As Ted Lasso says, quoting Walt Whitman, "Be curious. Not judgmental." I wonder what her life is like. Was she abused? Still abused? Lonely? How was her dream deferred, to quote Langston Hughes? Do her children call? Does she have any? What was her dream as a child? Does she suffer from mental illness. I love how you draw this out. It makes me want to write about her. Figure out her motivations and inner life. One never knows the crosses we carry. But I know what you mean. We still need to negotiate such people, especially, perhaps, toxic bosses. Cheers!