8|Circle of Friends

I sighed with relief after scanning my card on the attendance machine near the entrance to my office. That was close. I didn't want my perfect attendance record ruined by my carelessness today. I was hoping to be named employee of the month.

My boss had arrived, but he wasn't angry to see me enter his office. I read his schedule for today, and he nodded slowly. I was grateful he didn't ask to cancel or reschedule any appointments. That was the most challenging task.

I was an executive secretary but only focused on administrative matters. The CEO of this company had an assistant who was his right-hand man and went with him wherever he went. Because of this, my working hours were the same as the other employees. I didn't accompany my boss to meet his colleagues.

"Wow, look at this!" squealed Emily. She brought her phone closer to us. "Bella's full name is Mirabella Thompson. How could we not know this?"

"Mirabella Thompson?" Jasmine brought her head closer to the screen. "Isn't her full