Tuesday's Story #6

Slumped against the custom-designed leather chair that sat in her bedroom was Rose, who refused to believe the one-eighty change in her subordinate's behavior. The Magenta that she knew from university was someone gentle with no temper but the person who confronted Rose in front of the entire department certainly had a fiery temper, which was so not like her.
    Whether she was blinded by her ambition for the coveted seat or something else, Rose failed to see that the cause of the team's failure boiled down to her inexperience and she had taken the easy way up the ladder, instead of the skills and knowledge required. She still believed that it was of no fault of hers that the big boss promoted her and not Magenta, which made a little sense come to think of it. The big boss should've immediately shot down her request after their "little time together" and followed his conscience to promote the most deserving candidate.
    She rose to her full height and stared out the window, sighed as she folded her arms. As deep as their differences ran, she wanted to convince Magenta to remain in the department but it was too late; the news had arrived on the doorstep at the eleventh hour, leaving her with the only choice of acceptance and bound to lose the one of the best employees that their workplace ever had to a rival company.
    She just couldn't deny the fact that Magenta was much more capable than herself.

******
There was only one word to describe Magenta's feelings as she departed the workplace, but with her personal belongings this time around.
    Relieved.
    The tension that she never knew had weighed her down after Rose's promotion suddenly disappeared when she realized that she hadn't need to face Rose any longer. To have her as a friend was a blessing but to have Rose as her boss? Oh, that was a disaster in the making. And a disaster it was. Instead of the mutual respect they had for each other, it degraded into something shy of animosity.
    She had to admit that she never considered the possibility of working in another company and caught herself being in a dilemma, unsure of her next move and certainly anxious about starting over in a new environment. Still, she never regretted leaving, only regretted for not leaving earlier. She'd glance through the classified advertisements and job sites for vacancies in suitable and related fields and submit her application with the CV and attend the necessary interviews - all while utilizing the time for a much-needed break.
    She had never taken a proper rest ever since after her graduation. The days of old were a haze, something she could barely remember.