Chapter 18
The morning meeting was a torturous experience for Cordelia. She could feel Jesse’s gaze lingering on her, full of suggestive intent, while Karine’s eyes pierced her with hostility, as if aiming a knife at her back.
As soon as the meeting ended, Cordelia excused herself with a polite smile and quickly left the room, hoping to avoid any conversation with Jesse. Before she could go far, however, she overheard Karine’s furious voice from inside.
“What’s wrong with you? Can’t see anything but that b*tch now? Is that it? You’re hopeless!”
Cordelia’s heart skipped a beat. At lunch, she shared the incident with Linda, who was equally surprised. The company was vast, and it was hard to believe that Cordelia had run into both of them.
“Be careful now that you’ve crossed paths with them,” Linda cautioned in a low voice. “I’m not in sales, so I can’t do much for you. And Karine’s uncle is a shareholder. She’s used to getting her way… Life’s not going to be easy for you from here on out. You need to watch yourself!”
Cordelia smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry. As long as I stay careful and avoid mistakes, Karine won’t have anything to pick on.”
Sure enough, later that afternoon, Karine specifically assigned her a task.
“There’s a tea party later. Here’s the guest list. These are all important clients of the company. Make sure everything’s prepared properly.”
Cordelia nodded, taking the list. There were about a dozen people on it, and while the tea party wasn’t large, it was important to make a good impression.
“And be careful with Ms. Cloud from Morn-Glo Group,” Karine added with a smirk. “She’s great at everything, but she’s allergic to peanuts. Not a single peanut should be in her food.”
“Understood,” Cordelia replied.
Though it was only her first day, Cordelia was meticulous in her work. She organized and set up the tea party venue efficiently. When the guests arrived, everything went smoothly.
Cordelia stood off to the side, breathing a quiet sigh of relief, only to be startled by a loud cry.
“Ms. Cloud fainted!”
Cordelia rushed over to find Ms. Cloud collapsed on the floor, her eyes wide and struggling to breathe.
“What happened?” someone shouted.
“Ms. Cloud is allergic to peanuts! Why is there peanut butter in the cake?!”
Karine appeared, raising her voice.
“Who prepared this cake? I’ve warned you all—Ms. Cloud can’t have peanuts. How could this mistake happen?!”
Cordelia’s heart sank as she met Karine’s furious gaze. It hit her—she had been framed.
“Cordelia, I gave this task to you! Explain yourself!” Karine demanded. Cordelia bit her lip but said nothing.
“Stop arguing!” Ms. Cloud’s assistant was in a panic. “Call an ambulance! She’s going to die if we don’t!”
The scene was chaotic. Cordelia quickly composed herself, squeezing through the crowd to reach Ms. Cloud. She calmly examined her face and pulled a small bottle of medication from her bag.
“Here, give this to her,” she instructed.
“What’s this?” someone asked.
“My younger brother is allergic to peanuts too. I always carry these meds,” Cordelia explained as she placed the pill in Ms. Cloud’s mouth and pressed down gently on her philtrum.
By the time the ambulance arrived, Ms. Cloud’s breathing had stabilized, and the hives on her skin had begun to fade. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked at Cordelia.
“Thank you,” she murmured weakly.
“You’re welcome,” Cordelia replied, wiping the sweat from her forehead in relief.
The ambulance arrived shortly after, and the frantic staff rushed Ms. Cloud into the vehicle. As the scene quieted down, the director called both Cordelia and Karine into his office. Cordelia remained silent while Karine eagerly recounted the entire ordeal, leaving out nothing.
“Cordelia…”