Today, Caitlin was feeling slightly feverish. She had taken some medicine for her temperature before leaving for work this morning. Later, after finishing her shift, she had no plans to go anywhere—just straight to bed to recover. Because of her weakened physical state, the screen of her computer looked blurry. But Caitlin was sure she would be fine. She just needed to hold on until the end of the workday. Besides, tomorrow was her day off.
Caitlin was busy sorting through the files her manager had given her half an hour ago, matching and merging the ones in the database with the stack of papers in front of her. This was exactly what an administrative job should be—simple, straightforward tasks. She was grateful that she wasn’t being asked to do anything beyond her job description.
A thick stack of papers, about the size of two bricks, was deliberately thrown onto Caitlin’s desk, making her jolt in surprise. She looked up just in time to see—
"Are you Caitlin?"
Ariana confronted her harshly, her face twisted in anger. The woman had been hired at the same time as Caitlin. They had started together, yet they barely knew each other. In some ways, that fact alone annoyed Caitlin.
"Yes, I’m Caitlin Blossom. What do you need? If it’s not work-related, sorry, but I’m busy." Caitlin lifted her own bundle of documents.
Deep down, she already knew why Ariana was here. That vixen was probably here to complain about the journal Caitlin had worked on while she had been absent for days. Strangely, Ariana had never been fired despite skipping work whenever she pleased, treating the office like her personal playground. In reality, everyone in this place should have been held to the same standards—given the same rights and responsibilities. Someone should have reprimanded Ariana or at least given her a proper sanction.
"How dare you do someone else’s work, Caitlin?! Stop acting like you're so smart!" Ariana stood with her hands on her hips.
"Your reasoning is completely off. I only followed the manager’s request because the Director wanted the report as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the person responsible for it conveniently skipped work for days." Caitlin’s response was just as sharp as Ariana’s accusation.
The manager in question was nowhere to be seen, perhaps unwilling to get involved. Meanwhile, the other employees continued pretending not to notice their confrontation. Maybe they didn’t want trouble, considering Ariana was the President Director’s niece. There were always whispers about how Ariana wasn’t here to work seriously. Some even speculated she had an inappropriate relationship with the President Director, which explained her unchecked freedom to come and go as she pleased.
The two women locked eyes in a silent battle of wills. Then, without warning, Ariana grabbed the documents she had thrown onto Caitlin’s desk. Her next move was even more audacious—she picked up a cup of coffee from the desk and dumped its contents all over Caitlin’s blouse before walking away, completely unbothered.
The other employees merely peeked from their cubicles, watching the spectacle unfold before quickly returning to their work, pretending they hadn’t seen a thing. No one was willing to step in or take sides. Everyone here was playing it safe—jobs were hard to come by, and keeping this one was more important than justice.
Caitlin stared at her now coffee-stained blouse. She would have to endure the embarrassment on her way home since the stain was glaringly obvious. Today, she had only worn a black cardigan over her outfit, which wouldn’t be enough to cover the front.
Sighing, she placed her documents back on the desk and hurried to the restroom. She desperately tried to wash the stain under the faucet, but it was no use. As she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she saw how terrible she looked—her face pale, her expression exhausted.
The sudden dizziness that overtook her made her lean against the sink. Feeling overwhelmed, she decided to enter one of the stalls and lock the door, resting her head against the cool surface. She was beyond frustrated with Ariana’s behavior. Her stomach churned, nausea creeping up, though she knew she wouldn’t actually throw up—she hadn’t even eaten breakfast this morning.
A notification popped up on her phone. It was from Fiola and her old school alumni group chat. A poster announcing a Grand Reunion for all alumni had been sent, advertising an event filled with various activities. Caitlin snorted at the list. To her, these kinds of events were pointless.
"What’s so interesting about this?" she muttered to herself.
She started typing a response to Fiola, saying she had no interest in attending. Fiola’s reply came almost instantly: Is it because you’re afraid of seeing Tobey? Fiola insisted that Caitlin should take this opportunity to make her ex regret ever leaving her.
She assured Caitlin that Tobey’s new girlfriend was nothing compared to her—skinny like she was malnourished, even though she was pregnant. Meanwhile, Caitlin had a perfectly proportionate figure. Caitlin smiled at her friend’s attempt to lift her spirits. After a moment of hesitation, she decided to call Fiola to get more details. The phone rang three times before it was finally answered.
"Sorry, I was just putting the kids to sleep. So, Caitlin, are you coming?" Fiola asked, clearing her throat a few times.
Fiola had twin babies, and her days were spent taking care of them. Caitlin could easily picture how graceful and motherly she looked, holding her little ones with warmth and love. If it were possible, Caitlin would have loved to be adopted by Fiola.
"And what am I supposed to do? I’d just look like a fool if I went," Caitlin sighed, feeling hopeless.
"I have an idea! Bring a male friend, just for that day. Show Tobey you’ve moved on and that you’re doing better than him! I swear that witch will be jealous seeing you with a new boyfriend," Fiola said enthusiastically.
"I don’t have any close male friends who could do that. Well... actually, there is one, but I’m not sure if he’d help."
Caitlin thought of Daniel—the mysterious man she had hired as her fake boyfriend. He was beyond perfect in every aspect, whether in appearance or demeanor. A little lie for just one day wouldn’t cause much trouble. None of her former classmates knew who Daniel Earl Sanders was, anyway.
"Why not?"
"Ahh, forget it! I’m not going."
Just then, she heard the sound of three women entering the restroom. Caitlin quickly ended the call with Fiola, who understood her hesitation but still hoped she wouldn’t give in so easily. Fiola wanted Caitlin to stand up to Tobey.
The newcomers seemed to be fixing their makeup. The mixture of their perfumes was so overpowering that Caitlin almost coughed. She hesitated to leave the stall, especially since they weren’t leaving anytime soon. If having a solid work clique was an unspoken rule at this office, Caitlin had broken it from day one.
"Did you see that? Ariana was so harsh to Caitlin."
"I know she’s arrogant, but wasn’t that too much? Throwing coffee just because someone else handled her work? Serves her right for skipping so many days. Honestly, I’d love to see Caitlin fight back."
Caitlin pulled her feet up so they wouldn’t be visible beneath the stall door. She smiled slightly at the unexpected support. "Wow, someone actually stood up for me," she whispered to herself.
"But don’t you think Caitlin is a bit stuck-up? She never socializes with us."
"Hey, you’ve only been here for five months, right? Ariana made sure everyone stayed away from Caitlin. She spread all kinds of nasty rumors about her. If we don’t stay on her good side, we risk losing our jobs."
Caitlin clenched her fists. So, this was the truth. And just like that, her fleeting moment of pride disappeared, replaced by bitter disappointment. She wasn’t being defended—she was just a subject of office gossip, a mere bet in someone else’s game.