Without the burden of her hitching rides, I no longer had to worry about being late for work.

Without Mary's slacking off and dragging down the entire team's progress, I didn't have to deal with colleagues' subtle complaints.

I no longer had to worry about my precious bags and beautiful clothes being taken and worn without permission.

I felt a great sense of relief.

However, just a few days after enjoying this newfound freedom, HR informed me that they had hired a new assistant for me.

When I saw who it was, I almost choked. It was Mary!

Why is she here again?

I already analyzed the pros and cons with my mom. Given that it concerns her interests, she usually listens to me.

And she didn't even notify me.

I was still puzzled when Mary saw me too, and immediately showed a look of surprise.

"Connie, you're the supervisor? That's wonderful!"

I breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't even know I was the supervisor, so it seems she didn't get this job through our family connections.

Then it doesn't matter.

I immediately put on a righteous expression to interrupt her. "What's so wonderful? Are you here to work or to socialize? Call me 'Supervisor.'"

Seeing that I didn't hold back, Mary looked unhappy, but she still reluctantly called me "Supervisor" with a pout.

I continued. "And don't think you can slack off just because you're with me. You have to do all the work that's required. Like I said before, you're here to work."

Mary's face looked even worse. The initial joy she felt upon learning I was the supervisor vanished completely.

Good, that's exactly the effect I wanted. I need to set boundaries early, so there won't be endless troubles later.

In my past life, I suffered because of being too kind to her, which in turn was cruel to myself.

In this life, I'm living for myself. I don't care whose daughter she is; she won't take advantage of me.

My initial show of authority worked. On her first day of work, Mary was well-behaved and didn't slack off.

At the end of the workday, Mary cautiously approached me.

"Connie, how about we go home together after work? Since you have a car and it's on the way, you can give me a ride."

Without even looking up, I refused. "I have to work overtime, no time."

Then I added. "And by the way, in the company, call me 'Supervisor.' Did you forget what I said this morning?"

If it happens once, it'll happen again. In this life, I'll never give her a chance to get close.

Mary clung to my arm, acting all clingy and sweet. "Connie, it's after work now, do we really need to be so strict with the rules?"

After I gave her a stern look, she reluctantly let go of my arm and changed her tone. "Alright, alright, Supervisor. You know, I'm new here and unfamiliar with everything. Since it's on your way, could you give me a ride?"

"At the very least, you know where home is, right? Besides, I'm not going your way, and finally, I have to work overtime. If you want to leave, go ahead. Have a safe trip."

Even after all that, she still didn't give up and sat down next to me, saying, "What time do you get off work? I'll wait for you."

"Then you wait." I wasn't worried at all and calmly went back to my work.

Sure enough, after just ten minutes, Mary couldn't sit still and kept asking how long I'd be working.

Every time she asked, I told her to wait a little longer.

As expected, after asking several times, Mary completely lost her patience.

She muttered, "Does having a car make you so great? Why do you have to show off as a supervisor?" Then she stomped off angrily.

As soon as she left, I immediately packed up and left work.

Hilarious.

Work overtime? I just didn't want to give her a chance to hitch a ride.

I know her too well; she doesn't have the patience to wait around for me.

She's young and full of energy. When she slacks off at work, she's already figuring out where to have fun.

After just a few days in Argentia, she's already more familiar with the place than I am.

After work, she refuses to go home and sticks to me, insisting that I go out with her.

It's either going to some trendy restaurant, karaoke, the movies, or shopping.

And unsurprisingly, I always ended up footing the bill.

Her excuse was that she just started working and hadn't received her salary yet.

Hilarious. Even after she got paid, she never spent a penny.

Back then, every day after work, I would start to feel down, dreading where she might drag me to next.

It wasn't just about the money; it was a waste of time. After a whole day of hard work, all I wanted to do was go home and relax!

Looking back, I just blame myself for being soft-hearted and caring too much about saving face, which made it impossible to say no.

Now that I've finally shaken off this pest, I drove home alone, and I couldn't have felt more at peace.

That night, I slept soundly and woke up early for work the next morning.

On the way, I got a call from Mary. "Connie, come pick me up! I'm going to be late!"

Then she gave me a hotel address.

I didn't even bother to ask where she was staying yesterday, but I didn't expect her to be at a hotel. She definitely didn't bother looking for an apartment.

Even the cheapest hotels in Argentia cost hundreds of dollars per night. It seems Mary will soon be crashing at my place again, just like in our past lives.

In our past lives, my parents directly arranged for her to stay with me.

They said that the young girl had just graduated and didn't have a place to stay, so she ended up living at my place.

She didn't even stay in a hotel for a single night.

But what does that have to do with me?

"Instead of calling me, you might as well hail a cab yourself. That way, you might even get to the office earlier than I do."

After saying that, I hung up the phone.

Mary was persistent and kept calling.

Taking a cab costs money, so it's much easier for her to hitch a ride with me.

Who knows, she might even expect me to cover her hotel bill.

Having gone through this once before, I know her tricks too well and won't be a fool this time.

She kept calling, one call after another, so I put my phone on silent and made it to the office without any interruptions.

Finally, the calls stopped.

Nearly an hour later, Mary finally arrived, terribly late.

Being late on the first day of work didn't go unnoticed, and she got scolded by the manager.

She blamed it all on me.

"It's one thing if you won't give me a ride after work, but not picking me up in the morning? Don't you know how bad the traffic is during rush hour? I was late because of you.

"Not only did I get scolded by the manager, but I also lost my full attendance bonus this month.

"And with all those news reports about female passengers being killed by taxi drivers, how could you let me take a cab? Aren't you worried something might happen to me on the way?

"What kind of cousin are you? You owe me compensation!"

I retorted bluntly, "Why should I compensate you? I'm not obligated to pick you up or drop you off. Your tardiness is your own fault.

"If you know it's rush hour, then wake up earlier. And by the way, if you're stuck in traffic, I will be too.

"And let me remind you once again, in the office, you need to address me as Supervisor."

Mary couldn't believe I would be so heartless.

Having been put in her place multiple times, she was both angry and aggrieved, but all she could do was point at me and stammer, "You..." without finishing her sentence.

But soon, she suppressed her emotions, forced a smile, and sidled up to me. "Connie, hotels are expensive, and it's not safe for a girl like you to stay alone. How about I keep you company?

"I'll head to the hotel after work and bring my stuff over tonight. I'll even treat you to some coffee!"

We'd been together since childhood, only separating in middle school. She knows very well that I'm notoriously easygoing.

With just a little coaxing, I would always give in.

Plus, she still has to work here, and renting a place would cost money, while hitching rides with me saves her a lot of hassle.

She thinks a few scoldings from me are worth it, considering the tangible benefits she can get.

But unfortunately, I'm not the same person I was in our past lives.

"I can help you apply for employee housing. You can stay there first, and I'll find a suitable place for you to rent. You can move out once I've found it."

I knew she wouldn't agree, but I said it anyway.

As expected, she pouted. "Why do you rent a place? We can live together and commute to work together. Wouldn't it be nice to have some company?"

I nodded towards her desk. "Let's get to work first."

She thought I had agreed and happily returned to her desk.

I even heard her call the hotel to cancel her room.