AT THE REUNION, FRIENDS COULD NOT STOP BRAGING ABOUT THEIR HUSBANDS’ “HIGH-POSITION” — BUT WHEN THE MEN ARRIVED, THEY ALMOST KNEELED IN FRONT OF THE SILENT WOMAN BECAUSE SHE WAS THE “BIG BOSS” OF THEIR COMPANY

Karen arrived at the High School Reunion wearing just a simple white dress and sandals. She didn’t bring an expensive bag. She also didn’t have any shiny jewelry.

She was immediately approached by her former classmates Sheila and Gretchen—the bullies of the past who are now “Donyas.”

“Oh my gosh, Karen!” Sheila greeted, looking her up and down. “Is that you? You look so… simple. You don’t seem to have aged, but you don’t seem to have aged either.”

They laughed.

“Yes, of course,” Gretchen added as she showed off her Louis Vuitton bag. “You’re a shame, Karen. You were valedictorian back then. We thought you’d be the most successful of us. What’s up?”

Karen just smiled sheepishly. “I’m fine. I’m happy with my life.”

They sat at the round table. The bragging began.

“You know, girls,” Sheila said loudly. “My husband, Mike, is a Senior Manager at Apex Global Corp. He just bought me a diamond ring worth 500k. Look at that!”

“Wow!” Gretchen shouted. “But my husband, Raldy, is more flashy. He’s a VP of Operations at the same company, Apex Global. He just signed a contract. Next month, we’re going on vacation to Europe. First Class, everything!”

They turned to Karen, who was quietly drinking water.

“You Karen?” Sheila asked as if she were insulting her. “What does your husband do? Or maybe you don’t have a husband because you don’t have a wedding budget?”

“I don’t have a husband,” Karen replied.

“Oh, what a pity,” Gretchen replied. “Single and broke? Don’t worry, we’ve already paid for your dinner tonight. Maybe you can’t afford the steak here at the hotel.”

They toyed with Karen for an hour. They said it was a waste of time, they didn’t get anywhere, and it was a waste of their intelligence. Karen just listened, nodded, and didn’t interrupt.

After a while, the door to the function hall opened.

“There the boys are!” Sheila screamed.

Mike and Raldy entered. They were in suits and ties, looking tired from work but walking proudly.

“Honey!” Sheila waved to Mike. “Here! I want you to meet Karen, our classmate who has a simple life.”

“Raldy!” Gretchen called out. “Come here! Brag to Karen about how much your bonus is!”

The two men walked towards the table. They were smiling, ready to show off their “success” to their wives’ poor classmate.

But as they approached, Mike’s eyes caught the woman sitting in the middle. The woman wearing a simple white dress.

Mike stopped walking. He stiffened.

“Dude, what’s the problem?” Raldy asked. Raldy also looked in the direction Mike was looking.

Raldy turned pale. The color of his face looked as if the blood had drained from him.

That woman… they knew her well.

They saw that woman at the Town Hall Meeting this morning. They saw that woman on the Forbes Magazine cover displayed in the lobby of their office.

“Hey! What are you staring at there?” Sheila asked irritably. “Come closer!”

Mike and Raldy approached with their knees shaking. Not at Sheila or Gretchen, but at Karen.

Mike bowed almost 90 degrees. So did Raldy.

“G-Good evening, Madam President,” Mike greeted shakily.

“M-Ma’am Karen… I mean, CEO Dela Torre,” Raldy stammered. “W-what are you doing here? My wife is your classmate?”

The entire table fell silent. Sheila and Gretchen’s jaws dropped.

“President?” Sheila asked. “Honey, what are you talking about? That’s just Karen! That’s unemployed!”

“Shut up, Sheila!” Mike whispered loudly to his wife, making her sweat profusely. “She’s Ms. Karen Dela Torre! The owner of Apex Global Corp! She’s the owner of the company we work for! She’s the one who signed my promotion!”

“What?!” Gretchen shouted. “She’s your Boss?!”

Karen slowly drank her water. She put down her glass and looked at the two men.

“Good evening, Mike. Good evening, Raldy,” Karen greeted calmly.

“Ma’am, sorry!” Raldy said. “We didn’t know you were here!”

Karen looked at Sheila and Gretchen who now looked like they wanted to be swallowed by the earth with shame.

“Your husbands and I were just talking,” Karen said with a smile. “Sheila said you’re a Senior Manager, Mike. And Gretchen said you’re a VP, Raldy. It seems like my salary is high, huh? You can afford the LV and Diamond Ring.”

“Yes, Ma’am… that’s enough,” Mike bowed.

“Good,” Karen stood up. “It’s just that I thought about it earlier while listening to your wives’ boasting… it doesn’t seem good for the image of my company to have employees who are too materialistic and oppressive to others.”

The two men’s eyes widened.

“M-Ma’am! Please! Don’t!” Mike pleaded.

“Sheila!” Raldy shouted at his wife. “Apologize to Ma’am Karen! Hurry! I’ll get fired from my job because of your blabbering!”

“K-Karen… sorry…” Sheila cried. “I didn’t mean to…”

“Sorry Karen… we were just joking…” Gretchen also said, her voice shaking.

Karen took out her simple purse.

“Don’t worry,” Karen said. “I won’t fire anyone just because of the reunion. I’m professional.”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“But,” Karen added before leaving. “Mike and Raldy, your Performance Bonuses this year are canceled. And the Europe trip and new car? Forget about it for now. I’ll just donate the money to charity, after all, your husbands say you’re ‘rich’ after all.”

Karen walked out with her head held high.

Sheila and Gretchen were left crying as their husbands scolded them. They realized that true wealth is not noisy, and true power doesn’t have to be flaunted to be felt.