“I can’t do anything if you don’t tell me the truth. What brought about this fight between you two?”
Kathy rolled her eyes, avoiding his gaze. “Well, maybe she just couldn’t handle the truth.”
Bruno looked up, now serious.
“The truth? What ‘truth’ did you tell her?”
Kathy went silent, clearly realizing she’d said too much. She shifted uncomfortably, looking frustrated but unable to respond.
Bruno felt a pang of concern, imagining Beauty being emotionally abused by Kathy.
“You abused her again, didn’t you? And then you two fought?”
“It wasn’t even a fight. She hit me before I could see clearly—I was on the floor. She may look innocent and like the victim, but she is a monster! She’s just... jealous because we’re together.”
Bruno’s jaw dropped.
“Hold on—are you saying she hit you because she was jealous?”
“Yes!” Kathy snapped.
“Well, that’s interesting. It made my day... much, much better...” He smirked.
“What are you talking about?” Kathy replied impatiently.
“I mean, knowing that Beauty taught you a lesson because of me... it feels pretty nice... you wouldn’t understand, obviously, but... damn, I love that girl.”
Kathy scoffed. “Are you praising her in front of me? Am I a joke to you? Look at my body, my hair, my nails, my skin... look at my BODY!”
She scratched herself in frustration, her chest heaving with fury.
“Tell me, did she say something like, ‘Don’t you ever go near my boyfriend again?’” Bruno asked, looking excited to hear the full story.
At first, Kathy was completely in disbelief and speechless.
Then she scoffed and slapped her forehead, shaking her head.
“You know... they say introverts get comfortable eventually. I thought you were a smart, quiet, reserved, handsome man. Now I understand the real you. You’re an asshole!”
Just then, Beauty suddenly entered the office without knocking, just like Kathy had moments earlier.
Kathy turned, furious, her face red with anger.
“How dare she barge in like this?” Kathy muttered under her breath. “Who does she think she is?”
Bruno clenched his jaw, trying to stay calm and professional, clearly avoiding Beauty’s gaze. He took a deep breath before addressing them.
“Ms. Jones... Beauty,” he began, his tone as professional as he could manage. “I want to make it clear that this sort of behavior is unacceptable in the office. We have protocols, and there are codes of—”
But Kathy interrupted him, raising her voice to cut him off before he could even finish his sentence.
“I’ve said everything I need to say, Mr. Bruno. I refuse to stay in the same room as her! She’ll be hearing from my lawyer.” She pointed accusingly at Beauty, her eyes blazing.
Beauty didn’t say a word but remained silent.
“That’s if you don’t take the necessary action. As the CEO, I will do it myself,” Kathy concluded, giving Beauty a final glare before storming out of the office.
Bruno let out a small sigh of relief, though he avoided looking directly at Beauty. Silence filled the room.
Bruno had many things he would like to say, like how proud he was that she had stood up for herself, but unfortunately, he couldn’t.
He couldn’t just pretend like nothing had happened.
“Now, Beauty,” he said carefully, “about breaking the office rules... fighting a—”
Before he could finish, Beauty spoke up.
“I’ll be leaving the company at the end of the year.”
The words hit him like a punch to the chest. Bruno froze, his heart hammering as he tried to process what she’d just said. She stood there silently, her eyes on him, calm and composed, as if she’d had all the time in the world to make this decision.
That’s just 2 months time!
For a long moment, he couldn’t bring himself to speak. His mind raced with questions, but he forced himself to stay professional and cool, even though his hands trembled slightly with emotion.
Clearing his throat, he looked away.
“May I ask your reasons?”
That wasn’t what he wanted to say. He wanted to sound cool and unbothered. But here he was, asking questions he wasn’t prepared to hear the answers to.
“About what happened between us... I thought it was for the best. Permit me to apologize again. You were right; I was careless and emotionally driven. I hate myself and am insecure. I thought I didn’t deserve the same love as others because of my weight and appearance. I have low self-esteem, but... thanks to you, I’m learning to accept myself, just like you said. So, to truly move forward, I need a break from the company... to leave the past behind.”
Bruno nodded, swallowing down the words that crowded at the back of his throat.
“If... if that will make you happy,” he managed, his voice barely more than a whisper.
This time, his gaze rose to meet hers, but there were no tears in her eyes as he’d expected.
Her eyes were dry and brave.
“Thanks for defending me, once again. Kathy... she slapped me. I lost control and fought back. I didn’t mean to break the company’s code of conduct.”
But Bruno was barely listening. His mind had been spinning since she’d mentioned leaving.
“Sir... Bruno?”
He blinked, snapping out of his thoughts, realizing he’d been absent-minded.
“Sure... do what makes you happy,” he replied awkwardly.
Beauty nodded slowly and turned to leave.
“Beauty...”
She froze, her heart pounding.
“Yes... sir Bruno?”