As soon as Beauty walked into the company, it felt like every pair of eyes was on her, as if they all knew about her affair with Bruno.
What if Eric had said something? Or was she just overthinking it?
Her heart raced with every step, her stomach churned, and her chest felt tight. Maybe coming to work wasn't the best idea. She could have taken the day off, just like Jessie suggested.
Jessie's voice echoed in her mind, reminding her of the advice she had given before Beauty left the house.
"You think you can handle the company and their attitude? I know you, Beauty. You'll probably feel anxious surrounded by judgmental people. You'll think they all know."
"I'm an adult, Jessie. I can handle this," she had replied confidently.
But now, here she was, forcing herself to walk down the hallway, feeling like she might have a panic attack at any moment.
Taking a deep breath, she headed toward her office. Her palms were clammy, and heat rushed to her cheeks.
"Keep it together, Beauty," she whispered to herself. "They don't know for sure. It's all in your head."
But what if they did know? Her affair with Bruno was supposed to be private, but nothing stays hidden forever.
And Eric!
As she passed her colleagues, she managed a small, awkward smile. None of them acknowledged her, making her feel even more alone.
"Well, everything's still the same. That's a relief," she told herself, trying to calm her nerves.
Finally, she reached her desk and sat down, exhaling deeply. Her hands shook slightly as she reached for her computer mouse. When she opened her profile, her heart sank; the picture showed her wearing the design Bruno had made for her at the reunion.
A lump formed in her throat. Tears threatened to spill, but she blinked them back, trying hard not to show her feelings. Who would believe that Bruno saw her as someone unworthy of love and only as a toy?
He had seemed like such a nice guy.
She should have known better.
With a frown, she clicked and deleted the profile picture, replacing it with an older photo. This one showed a different side of her–an anxious and insecure version of herself. It felt like she didn't even know that Beauty anymore, especially compared to the bright smile in the picture wearing Bruno's design.
Clenching her fists, she tried to remind herself that she was stronger than this. But deep down, she thought maybe coming to work was a mistake. She couldn't stop thinking about Bruno. Why did he have to act like the rest of them? She had tried so hard to show him her love.
"I guess Beyoncé tried harder at being beautiful," she scoffed to herself.
Just then, she heard someone call her name.
"Beauty... hey."
Startled, she looked up to see Bruno's assistant standing at her desk, smiling nervously.
Bruno's assistant?
Beauty's heart raced. She didn't want this–especially not today, when she was trying to stay away from anything to do with Bruno. What did she want?
"Hey, Beauty," the assistant said, clearly impatient.
"Can you do me a favor?"
Beauty raised an eyebrow. A favor? From Bruno's assistant? She forced a smile, even as her pulse quickened.
"Uh, sure. What is it?"
The assistant glanced around, making sure no one was listening, then pulled something from her bag. Beauty's stomach dropped. It was Bruno's eyeglass case, and she recognized it immediately.
No. No. No. Please let it not be what I think it is.
The thought screamed in her head as her heart raced and the room felt smaller, tighter.
"Can you take these to Mr. Bruno? He forgot them, and I have a lot to do before he gets back. It would really help me out. Please... he's in the modeling department."
Beauty's mouth went dry.
She stared at the case in the assistant's hand as if it were a bomb ready to explode. Her mind raced, searching for an excuse to avoid this, but nothing came to her.
"To Bruno? Can't someone else take them?" she stammered, trying to keep her voice calm despite the panic swirling inside her. I was planning to avoid him... How can I face him after everything?
The assistant sighed, clearly growing impatient.
"Beauty, you're the only one I can ask who won't look down on me. Besides, everyone knows he's much nicer to you."
Those words hit her hard. Her eyes widened.
"Nicer to me? Everyone knows? Is there more to it? Is she saying they all know what happened?"
Beauty's mind raced.
"Please, Beauty," the assistant begged, interrupting her thoughts. "I'm wasting time trying to convince you, and I really need to get back to work."
Hesitating, her eyes stayed fixed on the eyeglass case.
Why me? She didn't want to be involved in this–especially not today. Not with Bruno.
She bit her lip; aside from Jessie and maybe Eric, none of the staff had spoken to her so kindly without being rude. Here was someone asking for a favor politely for the first time.
What's the worst that could happen?
That thought made her nod.
"Okay," she said softly, barely managing to get the words out.
The assistant smiled with relief and hugged her quickly–a brief gesture of gratitude that left Beauty feeling both happy to make a friend and even more trapped than before.
"Thank you! You have no idea how much this helps."
Beauty stood there, numb, as the assistant hurried away, leaving her alone with Bruno's eyeglass case tightly held in her hands. She stared at it, her mind racing in a thousand directions.
What did I just agree to?