Just... how could they?
Isabelle was hurt.
All those nights she stayed late, all the projects she cleaned up for others, all the quiet humiliations she endured for this one chance...
This one chance...
Only for them to hand it to some stranger who looked like he'd just stepped out of a glossy magazine cover for best male dressed in a suit and a pretty face.
She felt like crying but she couldn't yet.
It was still working hours so she could only hold it in for now.
Her heels clicked sharply against the floor as she strode out of the elevator and towards her desk.
Colleagues looked up expectantly, some waiting with confetti cannons, ready to congratulate her but for the good news they were yet to receive.
But when she walked in, she gave them nothing.
Her eyes, which were bright when she walked past just a while ago, seemed strict and full despite the smile she had on her lips.
She gave them just a slight nod before sitting down and this told them a lot.
She didn't get it.
She was going to finish up her work but her fingers trembled against the keyboard.
She looked at her trembling hand, dejected and pained.
'This is the worst.'
She could hear the others whispering,
"What happened?"
"It didn't seem like she got the promotion."
"But why? Isn't the spot vacant?"
They weren't trying to scorn her or make their gossip noticed but the office wasn't exactly a large area where she wouldn't be able to hear a few whispers.
When the clock finally struck six, Isabelle didn't even bother to tidy her desk.
She just grabbed her bag, ignored the curious glances from her colleagues, and walked straight out of the office. She didn't even give her usual goodbyes. That was how down she was.
'I need to cool off.' she thought and whisked her phone out of her bag, calling the one person she could vent to and not be judged.
Later, she met up with her best friend, Yuna, at a bar. She was literally the only person in the world who could survive her rants.
"…and then he just sat there!" Isabelle slammed her glass down, her voice half-slurred from how tipsy she was, but her words were so full of fire due to her fury. "Crossed legs, fancy and expensive watch, sipping coffee like he owned the place with that handsome face of his. I mean, come on," her words slurred even more. "He just arrived today!"
Yuna blinked, struggling to keep up.
She was a strong, independent woman, just like Isabelle, with short brown hair and a very relaxed vibe, but she owned her own business.
A hair salon.
It had been a very long time since she saw Isabelle in such a state that it made her more confused than worried.
But she got a bit of the gist.
"So the new manager is that handsome?" She asked and Isabelle glared at her.
"That's not the point!" She hissed. "Do you only think of handsome men all day?"
"I mean, you made such an emphasis I just had to ask," Yuna asked, shrugging like it was not her business.
"You should be mad at him when I'm mad at him, you traitor. He's the reason I didn't get promoted! All my work, my sleepless nights... boom! All burned to ash thanks to Mr. Imported Manager from who-knows-where."
Yuna took a slow sip of her cocktail, trying not to laugh. She understood her friend's frustration, but the way she looked at it.
"You sound jealous." The words slipped out of her lips with no filter.
"I'm furious!" Isabelle shot back, slamming her fist on the table. "Do you know how humiliating it is to have people congratulate you all week, and then realize you were just building castles in the air?"
She sighed and slumped her body forward against the bar counter.
"He's got this face too, you know? The kind that makes you hate him more because he looks like he doesn't care about anything. Damn perfect."
"Ah," Yuna nodded knowingly. "A pretty villain."
Isabelle groaned, covering her face with both hands.
"Ugh, don't even start. I bet he's never even worked a real overtime shift in his life. Probably had his coffee stirred with a gold spoon since birth." She grumbled.
Yuna chuckled while patting her back.
"Cheer up a little. Maybe he'll grow on you."
"I wish." She groaned. "I hope he chokes on his gold spoon."
That made Yuna laugh out loud, but when the laughter faded, Isabelle sat in silence, swirling her fingers against the rim of her glass while thinking.
Her reflection shimmered hazily on the glass. She looked like a mess. Tired eyes, cracked red lipstick, and a faint ache behind her temples.
"…I just wanted this one thing, Yuna," she muttered softly and tiredly. "If I'd gotten that promotion, I could've paid for Dad's treatment without borrowing again. It wasn't just a title to me, you know."
Yuna's smile faded, and she gently placed a hand over Isabelle's. She knew what Isabelle was going through more than anyone. And while it seemed like she had laughed it off, she felt sad for her friend.
"You'll find another way, Belle. You always do."
Isabelle gave a tired laugh, looking at her glass in exhaustion.
"Yeah… sure. Maybe I should just take a shortcut and seduce the boss instead of competing with him for his position." She said with a half-hearted laugh.
"Oh my, you're so bold." Yuna giggled. "But I know you're too much of a wimp to carry it out so if it gets too tough on you, just call me. Maybe I'll seduce him for you," she said, her tongue stuck out, and Isabelle laughed.
"Pervert." She claimed but Yuna simply shrugged.
"What? Who in their right mind would pass on the offer of seducing a pretty boy who's also rich?"
"Yeah, yeah, I get your point."
Isabelle rested her chin on her palm, still staring at her glass and lightly swirling it.
And then she dropped it.
"I've made up my mind." She said. "I'm going to work hard. I'm going to show him how competent I am and not give him room to nitpick on my work. Once I show him how capable I am, he's bound to step down for my master expertise."
Yuna clapped.
"Woo, that's the spirit."
She was determined but her determination wasn't enough to shake up the ice of a boss she had gotten herself involved with.
No matter what she did, no matter how hard she worked, he, Elias, always found a way to nitpick and make her work double time.
It was literally hell.
Office life grew harsh from then on and she could not even find the motivation she needed anymore.
By the fifth rejected report, Isabelle was certain she was either cursed… or her boss was the devil himself.