Thirty four

EVE'S POV 

"Let go of me!" Claire demanded, grabbing at a desk and digging her heels into the floor to keep me from dragging her any further. 

"What do you think you are doing?", she screamed.

"What are you afraid of?" I asked, not releasing my grip around her arm.

 "You said that you saw us with your own eyes. We are only going to confirm with the director”,

"You are crazy. This is harassment, I can report you to the HR..”, Claire accused 

"I will accompany you to show them the video of you slandering me", I informed her.

When we were almost at the director's office, the door burst open and Mr Gray appeared, a frown on his face.

GRAY'S POV

 I looked around at the gathered workers, and then my eyes zeroed in on Eve and Claire.

 "What on earth is going on here?" I demanded.

Seeing that I was here already, Eve let go of Claire and faced me

"Claire is spreading rumours that you and I went to a hotel together last night”,

My face paled at her words. 

Where on earth had such a rumour come from? 

I had been trying to seduce Eve in secret, and now there was a loudmouth ruining everything for me?.

"So we came to ask about your whereabouts last night to clarify things”, Eve continued, her eyes focused on me.

As my face darkened with anger as I looked at the woman standing next to Eve, I arranged my thoughts. 

I couldn't let her ruin my reputation before I got Eve where I wanted her.

"What are you talking about?", I asked Claire, my voice firm. 

"I spent the night at home with my wife, and she can confirm that. Why are you making up rumours about Ms Luciano and I?"

Everybody went quiet while Claire faced the floor. 

"I'm sorry, sir. I must have mistaken someone else for you”,

I stepped towards her, my face stormy.

"Such nonsense will not be tolerated in my department. If you have so much to say, maybe you should move to the marketing department, they can do with your story-spinning talent over there",

Claire bent her head further. 

"It won't happen again, sir. I'm truly sorry",

I looked around at everyone.

 "This show is over, you can get back to work. If I catch anyone else spreading malicious rumours at work, they'll face the consequences”,

EVE'S POV 

 Mr Gray turned and marched back into his office.

Claire left the office and hurried towards the bathroom. While I finally felt relieved, as I was certain that after this, Mr Gray wouldn't try to pursue me anymore.

 After announcing to everyone that him seducing me was a story formed in Claire's imagination, he wouldn't do anything that would get people talking again.

When he left, instead of going back to our desks as instructed, the crowd burst into excited whispers. 

Before l could get back to my desk, I caught sight of Daniel walking into the office.

 On seeing me, he hurried over, a concerned look on his face.

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking around at the gathered workers and then focusing back on me.

"I got your message”, he added.

"I'm fine. I wanted to ask you to clarify something if you don't mind. Someone started a rumour about my character in college..",

"I've heard about it”, he told me, his expression softening.

"Of course, I'll set things straight”, he added.

"Thank you," I told him, feeling grateful.

"Good afternoon, Mr Sean. What are you doing in our department?", one of my colleagues asked, approaching us.

"There are false rumours being peddled around about my junior, so I came to clear them up", he replied.

My colleague looked from Daniel to me and back. 

"You are..you are the schoolmate she was talking about?",

Daniel nodded and gave me a fond look. 

"Yes. I was her senior in college, So I know all about her character. Everything you've heard is nonsense”,

I smiled gratefully at him while the crowd burst into whispers again. Everybody's attention was now on Daniel, and with the way they were all looking at him, I knew they believed him.

"Claire really made all that up", someone said.

"But fortunately, both the director and Mr Sean have cleared things up”,

"Yeah, poor girl. What did she ever do to Claire?",

These and more rumors, kept hanging in the air.

"My junior has always been an honest, kind, and hard-working person," Daniel said loud enough for everyone to hear. 

"She is also very talented, so many people are jealous of her. Maybe that's what is bothering Claire”,

"Maybe because she's really pretty too", someone else added, and the crowd burst into chuckles.

"Thank you, Daniel," I told him. 

"I don't know how I can make it up to you”,

"Don't worry about that. I told you to come to me if you came across any trouble, didn't I I'm always happy to help”,

l felt really grateful in my heart and wished I could do something to thank him. This was the second time he had come to me rescue, and he never asked anything in return.

********************

The next day when I got to work, I received the good news that Claire had been demoted and transferred to an insignificant department.

I was relieved that I would no longer be working in the same office with someone who hated me so much.

 After humiliating her the previous day in front of our coworkers and director, there was no telling that she could have done something much worse to get back at me.

"I'm so happy that you stood up to her" the coworker who had given me the news about Claire's demotion said.

"Everybody is happy that she is gone”,

Puzzled, l asked, 

"Really?"

She nodded. 

"She was always stirring in the office and backbiting others. She despised everyone who did better than her. With her gone, this department will be a lot more peaceful”,

I had no idea that Claire was used to treating everyone like that. Indeed, nobody liked working around someone like that.

"You are so brave," another coworker said, perching on the corner of my desk. 

"Nobody ever had the guts to stand up to her. What you did yesterday was amazing!", 

"You are our hero", the first coworker said, grinning.

I laughed and dismissed them with a shake of my head. 

"You guys are just exaggerating. People like her prey on those they think cannot stand up to them. If you stand up to them, often, their lies crumble in the face of the truth. I couldn't stand by and let her tarnish my name, so l had to act",

My co-workers nodded. 

"You have inspired me you know. The next time someone tries to create rumours about me, I'll not cower. I'll face them and ask them for proof!. I might even bite out their ear",

The three of us burst into laughter at her enthusiasm. For the first time since Claire started spreading rumours about me, this was the first time I felt completely at ease in the office.

My colleagues were now talking to me freely, with no one throwing me suspicious glances. I only hoped that this new peace would last.

After dealing with Ella from the time I had my intervievw, I had thought I wouldn't make any more enemies at work, only for Claire to fill that space. 

Now, I hoped that my encounters with co-workers who were hell-bent on slandering me were all done.