acting like a little library. Behind the desk sat a woman who seemed to be in her 40s, wearing glasses and looking through the desktop with furrowed brows. Even that didn't reduce her charm; she looked good, gorgeous even,as it was evident she was someone who took care of her body.
She looked up at Stephen, then at Juliet, raising an eyebrow as she addressed Juliet. "You're glowing today, Miss Daniels. Did he finally put a ring on it?" she asked.
"Ma'am... what ring? I don't get you," Juliet replied, genuinely confused as she looked to Stephen for help, but even he was looking at her curiously, expecting an answer.
"Oh... never mind then," Mrs. Charles decided not to probe any further. "So, what brings you to my office today, Stephen?" she finally addressed Stephen, who was still standing, looking at Juliet weirdly.
"Oh, yes ma'am. I brought Juliet here. She was robbed yesterday on her way home and lost everything. I'm here to help her request the day off to visit the police station."
"WHAT?!" Mrs. Charles practically jumped from her seat in shock. She left her chair and came to Juliet, checking her face and arms, turning her around, and looking for signs of bruises or abuse. "You should have called! Why did you even come to work today? You should be at home! I hope they didn't hurt you anywhere," Mrs. Charles asked with concern, examining Juliet closely.
"No, ma'am, I'm alright, thanks for the concern," Juliet answered, wondering why everyone was so dramatic about the robbery. 'What if I told them I was stabbed, died, and brought back to life? Their expressions would be worth looking at.'
"Sorry, dear, you must still be in shock. We must start enforcing strict rules to prevent working overtime into the night from now on. Good thing it wasn't too serious," Mrs. Charles said, who had automatically switched to mother mode. She couldn't help but press Juliet's face in her palms. Juliet was having a hard time resisting rolling her eyes at the dramatic Mrs. Charles, who always switched to a different personality in any given situation, from a serious HR Head with high expectations to a strict boss who wouldn't take nonsense from any worker, to an understanding woman who could relate to your circumstances. It must be why she was so loved by everyone, irrespective of how she dealt with you. She could be reprimanding you for not meeting expectations one second, and the next, she'd be sitting beside you, cheering you up and extending a helping hand.
"It's really alright, ma'am. There's no cause for alarm," Juliet tried to calm down this energetic woman still in mother mode.
"What do you mean there's no cause for alarm? We almost lost our most efficient and capable staff! There should be a cause for alarm. You know what? Stephen, take my car and drive Miss Juliet to the police station to report the robbery, then drive her home. Miss Juliet, take the whole week off and get back into the right state of mind," Mrs. Charles said, not allowing any rejection.
"Yes, ma'am. Thank you, I will do just that," Stephen nodded as he beckoned Juliet to follow him out.
"I really appreciate it, ma'am. I'll be taking my leave," Juliet thanked Mrs. Charles.
"Oh dear, just take care of yourself, okay?" Mrs. Charles waved her off.
"Yes, ma'am," Juliet said as she followed Stephen out of the office.
'Sigh, what a strong girl,' Mrs. Charles shook her head before going back to her seat and continuing her work..
---
Outside, Juliet let out a deep breath. "I really can't keep up with her energy," she muttered.
Stephen chuckled. "And we can't keep up with 'your' sudden transformation. Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Everyone handles things differently, Stephen. It's just a bag they took, nothing worth losing sleep over."
Stephen looked unconvinced but didn't argue. "Alright, let's get going. We still have a busy day ahead."
As they walked toward the elevator, a staff member approached them in a hurry. "Miss Daniels, the CEO would like to see you in her office immediately."
Stephen frowned. "Why does she want to see you this early?"
"I think I have an idea," Juliet replied, turning back toward the elevator. "I'll catch up with you soon, Stephen."
He nodded but watched her go with a worried expression.