Reflection

She stood under the shower, warm water cascading down her body as steam curled around the tile walls. Fingers ran gently through her damp hair, untangling the knots from a restless night. Tilting her head backwards, she let the water wash over her face, eyes closed, breath slow. Then slowly, she lowered her chin. The water streamed down her cheeks, trailing across her lips as she brought her hands up to her face.

Tomorrow is today.

And she wasn't sure she was ready; her thoughts twisted like the steam, bitter memories clinging to her like damp clothes: Sandra's laughter, the stares, the sting of humiliation.

What would they say?

She exhaled deeply, then turned off the faucet.

No time to break down

She dried off, dressed in a simple blouse and skirt, pulled her hair into a neat ponytail, and stared at herself in the mirror.

Eyes are tired but steady.

The day before......

The manager had summoned her, and she'd rushed down the stairs, heart racing.

She didn't know then. That was the moment everything started to unravel.

All because of a lie wrapped in truth, she yanked her hair, stormed across the lobby like a woman possessed and slammed me to the ground without hesitation.

"How dare you tarnish the name of this company with your vile behaviour? ".Her voice cut through the room like glass. Still, the boss said nothing. I looked at him, eyes locked, focusing all my attention on the tension in his clenched hands as they covered his face, silent... yet shaken by everything hidden and false.

"STOP, " his deep voice thundered through the room, sharp and cold."Evelyn, you've done the worst"

He stepped forward, eyes like iron.

"I'm cutting off your salary for the year, you dared tarnish the name, and for that, you will regret deeply.

He added coldly, "Such disgraceful behaviour"

She wanted to cry, her throat tightened, shame burning

Under her skin, but she stood up firmly.

"It's not true, sir", she said, voice streaming but steady.

"It's all lies"

Zarien turned sharply.

"Don't you dare open your filthy mouth, you worthless harlot.

And with that, he walked off, leaving behind, surrounded by Sandra and the others, their whispers slicing through the silence.

He didn't look back as he stared into the elevator.

A wicked smile crept across Sandra's face as she let out a low laugh, her lower teeth showing.

"Serve's you right", she sneered, then turned and strutted away, heels clicking with pride.

Tears streamed down Evelyn's face as she stood frozen, the stares around her heavy with judgment and shame.

Without a word, she walked to the elevator, her head low, her soul hollow. Once upstairs, she packed her bag and went home.

Our plan worked, my darling boss has started to hate her." Sandra giggled into the phone, lounging back in her office chair as she twirled a pen between her fingers.

Her voice was syrup sweet, laced with satisfaction, "I will be home soon,' she added, glancing down at her wristwatch, the corner of her lips curled into a smug smile.

"Now I can finally get close to him and make him mine".

"Don't worry, Bye", she ended the call with a chuckle.

Just then, Zarien walked past her office, expression unreadable. " Sandra," he said curtly, "meet me in my office", he added. Her eyes lit up. Without hesitation, she reached for her drawers, spritzed on a touch of her favourite perfume, straightened her blouse and headed after him with a practised sway in her step.

"I'm here, sir," she said, her voice smooth.

Zerian didn't bother looking up. That annoyed her deeply, but kept her calm.

" I want the issue resolved immediately," he said flatly

"Okay, sir, is that all?"

He gave a slight nod.

She took a slow step towards his desk, lowering her tone,

"Are you sure that's all, sir?"

Her fingers moved to the buttons of her blouse, undoing them one by one as she approached. Finally, he looked up and sneered.

She leaned in, attempting to touch his arm.

He stood up sharply.

"You look nice," he said, voice like steel, " but you are not as tempting as Evelyn"

His gaze looked onto hers, sharp, cold and unmoved.

Something in her chest twisted. Fear laced with fury.

"You may leave and call Evelyn for me"

Sandra walked out, face burning with shame, rage, and something else she couldn't name.

As Sandra left Zarien's office, she stormed down the corridor, heading straight to the main admin room.

"Where Evelyn?" she asked, eyes scanning the hall like a hawk.

A clerk looked up nervously.

"She... she left right after the incident".

Sandra exhaled, long and slow, a twisted kind of relief settling in her chest.

Good, she thought, at least he won't be seeing her today.

She turned and made her way back to his office, the smugness creeping back into her stride.

"She's gone", Sandra said, stepping inside.

Zerian didn't look up.

"Let her be"

His voice was quiet now, thoughtful." That incident was just a mistake. I'll give her another chance".

Sandra froze.

The words pierced through her like a blade. Rage boiled beneath her skin.

Her lips curled into a tight scoff "You are dismissed", he added without looking at her.

She turned sharply and left, fist clenched, heat burning behind her eyes.

BACK TO THE PRESENT.........

Still lost in the fog of yesterday's memories, Evelyn blinked herself back to reality and realised she was late.

She rushed through her morning routine, brushing her teeth in a blur and quickly getting dressed.

A fitted black blouse, a narrow maroon skirt, and her favourite structured work bag.

She tied her hair into a neat ponytail, slipped on her glasses, and grabbed a quick breakfast, just coffee.

She darted outside, nearly missing the bus.

Moments later, she stepped into the company lobby, her face calm, composed as if nothing had happened the day before.

She headed straight for the elevator, relieved to find it empty.

Just as the doors were about to close, a hand stopped them.

To her shock, it was Zairen.

Her breath hitched, and she greeted him politely, "Good morning, Sir".

He responded coldly. "How are you?".

"I'm fine, sir", she answered, keeping her tone steady. His gaze lingered on her" Be a good girl, okay?".

He said with a strange edge in his voice.

The Elevator stopped at the first floor, and he stepped out without another word.

Evelyn remained silent, shoulders light, eyes forward.

When the doors slid open on the 6th floor, she stepped out and made her way to the main admin office, adjusting her glasses as she walked.

Then she spotted her "SANDRA"

Standing with a group of friends, laughing like yesterday never happened.

As Sandra spotted her, her voice rang out with venomous glee.

"Well, look who's decided to show up, our beautiful little harlot".

Laughter erupted around her group like firecrackers.

"I thought you were too broken to crawl out of your pleasure house this morning".

The others laughed in cruel harmony, their voices sharp and shameless.

Evelyn said nothing.

She kept walking, frowning slightly, her expression unreadable, but inside, her heart was bleeding, the shame clawed at her ribs, but she didn't stop.

And then, he arrived.

Zerian.

Striding with that upright power, looking sharper than ever, and for the first time, she noticed it.

How devastatingly handsome he truly was.

And how gently his gaze settled on her.

He looked at her for a moment, something undefining in his eyes.

Then he turned to Sanders, his voice was calm but cold.

"Why are you taunting her?"

Sandra's eyes widened.

"I....I was just...".

"Apologise"

His tone left no room for excuses.

She muttered a reluctant apology, barely audible.

"To your office. Now"

Sandra screamed off like a kicked dog.

Then he turned to the rest of her friends. "You want to be in trouble? You all meet me in the conference room in 12 minutes". They all left.

Finally, his eyes returned to Evelyn.

"Come with me", he said gently.

She nodded and followed him, timidly, to his office.

Once inside, he motioned for her to sit and quietly made her a cup of tea.

"You left yesterday without a word, don't do that again", she nodded slowly,

"I'm sorry for what happened back there.

"It's okay, sir", she said.

Sandra's office:

Why is it always her? Even after what happened yesterday, he still looks at her like she's the only one in the room.

We just broke up, and already his heart seems to be reaching for someone else, someone who isn't me. And here I am, standing in the ruins of what we were, aching, desperate to make him see me again.

I want to win him back. I need to. I can't just let him slip through my fingers and walk away like it meant nothing.

A part of me whispers terrible things, things like, 'What if I gave him what he wants? What if I tied him to me in a way he couldn't escape?' But I know that's not love. That's fear dressing itself as hope.

Should I beg? Lower my pride just to keep him near?

Or should I let him go... and somehow find the pieces of myself I gave away to him.

She stormed into his office, not bothering to knock.

Her voice shook with fury.

"How could you do this to me, Zerian? she demanded.

"You look at her the same way you used to look at me. Like I never mattered.

"Just leave. I don't want to speak with you," Zarien said coldly, his voice stripped of the softness it once carried.

Sandra stood frozen, heart hammering.

"You're not the person I used to know," he added, not even looking at her now.

That broke her.

Without another word, she turned on her heel and stormed out of his office, barely holding herself together. Her steps were fast, but her heart was heavier than ever.

Back at her desk, she collapsed into her chair, eyes burning. Everything inside her was spinning, but on the outside, she was still - just a broken statue of who she'd been before walking into that room.

Then she saw her. Evelyn.

Striding confidently toward Zarien's door, heels clicking like a countdown.

Of course, Sandra thought bitterly. Another escape. Another woman is stepping in while I'm falling apart.

She watched in silence as the door closed behind Evelyn. Then she lowered her head onto her desk, fighting the urge to cry.

In her mind, Zarien's voice still echoed. The rejection, the disappointment, the finality of it.

And there she sat - alone, numb, and helplessly trying to forget the man who had once meant everything.

Evelyn stepped into the office, her heels soft against the polished floor. She paused at the doorway, then spoke gently.

"Sir... I'd like to speak with you about something," she said, her voice unusually low.

Zarien didn't look up. His eyes stayed fixed on the document in front of him, fingers flipping slowly through the pages. The silence stretched long enough to make her second-guess herself.

Finally, without glancing at her, he muttered, "Say what you need to."

Evelyn swallowed hard. Her hands trembled slightly as she folded them in front of her.

"I'd like to request a special leave," she said.

Still, no reaction.

"I've been diagnosed with gastric cancer," she added, almost whispering.

That made him stop.

Slowly, Zarien lifted his head. His eyes met hers, no longer distant, but wide, alert, shaken.

"Cancer?" he repeated, stunned.

She nodded, blinking back the emotion rising in her throat.

For the first time in a long while, the tension between them wasn't cold or professional. It was human. Fragile. Real.

Zarien leaned back in his chair, silent for a moment. Then finally, he said quietly,

"Okay. You may take your leave... starting next month."

Evelyn nodded. "Thank you, sir."

She turned to leave, her steps soft, but her words still lingering in the room like a shadow.

The news spread like wildfire. By noon, the entire company knew. Evelyn had cancer.

Some murmured with sympathy. Most... didn't.

Sandra, sitting at her desk, heard the whispers drift past like perfume. She didn't say a word - but inside, something dark flickered. A twisted sense of relief. Of victory. Of peace.

At last, she thought. Now let her feel what it's like to be the one whispered about. The one forgotten.

Later that day, in the dining hall, Evelyn walked in quietly, holding her tray of food like it might slip from her hands. The noise in the room dipped low, not gone, just different.

Whispers chased her like shadows.

"Is she going to die?"

"Serves her right."

"No more favours for her."

"What's left of her now anyway?"

Evelyn heard every word, though no one said them to her face. She walked more slowly. Her breath caught. Her vision dimmed.

The tray trembled in her grip. Her knees weakened. Then, as if the air itself betrayed her, Evelyn collapsed.

A sharp gasp swept through the hall as she hit the ground. Her body stiffened violently, her eyes rolling back.

A seizure.

Screams broke the silence. Trays clattered to the floor. Someone yelled her name.

And Sandra, watching from across the room, felt the victory drain from her chest like poison.

Something's not right with Evelyn.

Cathy had felt it all morning, a quiet tug at the back of her mind, a whisper of concern she couldn't shake. Evelyn had been distant lately, and today something just... felt off.

"I'll go check on her," Cathy muttered to herself.

She stepped into the bathroom, quickly changed into a short, simple gown, slung a small side bag over her shoulder, and picked up the lunchbox she'd packed that morning. Inside were the snacks she'd made specially for Evelyn - soft, easy to eat, something light to cheer her up.

Cathy caught the next bus, her thoughts pacing faster than the wheels on the road.

As soon as she arrived at the company, she asked for permission to visit the dining hall, knowing that Evelyn would likely be there around this time.

The moment she stepped inside, her heart dropped.

Across the crowded hall, she saw Evelyn - her face pale, her body trembling. And then, like a collapsing tree, Evelyn crumpled to the floor.

"EVELYN!" Cathy shouted, her voice tearing through the chatter.

Her bag fell from her shoulder as she rushed forward, pushing past the stunned crowd, the lunchbox nearly slipping from her grasp.

Evelyn's body convulsed on the floor, her eyes unfocused, limbs stiffening violently.

Cathy dropped to her knees beside her, voice shaking. "Somebody call for help! Please!"

All around them, whispers turned to panic - but Cathy didn't care. Her friend was slipping, and she wasn't going to let her go alone.