Kathy finally burst out of the restroom, stumbling into the department with tears streaking down her cheeks.
All eyes in the department turned toward her.
Her hair was a chaotic mess, and her lipstick was smeared across her face like a clown's. Her mascara had run, leaving dark streaks under her eyes, and one of her earrings was missing.
She looked at her expensive nails, touched her hair, and cried as she checked her skin for possible scars or scratches.
"That fat pig... I'll teach her a lesson..."
She paused as a struggling laugh escaped from someone's lips.
She looked around, only to see the amused faces of the workers, who quickly turned away, trying to hide their laughter.
"What are you all staring at?" she snapped, her voice shaky. "Don't you have jobs to do?"
She barked angrily as she tried to steady herself, her face red with fury.
A few of them coughed to cover their chuckles, while others glanced at each other, sharing silent gossip with raised eyebrows but tightly pressed lips to keep from laughing out loud.
Kathy stormed toward Bruno's office to report, her broken heel causing her to limp slightly.
"It wasn't even a fair fight. She knew she was going to win with that stinking weight," she muttered to herself.
"She will pay for the damages. I'll make sure she pays for every damn scratch on my skin!"
Without a second thought, she flung open Bruno's office door, limping inside and slamming it behind her.
Bruno looked up, startled. He stared at her, from her disheveled hair to her missing shoe, with her toe pressing on the ground and the sole barely hanging on.
"Halloween costume?"
"Haha, funny!" she snapped back, tears glistening in her eyes.
"What... what happened to you? I am absolutely speechless," Bruno said, trying hard to keep from laughing.
"That monster you call an employee! That fat whale, Beauty, attacked me!" she shrieked, her voice breaking. "She should be locked up for this! I want her fired and jailed!"
Bruno cleared his throat, trying to maintain a straight face, though his lips twitched as he looked at her smeared makeup and tangled hair.
"Can we start from the beginning?" Bruno said, closing his eyes to control his amusement. Maybe if he couldn't see her, he wouldn't laugh.
"Why are your eyes closed? I was attacked by a worker in this company, and you're treating me like a clown!" Kathy shot back, her voice rising. "She humiliated me! I want her punished!"
Bruno opened his eyes, giving her a slow nod as he struggled to keep his expression serious.
Kathy glared at him; she knew he wasn't taking her seriously.
Bruno pressed his lips together and cleared his throat.
"What happened? Why did she attack you?" he asked.
"Are you implying that I did something to get beaten up?" She put a hand on her waist.
Bruno leaned back in his chair, observing her from head to toe once more. He tried hard to suppress his amusement and forced a sympathetic expression.
"Ms. Jones," he began slowly, his eyes narrowing slightly, "for Beauty to react like this... you must have done something. Beauty isn't exactly known for being violent. So, what happened?"
"An animal isn't known for violence."
"You might want to keep your words respectful."
Kathy scoffed and folded her arms.
"Why are you always defending her? How can you be attracted to someone like that..."
"Ms. Jones, I'd like to say you have no report if you continue with that attitude. Now answer my question. What did you do?"
Kathy's mouth opened and closed as she fumbled for a response, frowning and looking away from him.
"I-I didn't do anything," she muttered.
Bruno nodded, feigning agreement. "Oh, of course, I would believe that..." he replied sarcastically.
Kathy's face reddened, her hands tightening into fists.
"Mr Bruno, are you implying that I'm at fault here?"
"Not at all," Bruno replied, holding back a smile. "But it's interesting that Beauty, a generally calm person, suddenly 'attacked' you. You must have said something very... persuasive."
Kathy huffed, looking even angrier.
"Why are you taking her side, Mr Bruno? She attacked me! She humiliated me! And she is being treated as the victim?"
Bruno sighed and leaned forward. "I'm just trying to be fair here, Ms. Jones. If you went up to her, said something hurtful, and then she reacted... well, it's hard for me to only blame her, you know?"
He let his gaze drift back to her hair, no longer bothering to hide his amusement.
He chuckled quietly.
"This isn't funny, Mr Bruno! She has to pay for this! This is harassment! I demand that something be done about her! This could ruin my career,she has a mission."