With teary eyes and a shaky voice, her makeup smudged all over her face, Mia had been looking herself in the mirror.
She had taken a break and gone to the restroom, devasted by something she had overheard recently, but suspected long ago.
Jason, the guy she had been dating for a year, had betrayed her. He had leaked all her preparation strategy to Edith, the guy she had lost the Grand Finale against and the guy Jason had been best friends with.
Sobs and hiccups could be heard between the pauses in Mia's words.
"He..."
Sob!
"He used me!"
Sob! Sob!
Mia drew her hands to her luxurious handbag, she took out some fragrant tissues to wipe her face clean.
She had gained her composure already. She was one of the best chess players of the world after all, mere betrayal couldn't shake her.
She had spent decades to get better at the game, just a mere heartbreak? Huh, even if she bawled her eyes over that, others didn't need to see that! She was better than that!
Mia washed her face clean and looked at the mirror in the restroom of a luxurious hotel. It was a party arranged by the World Chess Federation.
...
The final match between her and Edith had ended that evening and a celebration party was organised by the WCF.
Originally, she had not been too down on having missed the chance to become the World Champion. But when she overheard someone say how Jason and Edith had planned their scheme for an entire year, she couldn't believe her ears.
She immediately went to the restroom to calm herself. She started recollecting everything she knew about Jason— how she met him, his usual attitude, his interest in chess and his special interest in her preparation.
She was suspicious but this wasn't proving anything. She immediately took her smartphone to make a call and pressed the red text that had been dialed multiple times
Even though Jason had accompanied Mia to the venue, she hadn't seen him after the match. Not even once! It had been 3 hours since the match ended!
Ring! Ring!
Mia tiptoed from side to side impatiently.
She looked at her phone again and again, bringing it back to the ear multiple times.
'The number you've dialed, is not answering. Please try again later.'
The recorded voice of the intercept message resounded.
She dialed the number multiple times more with no response.
Trying once more, she brought her phone to her ear. There was a voice this time. A different voice.
Mia's eyes widened, her mouth following suit. Her breath came to a halt as her heart palpitated uncontrollably.
She couldn't believe her ears and so... she dialed the number again.
Hearing the same voice, her grip loosened, the phone fell down and a faint voice could be heard:
'The number you're trying to reach does not exist. Please check the number and try again.'
Mia realised the truth at this moment. Everything started making sense. There had been cues all along, she had just been overlooking them, giving Jason the benefit of doubt.
But now, everything was clear. Jason had made his stance clear.
He had blocked her!
...
Mia dried her eyes and used a moisturising concealer under her eyes. She reached for her handbag to take out a hydrating setting spray.
Then, she applied some blush and was almost as good as new, if not better.
Anyone who saw her would not suspect the tears she had been shedding moments ago.
She took a deep breath and turned to look around. The restroom had been covered with tiles all around. With an engraving of dragons at the edges, the tiles shone with a golden brilliance.
Mia had initially admired this aesthetic touch the designers had given to the restroom, but the darkness inside her heart was so vast now that it could not be cast away by the brightness around her.
Packing her belongings, Mia turned to leave through the door.
She entered the main reception hall and casuallt chatted with a few guests. Not even a hint of grief in her voice. Then with the excuse of having a headache, she left quietly. Heading to her car.
Her walk was hurried. In her pant, suit and white shirt, her heels tapped furiously, drawing everyone's attention to herself.
She reached for her car, a white SUV, her figure reflecting on its shiny body.
She took off her coat, throwing it on the seat next to hers. Adjusting her position, she headed for her apartment.
The road home had been relatively quiet. A few cars passed by, sure. But they were not what irritated Mia.
It was her thoughts. Her thoughts had been running amok since leaving the hotel. She was thinking of ending her life by jumping into a river, or stopping by the road to get drunk recklessly. But given the smart and pragmatic girl she was, Mia cast all these senseless thoughts away.
She wouldn't end her life just because she was cheated upon. Sure, the betrayal was vicious. It broke her heart. It had stolen her chance to become a World Champion, after all.
She had spent the entire year preparing for this match, but it was all ruined. Everything had been laid bare in front of Jason. He knew all her preparation— the opening lines, the different variations, the middle game strategy and so on.
She was done with everything through and through. She had made her decision, she would drown herself in drink and desire this night.
Parking her car, she got into the elevator. She saw her 23-year-old shy neighbour, Ruby inside. The office worker had always been tired everyday and the expression on her face today did not indicate otherwise as well.
Mia's expression eased and her mind relaxed. The storm that had been brewing in her mind quitened as a sense of serenity entered her heart.
She smiled as the elevator's doors closed and drew closer to Ruby to whisper in her ear.
"Baby, shall we play again tonight~"
Mia then lightly bit Ruby's ear, sending a chill down the latter's spine.
Ruby unconsciously tilted her head, while reeling her hands back to grab Mia's. The 23-year-old woman in office clothes and her hair tied in a pony tail, turned her head back and kissed Mia on her lips.
She then turned around, and pushed Mia against the walls, grabbing Mia's boobs from over her tightly tucked white shirt.
Ruby could feel the soft volume squish under her grasp. A gush of warmth flowed through her body causing a smile to appear on her lips.
Ruby leaned in towards Mia, the latters eyes fixated on the former. They were about to kiss but then the elevator came to a stop and a sound resounded.
Beep!