THE SWEET TASTE OF KARMA

I jumped back in fear and almost had a heart attack, but thank heavens it was just Sylvie, my personal assistant.

"Who was that?" she asked, jumping up and down. "I only caught a glimpse, but he looked handsome and powerful!" She beamed with excitement . "I am so happy for you! I always said Steven wasn't worthy of you. Look how quickly you have moved on from that scumbug!"

"Hey, hey," I said, gently tapping her arm to calm her down, "It's not what you think."

"Oh, it is exactly what I think!" she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she pointed at me accusingly. "I will make sure you get together with that man! Don't even try to lie to me," she teased. "It was clearly you shamelessly kissing him in the company parking lot just now."

My cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. What was I thinking? Have I gone insane, memories of his finger buried in my folds flooded my mind. Overwhelmed with shame, I buried my face in my hands.

"Oh heavens, I'm shameless!" I whispered to myself.

"Yes, you are," Sylvie teased, her eyes sparkling with mirth. "But I love it, it's time to live a bit, Alexa. You have devoted your youth to Steven and look where it has got us." Her tone was laced with a mix of amusement and bitterness.

But she was right, the realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I thought about the people on my side. They deserved so much more than seeing me as Steven's errand boy.

“Now that we are back to reality, here look at this.” Sylvie handed me a phone, and I watched in growing fury as videos played. One was an intimate clip of me and Steven from a year ago. I was sitting on his lap in a private longue of our favorite hotel. The other showed us outside my house with the twins, captioned: "She is using the kids to get closer  to a married man. What a shameless woman!"

The comments were sharper, filled with hate and accusations, "How can she hurt such a delicate woman?" one comment read,another added: "No wonder we women can't find good jobs, these are the women that taint us as homewreckers and desperate sluts." A third commenter joined in: "His wife is so beautiful, he can't love Alexa. I am sure she is the one who seduced him."

Some comments however came to my rescue. "She has been with him for years, helping him develop his business and raise those children while his wife is traveling and modeling abroad. This video might be a misunderstanding.” 

Another replied “You are right, such wives love playing victims, maybe she posted the video to destroy Manager Jones' reputation." These commenters continued to dig deep into Nicole's life exposing her lavish lifestyles with no pictures of the twins anywhere, meanwhile various pictures of me and twins were found.

“So this is why they organized an interview.” I chuckled at the revelation. Slyvie replied "Nicole never guessed her game would turn on her, now she needs you to save her," she said with a hint of satisfaction and anger in her voice. 

“The sweet taste of karma.” I said with a smile as I browsed through the comments. Steven had received his own share of backlash too. I couldn't help the smile spread across my face.

I stealthily made it to my office, expertly dodging my colleagues along the way. I prepared for the meeting and made my way towards the meeting room, but as I stepped inside, I was taken aback. The room had been transformed into an interview set, with cameras and lights set up. My instincts screamed at me to turn back, but before I could make a hasty retreat, Slyvie gave me a gentle nudge forward, with a reassuring smile. "You've got this," she whispered. With a deep breath, I steeled myself for what was to come.

The room quieted down as I navigated through the various interviewers, every seat occupied, and all eyes were on me. "Come here, Alexa," Nicole called out affectionately,  her voice almost sounding kind. But as I reached her, the kindness vanished and she turned her focus on the interview barely acknowledging my presence. 

Was I going to stand here like her servant the entire interview, no chair was prepared for me. It was clear she was deliberately trying to embarrass me. Just when I thought it couldn't get worse one of the interviewers shifted her focus to me, directing her question my way. 

"Mrs. Jones, it is said you are in an inappropriate relationship with Mr. Hales. Is it true?" The words were blunt, leaving little room for evasion. 

I shook my head firmly. "No, it's not," I replied. "The videos were exaggerated to create a false impression. In the first video, I was simply helping a drunk boss get home safely. And in the next video, he was picking up the little ones from my house, where they often spend time." I looked directly at the interviewer.

"What about the last video, in which Mrs. Hales was seen in tears because she was threatened by her husband's dependence on you?" The interviewer asked. A sly smile spread across my face as I realized this person was arranged by Nicole. Did she really think I would struggle to answer such simple questions? 

"Unfortunately, I am his manager, his shadow, his right hand. It is natural for him to depend on me professionally. If Mrs. Hales feels threatened by that or not, you will have to ask her." I kept my tone calm and detached, focusing solely on the interviewer.

Another interviewer turned to Nicole and asked point-blank. "Mrs. Hales, are you perhaps just jealous of Mrs. Jones?" The room's focus shifted to Nicole, awaiting her response.

Just like the drama queen she is, Nicole started coughing softly. "Nicole, Nicole, what's wrong?" Steven asked her in concern, for a moment, I felt a pang that almost felt like jealousy at his soft tone to her.

"I'm fine, just a little itchy throat," Nicole said, her voice still husky from the coughing fit. One of the interviewers offered her a glass of water which she immediately declined.

"Thank you, but in my state, I wouldn't dare drink anything unless I trust the one who has brought it." She dramatically dismissed the glass.

"What do you mean by that, Mrs. Hales? Are you pregnant?" Nicole's gaze darted around the room, a fleeting moment of hesitation before she shyly looked down.