“A car accident? Did she pass away in the accident?”
“Yeah, but Mobid kept it so hush-hush that no one really knows the details. All that’s known is that there was a car accident.”
What kind of incident would lead them to hide even the fact that there was a car accident? Vera shook her head as if she didn’t know any more details.
“Ah, so you don’t know much either…”
“But who am I? According to my information, it wasn’t just an ordinary car accident.”
Vera, where on earth do you get such information?
“Really? If it wasn’t an ordinary car accident, then what was it?”
“There were rumors that a man was in the car with the lady, and they were said to be in a relationship. That’s all I know. It probably happened when the vice president was in elementary school.”
Losing a mother in an accident at such a young age must have been incredibly hard.
There are said to be two types of confronting the death of a loved one: a prepared death and a sudden death.
When someone passes away due to illness, there’s time to come to terms with it, but when faced with a sudden death, those left behind have to say goodbye without any mental preparation.
At such a young age, when the only thing in the world was the existence of a mother, a sudden farewell must have been overwhelming. The rumors of an affair must have made it even harder to bear.
Alice felt a lump in her throat at the mere thought of the rumors, whether they were true or not.
“Isn’t that something at least half the people know about?”
Vera shrugged her shoulders with a look that said, ‘What’s so special about that?’
Alice stretched her thumb up towards the sky.
To hide her heavy heart, Alice exaggerated her reaction even more.
She praised Vera, who took pride in her information-gathering skills, to bring her joy.
“Since it’s hot, let’s cool off with some iced drinks.”
Indeed, women have separate stomachs for meals and desserts.
The two ordered two iced Americanos and a slice of cake at the café and naturally found a seat in the far corner.
“By the way, about the vice president. I think Brianna is the one sitting next to him, right? She’s always following him around. If such a pretty and well-maintained celebrity keeps pursuing him, don’t you think the vice president will eventually give in? I mean, someone like Brianna should be by the vice president’s side.”
Brianna was a top actress who was currently very popular. Recently, she played a supporting role that was so captivating that it drew more attention than the main character. With her pretty looks and outstanding acting skills, there had been many news articles about her receiving love calls.
As a top celebrity, Brianna was the only woman who seemed to be orbiting around Ryan, just as Vera said.
Ryan and Brianna had known each other since childhood, so perhaps that was why he didn’t easily push her away like he did with others.
Thus, there were quite a few people speculating like Vera.
However, from Alice’s perspective, Ryan didn’t treat Brianna very warmly.
He didn’t seem to welcome Brianna when she occasionally brought lunch or snacks to the office.
It seemed more like Brianna was the one clinging to and chasing after Ryan.
“It’s been a while since she came around; it’s about time she showed up again.”
“Right? Is there a tree that doesn’t fall after being hit ten times? That’s a steel tree, right?”
Alice faintly smiled, following Vera’s lead. She was just quenching her dry throat with the cool coffee.
.
.
.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Secretary Alii, what are you doing?”
Having finished lunch with Vera, Alice didn’t even have time to digest.
Today was the day for the weekly meeting, so Alice was checking the meeting materials for Ryan.
As she heard a dull sound interrupting her, followed by a sharp voice, Alice looked up.
It was Assistant Manager Genevieve Jush from the Brand Marketing Department.
Genevieve knocked on Alice’s desk as if to announce her arrival.
She was a truly noticeable employee.
With her half-tied wavy hair, see-through bangs, a snug V-neck knit top, and a slim H-line skirt, Assistant Manager Genevieve sparkled unusually. Today, her clingy knit accentuated her chest.
Genevieve’s unique fashion matched her equally unique personality.
She was always under the illusion that men were eyeing her.
But in reality, her sharp and mocking tone, along with her wandering gaze, made her the number one unlikable person due to her tendency to meddle and gossip.
Especially when it came to Alice, she seemed to have a daily habit of picking fights.
Her chronic condition was still in full swing.
“Secretary Alii, didn’t you wear that suit yesterday? You should really get some new clothes. You need to wear something that fits your size; you do know your own size, right?”
