The cruel glares and mocking laughter swirled around her like a storm. She covered her ear, trying to shut it all out, but the noise only grew louder. Each echo made her chest tighten, made her feel smaller, weaker. She screamed for it to stop, begged through tears, whispered apologies—but no one listened.
Her voice was gone. Mute. No matter how hard she tried to speak, to cry out, no sound came out. It was like she didn't exist.
Panic took over. Fear wrapped itself around her like cold chains. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground, covering her ears as the world spun out of control. The laughter twisted into shrieks. Shadows loomed. Her tears blurred everything.
Then—a blaring ring. Loud. Distant at first, but growing fast, sharp enough to cut through the chaos.
She looked around, desperate to find the source of the sound, heart pounding—and suddenly, she awakes. Gasping, soaked in sweat.
Just a nightmare. A horrible, suffocating nightmare.
"Whooaaaa, I'm going to be late!" she shouted, panic rising as she scrambled to get ready. She rushed around, tossing clothes aside and grabbing anything she could find, her movements frantic as time slipped away.
She rushed toward the elevator, barely making it in time—just as the doors began to close. She froze, seeing Braxston's smug face on the other side. That smirk. First thing in the morning. It was enough to set her on edge. With a frustrated sigh, she turned and stormed toward the other elevator.
When it finally opened, she rushed inside, the sense of urgency pushing her forward. She hurried through the building, trying to shake off the irritation. But as she reached her office door, there he was again—Braxston, waiting for her with that same insufferable grin.
"Early morning, early annoying person." she mumbled while entering her office trying to ignore Braxston.
"Did you say something?" asked and followed her.
"I said good morning sir." she response with irritation on her voice
"I think the auditor should know about the rule for Tardiness or perhaps I should remind that employee?" Braxston said, casually sitting in the chair across from her desk.
"I never thought I would be such an important employee since you see me first rather than your work?" she shot back, her frustration seeping through her words.
"I'm watching you." He made a slow, threatening gesture with his hand, then stood and left.
"He's making my blood boil! Urgh!" she muttered under her breath, fists clenched as the tension in her chest flared.
She decided to try the magnifying glass again, unsure if she had just imagined the strange sight the day before. But as soon as she placed the glass over the papers, the numbers floated in front of her once more. It was real, but she couldn't understand what those numbers meant.
Despite her confusion, she didn't let it distract her. Instead, she flipped through the papers, her eyes scanning for anything that seemed off. She quickly wrote down the details that stood out—too many miscellaneous expenses and entries that didn't add up.
She made a list of all the transactions marked as miscellaneous expenses. There was something wrong with this. Without wasting another moment, she headed to the Accounting Department, hoping they could pull out the liquidation statements and petty cash replenishments to help clarify things.
"Hi, I'm Luna from the Auditing Department. I would like this file to be pulled out and just have a few things to clarify." she said while trying to ignore the cold stares of other employees.
"Ok, I will go to your department once I'll be able to find it. Just give me a day cause we're a bit swamped to tax deadlines." the Accounting Clerk replied, not bothering to make eye contact. She kept typing away on her keyboard, barely acknowledging Luna's presence.
"Sure. No problem. Thank you." She turned to leave, but the murmurs from behind her made her stomach tighten. As she walked away, she could feel someone's gaze sweeping over her from head to toe.
When Luna entered the office, she noticed Braxston scolding someone in a harsh tone. Her eyes narrowed as she realized it was the same guy who had stood beside him when they first met.
"How many times have I told you to contact our supplier a week before the deadline?" Braxston snapped, his anger clear. "Now where are we going to find the supplies? The event is in three days!" He threw the papers in front of the guy, frustration written all over his face.
"Sir, the team and I are doing our best to find a supplier," the guy replied with a trembling voice. "We're reaching out to every possible supplier."
"Best? I don't see it," Braxston snarled, his anger flaring. "If this project fails, I'll terminate all of you. The loss I'll take from this is worth more than any of you combined. You better hurry. Pick up those papers and get out of my sight."
"He looks very evil. What a jerk. He should try to be a rank in file employee to understand how it feels." she whispered it to herself.
Braxston suddenly turned his head and caught sight of Luna watching him with a look of disappointment. She quickly stepped into her office, eager to avoid any awkwardness with him.
She opened the system and began downloading the list of all expenses under Braxston's name. As she went through each month, she noticed a recurring Miscellaneous Expense of 50,000. It made her wonder why the amount was always exactly the same.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. She looked up to see the accounting clerk holding some files, probably the files she requested. Luna gestured for her to come in and bring the documents to her.
"Good morning, ma'am. These are the documents you requested. Please let me know if anything is missing or any additional documents you need." the accounting clerk said while gently placing the folder on Luna's desk.
"Thank you." she replied offering a small smile.
After the Accounting Clerk left her office, Luna immediately opened the files. She began with the documents from January, carefully verifying all the supporting attachments to ensure nothing had been tampered with. To her surprise, every receipt was intact, with no sign of erasure or alteration. Everything appeared perfectly clean—there were no traces of fraud to be found.
But just as she was getting deeper into her review, another knock interrupted her focus. Looking up, she saw an unfamiliar man standing at the door. He appeared to be about the same age as Mr. Bartholomew. Luna stood up and walked to the door to open him.
"Good morning sir. May I help you with something?"
"I'm just wondering why you are here. I don't think I've seen you around before," she asked. She saw that the guy was trying to glance around, scanning the surroundings.
"May I know whom I am speaking to?"
"I'm Sebastian Montclair, Bartholomew's cousin," the man said, offering a polite smile. "I'm here to visit him. Actually, I was on my way to his office when I saw you here, looking pretty focused, almost like you were solving a complex puzzle." He stretched out his hand for a handshake.
"Oh! I'm Luna from the Audit Department," she replied with a polite nod and accepted his hand. "Mr. Bartholomew assigned me a task, but once I finish, I'll be returning to my department."
"Okay, I probably should go now so I won't disturb you," he said with a smile. "Nice to meet you. Good luck with your task." He gave her a polite nod before turning and heading toward Mr. Bartholomew's office.
"Thank you, sir," Luna replied with a small smile. She watched him for a few moments as he walked away, heading toward Bartholomew's office.
She goes back inside and glances at the clock, notice it's already lunch break. With a small sigh, she hurries to her desk, quickly sliding the files into her drawer. She stands up and heads for the cafeteria to take some lunch.
Just as she approaches the elevator, she hears footsteps behind her. She turns around and sees Braxston walking in her direction.
"Are you some kind of stalker?" She asked, irritation clear in her voice, as they waited for the elevator to open.
He looked at her with emotionless, "You're not the only one with a lunch break, Ms. Hawthorne."
She rolled her eyes, her frustration bubbling up. "Alright, sir. My bad," she muttered, stepping into the elevator. She pressed the button and shot him a sideways glance. "What floor?"
"Second," he replied curtly, his gaze drifting away.
Time ticks slowly. Descending from the seventh floor to the second feels extremely slow, and each passing moment is surrounded by silence. They can almost hear the rhythm of their breathing and heart beats. Both silently hope that someone—anyone—might step in on one of the floors to ease the awkward tension. But floor after floor passes, no one joins them. The elevator remains as their quiet prison.
She stands still, staring at the corner while waiting for it to open. She avoids making eye contact with him, as if one look could break her. Her fingers twitch at her side to calm herself from feeling nervous.
However the silence gets unbearable. Then—
"You shouldn't treat your employees like that."
"Excuse me?" his eyebrows lifted, trying to confirm what she said.
"Everyone has their own struggles. They're not robots. Employees here work so hard, but not everything is within their control. Yes, you have the right to scold them, but that doesn't mean you should do it without respect." She said it without hesitation, knowing she might get into trouble for speaking up.
"Mind your own business. I don't care about you or anyone else. As long as you do good for the company, we're allies. If not, you should leave. The company doesn't pay for incompetent employees," he said firmly, just as the elevator beeped, signaling it was about to open.
He left before she could respond. Anger bubbled inside her, and she wanted to throw it all at him, but she knew she couldn't—he is her boss. Just before the elevator doors closed, she caught a glimpse of him walking toward the door. And then, she noticed the girl from her apartment holding a lunchbox waving to him with a big smile on her face.
"I wonder how she is able to handle a jerk like him.Tsk." she shook her head when the elevator doors finally closed.
When she reached the cafeteria on the ground floor, she saw Maise excitedly waving from a table, signaling her to come. But before sitting down, she gestures to Maise that she'd order first and then join her. After getting her order, she quickly headed to the table.
"How are you? I really thought they'll terminate you, but what happened?"
"They give me some special cases to handle. Mr. President told me that I could ask someone I trust for help. It's a highly confidential case. Would you like to help me?" she responded to Maise, taking a bite of her burger.
Maise nearly choked upon hearing it. "Why me? If it's highly confidential, it must be dangerous, right?" She stared at her with a serious expression.
"You know you're the closest and trusted person I have here. I don't think I can do it especially with that jerk. Help me pleaseeee" she looked at Maise with pleading eyes
"Fine, but you are the one who makes the final report. Deal?" she replied in a forceful tune. Luna hugged her for being grateful "Thank you so much. I promise I'll make the final report, hehe."
A few minutes later, they returned to their work, waiting for the elevator to open. When it did, they saw Braxston and his girlfriend kissing inside. Maise cleared her throat, trying to get their attention, while Luna stared at them with a dull expression. As Braxston and his girlfriend noticed them, they stepped out of the elevator, both sporting wide smiles. Luna rolled her eyes as the elevator doors closed.
Maise followed Luna to her office so they could try to figure out what to do with the case. However, Luna chose not to mention the magnifying glass to Maise. Both of them became so absorbed in their work that they almost lost track of time. When they reached the building's exit, Luna told Maise she couldn't join her, as she needed to stop by in the library to look for something.