Griniaris.com

Once upon a time in a quirky office in downtown New York, there was a fierce rivalry between two coworkers: CompLady, the office “cougar” in her late 50s, who was always impeccably dressed in power suits and had the subtle ability to get whatever she wanted, and Maudine, the new girl who had just started working as a junior supervisor.

CompLadywas known for her well-earned reputation of being a tough, ambitious, and not-so-warm person. She ran the office like a lioness, often using her looks and experience to manipulate situations to her advantage. Lily, on the other hand, was fresh out of college, bubbly, eager to impress, and, most importantly, not intimidated by anyone.

From the first day Maudine joined, CompLady had her eye on her. It was as if CompLady felt threatened by the energy the new girl brought to the office. Maudine, who was oblivious to the cougar’s tension, would often sit next to CompLady at lunch, excitedly chatting about her weekend plans or what new TikTok trend she was into. CompLady would roll her eyes, subtly shoot her icy stares, and sometimes make passive-aggressive comments about Lily’s “trendy” fashion choices (or lack thereof).

It all came to a head when the office was thrown into a last-minute crisis: the big client presentation, which CompLady had planned for months, was suddenly threatened by an error in the report Maudine had accidentally submitted. CompLady, whose reputation was on the line, erupted in a fiery outburst, throwing her papers in the air and accusing Maudine of sabotaging her. “You think this is a game? You just ruined everything, you clueless millennial!” CompLady hissed.

Maudine, who had never been talked to like this before, snapped back, “I didn’t ruin anything, you just didn’t explain what you wanted clearly!” The room fell silent as the tension between them grew. But instead of backing down, Maudine decided it was time for a face-off. “Okay, CompLady you’ve been treating me like I’m invisible since I got here, but let’s be real—you’ve never been a team player either.”

CompLady’s jaw dropped. No one had ever stood up to her like that, especially not someone who was still figuring out the office coffee machine.

The following days were filled with icy glares and a sense of cold war, but something strange happened. CompLady, being an alpha, didn’t like the idea of anyone thinking they could outshine her. And Maudine, being stubborn, wouldn’t let CompLady get away with undermining her. So, they had no choice but to work together on fixing the presentation.

As the two were forced to collaborate, they found out they had more in common than they thought. CompLady was secretly a fan of reality TV and would occasionally drop gossip from shows like The Bachelor into their work discussions. Maudine was floored. “Wait, you watch reality TV?”

The ice started to thaw as they bonded over their mutual love of the latest drama on TV, and CompLady began to appreciate Maudine’s fresh, unfiltered perspective on work. Maudine saw a side of CompLady she hadn’t expected: a hardworking woman who was just trying to maintain control in a constantly changing world.

By the time the presentation was ready, CompLady and Maudine had become something akin to reluctant allies. They still had their differences, but when they walked into the meeting together, side by side, they knocked it out of the park.

The client loved the work, and CompLady, who had come to respect Maudine’s determination, gave her a rare compliment: “You did alright, kid.”

Maudine who was now more confident in her own skin, smirked and said, “I guess you’re not that bad, CompLady Just… don’t mess with my TikTok trends next time.”

From that day on, they formed an unexpected friendship, one that involved CompLady mentoring Maudine on how to climb the corporate ladder (with a few tips and tricks from her “cougar” years) while Maudine taught CompLady how to use Instagram filters. It was the beginning of a new era: the office’s most unlikely duo—one seasoned and savvy, the other young and eager—taking over the world, one power lunch at a time.

And that, my friends, is how the office cougar and the new girl went from enemies to best friends. A few bruised egos and an awkward TikTok dance later, they were unstoppable.