Chapter 126 Take that Necklace off
The planning department was abuzz with the news that the daughter of Ms. Parks had parachuted in to become the new manager. The entire staff was on their toes, standing up to welcome her. Ophelia, upon receiving the heads-up from her colleague, quickly set aside her work to greet Niamh.
Employees lined up in two rows, with Ophelia at the back, just in position when Niamh entered with a haughty air. She was dressed in a classic Chanel suit, carrying an Hermès handbag, her shoes with a seven-centimeter heel clicked on the floor, her curly hair flowing, and sunglasses in place, followed by two assistants.
The moment Niamh stopped, all the employees called out in unison, "Good morning, Miss Niamh." Niamh removed her sunglasses, sporting an aloof expression that hardly seemed suited for work. It was more like she had come to show off.
With a look of disdain, Niamh could hardly conceal her contempt for the employees and imperiously asked her assistants, "Where is my office?" "This way, Miss Niamh," one assistant replied, leading the way with Niamh following. As they passed Ophelia, Niamh suddenly stopped.
Her gaze landed on the necklace around Ophelia's neck, her complexion changing instantly. "Where did you get that necklace?" It was indeed the four-leaf clover necklace. Niamh had seen it just the day before in a jewelry store and recognized it immediately. The gift she had desperately wanted for her birthday, which Finnegan didn't even show up to give her, now she saw it on one of her own employees.
Ophelia had not expected her necklace to catch Niamh's interest. Wishing to avoid trouble and gossip, she replied, "I bought it for myself." Her relationship with Finnegan wasn’t public yet, and no one in the company knew she had a boyfriend. Opting for discretion, she avoided the truth.
Hearing that Ophelia had purchased the necklace herself eased Niamh's expression somewhat. The necklace wasn't a limited edition, and its price was not outrageous. It was affordable for many, so Niamh thought nothing more of it.
Seeing the necklace made Niamh very irritable. She snapped, "Take that necklace off, and don't let me catch you wearing it again."
Ophelia hadn't even had a chance to wear the necklace, and naturally, Niamh wouldn't allow an employee to have that privilege.
"Yes, Miss Niamh," although Ophelia found it baffling, she silently complied for the sake of her job and removed the necklace.
Only when Niamh, satisfied, strutted away in her high heels towards the office did the rest of the team breathe a sigh of relief.
Once Niamh was out of earshot, a colleague named Willow asked Ophelia, "Did you offend Miss Niamh? Why won't she let you wear the necklace?"
Ophelia had indeed crossed Niamh in the past, but it seemed Niamh hadn't recognized her. "I'm not sure what the issue is," she responded with a smile. "When it comes to the job, whatever Miss Parks says goes. If she says don’t wear it, then I won’t wear it."
"Ophelia, that necklace looked really nice, though." Willow inquired, "How much did it cost?"
"It's not worth much, just something I picked up," Ophelia deflected. She couldn't dare reveal the truth that the necklace had cost over twenty grand. With her current salary, she could afford it, but it was a stretch. Exposing the real price would invite speculation of vanity or dubious assumptions about the necklace's origin.
That's office life. One could tell the truth, but not the whole truth.
Ophelia excused herself to work on a project, cutting the conversation short.
During lunch in the cafeteria, Ophelia ran into Sybil.
It had been a while since Sybil joined Parks Corporation, but it was the first time Ophelia had encountered her in the cafeteria.
Sybil came over with her tray. "Ophelia, may I sit here?"
Sybil had lost a lot of weight, and her complexion looked worn. Ophelia casually remarked, "You've slimmed down quite a bit."
Sybil, with a laugh, replied, "I've been on a diet recently. Ophelia, I heard that Miss Parks has started working here, right in your planning department."
"Yes," Ophelia spoke between bites, "she just started today. Sybil, you're well-informed. You mentioned having a friend in the company. Which department was she in?"
"She was in procurement, but she's no longer with the company," Sybil said, still wearing an easy smile.
Suddenly, Sybil's phone rang, and when she picked it up, it wasn't clear what the person on the other end said, but her face turned pale, and she left her meal untouched as she stood up and ran outside.
"Sybil..." Ophelia called out, but Sybil had already disappeared without a trace.
She seemed to be in a hurry to meet someone very important.
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