As Beauty walked back to her desk, the only thing ringing in her mind was Bruno's words.
"Good luck."
Just good luck!
Well, what was I expecting?
He will kneel down and ask me not to leave him?
Suddenly, she noticed the whispers and glances from her colleagues. It was clear the whole department had heard about the confrontation with Kathy.
She drew a deep breath and managed to walk to her office desk with her head held high, pretending not to notice, but inside, she felt both a bit embarrassed and oddly proud.
She took her pieces of design and started working on her rough stitches.
"Beauty!"
Jessie's voice distracted her focus, and she almost poked her skin with a needle.
Jessie came rushing over to her, grinning from ear to ear.
"Beauty! I heard what happened," she whispered excitedly, barely able to contain herself. "Finally stood up to her. I am so proud. You should see how the pest was crying in the department. She will respect you from now on."
Beauty sighed, opened her mouth, but said nothing. She forced her mouth shut.
Jessie chuckled, giving her a playful nudge.
"What? Come on, you should be proud. Being gentle all the time is not a good way to deal with her type. Come on, let's grab lunch. I want all the details."
"It's not lunch break... I have to finish dressing this mannequin, so..."
"You need a real model,honey, not a plastic doll. You can use me for your practicals," Jessie said, giving the plastic mannequin a light push.
"It's a few minutes before lunch break," Beauty replied.
Jessie rolled her eyes impatiently and pulled her up.
"Come on!"
They made their way to the company's cafeteria. There, they found a table by the corner at their favorite spot after getting their lunch.
Jessie settled on the chair opposite hers and leaned in, her eyes gleaming with curiosity and excitement.
"Alright, spill it. What did she say to make you go off like that?"
Beauty was staring at Bruno's favorite spot, lost in thought while stirring her hot chocolate drink. The first day they had an actual conversation,it felt like yesterday. He was sitting there.
"Hey!"
"Hey!"
"HEY!"
Jessie flicked her finger in front of Beauty's face.
That made her to blink as her attention shifted back to Jessie.
"What's the matter? Don't worry about her empty threats; she won't do anything. You defended yourself," Jessie said.
Beauty sighed, stirring her drink this time, slowly.
"She actually slapped me. That was what pushed me to retaliate," Beauty replied, hiding the fact that she saw Bruno and Jessie in a position that triggered her.
Jessie smirked proudly.
"Good for her. You were too nice to her, to all of them. You need to see how much respect you earned after that. Also, I heard Bruno didn't exactly defend her when she went to his office?"
Beauty gave a small nod, with a sad expression.
"He didn't take her side, at least."
Jessie studied her face, noticing that she misunderstood that expression at first.
It had nothing to do with Kathy, but Bruno.
"So... did you talk to Bruno like I told you?" she asked.
"Yes," Beauty said, her voice quiet. "Also... I told him that I'm leaving at the end of the year."
Jessie's eyes widened, and she choked on her food.
"Wait, leaving? What do you mean leaving? Are you being serious right now?" she coughed.
"Well, he doesn't care. Staying here will only mess up my mental health," Beauty replied, not looking up from stirring her hot chocolate drink.
Suddenly, their phones buzzed almost at the same time.
Jessie finished chewing her burger and glanced at the notification.
All top-level of all departments, to the conference room.
Signed, The Manager.
"What's that?" Beauty asked softly.
Jessie showed her phone screen to Beauty.
"It's a meeting. I guess that's the same message you got too."
Beauty's stomach knotted with nerves.
"Do you think this is about... what happened with Kathy?"
"Oh please, you only defended yourself. You have nothing to fear. I give you my word."
Beauty sighed at the statement.
"Well... aren't you planning on leaving? So why does it matter?"
Jessi asked and raised a curious brow.
Beauty coughed awkwardly.
"Yeah, I guess you are right. I have nothing to lose if I am planning on leaving anyway."
Jessie couldn't help but smile; she was able to see right through her.
"You told him because you wanted him to ask you to stay. Bruno has his own struggles, you know."
Beauty stirred the chocolate drink with her straw, arching her brows into a frown.
"This isn't about Bruno. I don't know why you keep mentioning him."
"Alright, sorry, ma'am," Jessie surrendered, taking a sip from her drink.
"We better hurry up,"she added.
---
As Beauty and Jessie entered the conference room, Kathy glared at them from the other side of the table.
She got rid of her makeup totally and put her hair up in a messy bun.
Bruno was missing from the room, Beauty observed too.
Ferdinand, the manager, entered the room immediately and started to address them.
He cleared his throat and began.
"Thank you all for being here today. We have a lot to cover regarding our upcoming fashion tour to Puerto Rico next week."
He clicked on the projector, displaying the vibrant culture.
"First, I want to go over the details of our trip. This is an incredible opportunity for us to showcase our designs in a new market. We'll be meeting with local designers, participating in workshops, and attending several fashion shows."
He continued, outlining the schedule.
"We'll depart on Monday morning and return the following Sunday. I expect everyone to be on their best behavior and represent our brand positively."
As he discussed the logistics, flights, accommodations, and transportation. Beauty began to feel a bit relaxed, grateful that the focus was on work and had nothing to do with her clash with Kathy.
However, Kathy was unable to contain her frustration.
"Excuse me, Mr. Ferdinand," she interrupted, "I think we need to address something very serious before we go any further."
Ferdinand paused with a disapproving look on his face that showed he was not ready to hear whatever she had to say.
"Ms. Kathy, can't it wait until after we discuss the tour?"
"No, it can't wait," Kathy insisted, her tone sharp. "Beauty here broke the company's code of conduct by physically attacking me,the face of the company,if that still counts. Why is she not being punished for her actions?"
Whispers echoed in the room, and Beauty felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. She glanced at Jessie, who shot her an encouraging look.
Ferdinand pressed his eyes in frustration.
"Ms. Kathy, I think it's clear there were personal issues involved. We need to focus on the company's objectives right now... so, as I was saying....since today is Friday we have..."
"But I was attacked!" Kathy exclaimed, her voice interrupting again. "What kind of message does that send? Are you just going to ignore it? What kind of manager are you? I am not even safe in this company."
"You weren't attacked. You attacked first and were beaten up. End of story. Can we go back to the important things, Mr. Manager?" Jessie snapped back and rolled her eyes.
Kathy was triggered.
"How dare you? Have you considered our weights? How can you say I attacked first and that she was the victim when she weighs three times my size?"
"Maybe next time pick on someone your own size. If you lay a finger on me...again. I'll do more than that," Beauty replied.
Beauty said that?!
Everyone in the room was stunned at that statement, their jaw on the floor.
Jessie grinned in satisfaction.