As OP (Original Poster) grew older, she learned to establish walls and stick to them. So, when her nosy coworker kept asking about personal stuff, she shut her up immediately!
A Well-off Couple
OP and her husband, both 33, have been together since they were in college. Her husband has also been fortunate enough to have “quite the career trajectory.”
She shared, “He’s a quantitative portfolio manager and makes, like, 10 times what I make. And I make a good salary!”
Non-existent Peace
Through the years, the couple slowly got wealthier. As they did, people—friends, acquaintances, relatives, and more—got nosier.
Fielding Endless Questions
Initially, OP would entertain all these questions. However, since she turned 30, she has adopted a “take no s***” attitude.
So, when someone asks her how much her husband makes, she no longer says anything. OP wrote, “I’ve learned the hard way that giving an exact number can have bad consequences.”
A New Coworker With a Reputation
OP currently has a new coworker in the office, and she’s relatively young at 25. However, even though she’s new, she already has “quite the reputation.”
Her new coworker is known to be “very chatty, catty, and gossipy.”
Blinded by Dollar Signs
She also said you can “just tell” that her coworker “craves wealth and status.”
OP’s coworker would wear many “flashy designer items” in the office. She’d also ask female employees which men they work with are single.
Office Happy Hour
The Friday before this story was posted, OP’s company hosted an afternoon happy hour. During this time, OP’s young coworker approached her and asked her about her and her husband’s recent trip to Europe.
Trying to Placate Her
OP didn’t want to make a big deal out of things. So, she told her it went well and gave her a brief summary of what they did.
However, soon, the conversation went south.
Prying Information Out of Her
Her coworker started asking OP about what her husband does for a living. Then, OP answered by simply saying, “He works in finance.”
Then, her coworker replied, “Oh, wow. He must make a ton, then, to be taking you on all these lavish vacations! I hope you don’t mind me asking, but how much does he make in a year?”
Trying to Be Vague
OP didn’t want to divulge anything, so she just said, “Yes, we’re very lucky that he makes a good salary,” and gave her coworker a polite smile. However, she wouldn’t stop pestering OP about it.
Her coworker said, “Oh, come on. I won’t tell anyone. How much does he rake in a year? Millions?”
Never-Ending Questions
At this point, OP was starting to feel uncomfortable. She awkwardly chuckled and said, “I’d rather not say, but it’s up there,” hoping it would be enough for her nosy coworker.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t. She said, “What, he doesn’t allow you to give an exact number or something?”
Learn to Take No for an Answer
Their conversation was getting heated, and OP replied, “No, I just prefer not to say.” Her coworker, however, did not seem to feel the tension and just laughed at OP’s face, saying, “You’d think the stuck-up one would be the one with money, not the one without!”
Furious, OP replied, “You should learn how to take ‘no’ for an answer and when to quit being a nosy b****. It’s a valuable lesson.”
Shunned by Her Colleagues
After that, OP smiled at her coworker and walked away. However, later on, a couple of her other colleagues reached out to her, saying that the coworker she was talking to was crying and had left early.
They also told OP that she should apologize for calling her “a rude name,” but OP refused.
Mom’s Take
OP also shared what happened with her mom, and she told OP that she’d been “too rude” to the “new girl.” Her mom explained that she was young and might not fully understand “salary talk.”
For OP, though, her coworker was undoubtedly old enough.
Fake an Apology
Fortunately, OP’s husband was fully on her side. He suggested that OP “fake apologize” for the sake of “office politics.”
OP “somewhat agrees” with this, but she’s still asking if she was the one in the wrong in this scenario.
The Community’s Reactions
The community rallied behind OP, saying women like her coworker were undoubtedly up to no good, so she did the right thing.
One said, “I know women like her. The type to find out it’s ‘millions’ and then start sleazing all over your husband. Not the a**hole. Her crying and acting like a little victim is the proof in the pudding. What a manipulator.”
Another commented, “OP also has a good salary and probably makes more than the new girl, but she just had to take the opportunity to criticize OP’s ‘low’ income. She’s a total climber who definitely considers herself a temporarily embarrassed millionaire.”
It Was a Trap!
People also noted that the new girl was trying to bait OP into divulging the information by insulting her. It was uncalled for, which backs up the claim that OP was not wrong for reacting the way she did.
“She tried to bait OP into divulging information she clearly didn’t want to. ‘I thought the stuck-up one would be the one with money, not without.’ Meaning, ‘You’re stuck-up for not giving me my way, so I’m going to insinuate that you’re broke unless you tell me the information I want to know in the hopes that you’ll be insulted enough to correct me,’” commented one user.
Another person wrote, “She also doesn’t understand no is a complete sentence. OP, not the a**hole. Not rude and handled an intrusive conversation well!”
What do you think about how OP handled the situation? How would you react if you were in her shoes?
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This post first appeared as She Shut Her “Nosy” and “Gossipy” Coworker up and Made Her Cry After She Incessantly Pried to Know Her Wealthy Husband’s Salary. Now She’s Shunned by Her Other Colleagues! on Quote Ambition.
