121 — “You’ve ruined everything!”

“What... What’s the meaning of this?” Laura asks in a trembling, high voice. Her hands are shaking, so much so that she can barely hold her own phone.
She swallows hard, shaking her head in denial as her voice echoes through the room, revealing the words she said to me when she thought no one else could hear. All the records… When she said that she was pregnant by Eric’s child, blaming me for their affair… *Everything is posted on the forum.*
Honestly, I don’t know how to feel about this... I’m so confused... I don’t know what to think...
“You bitch!” Laura screams, startling me. I feel Julian’s hand on my waist, snuggling me into his body, and I can finally let out the breath I hadn’t even noticed I’d been holding. “HOW DARE YOU?”
“I didn’t do anything!” I retort, almost offended. “I’m not like you, Laura!”
“Do you think you’re fooling me? I know it was you-”
*“It was you, Laura...”* Jackson interrupts her, catching my surprised eyes and Laura’s too. “Look closely, and you’ll see that the video was actually posted from your own account.”
I look at my phone, seeing that it’s true; the video was posted from Laura’s account.
And that seems to scare her because her eyes widen, “What’s the meaning of that? I didn’t post anything — I don’t even have it...”
“Of course, you didn’t... *I did.”* Jackson says, attracting Laura’s attention, and his words cause her to frown gradually.
“You?” Laura scoffs, but noticing the seriousness in Jackson’s expression, she starts to freak out. “Have you lost your fucking mind?”
“Well, maybe I did. Maybe you shattered it when you betrayed me.” He retorts, and Laura lets out a real, hearty laugh.
“Oh, Jackson, you really are a fool, aren’t you?” She lifts her chin, looking at him with disdain, and raises her voice, “OH, YES, I USED YOU — SO WHAT?”
Jackson doesn’t move a muscle; just keep looking straight at her.
“You’re so pathetic, so easy to control! Yes, I used you, Jackson. Are you happy to hear that with all the words? Does it make any difference? What else do you want to hear? How sick I felt every time you called me *my love*, or that I had to pretend to be in love when you just disgusted me? How I had to put up with your gross touch on my skin and this dick that’s so small it doesn’t even tickle?” She laughs, then waves her hand. “Are you happy now? Are you happy now that you’ve destroyed everything we’ve achieved? Well, it doesn’t matter... If I’m going to fall, you fall first!”
Once again, the phone starts beeping frantically, and Laura grunts loudly, moving around the room, walking in circles, nibbling her nails while her eyes return to the phone screen. I look at mine, scrolling down to the comments from the other employees that begin to flow quickly. People are wondering what’s going on and if the images are real, but the new ones are beginning to question Laura’s true personality.
**(What is this? Who knew she’d be so cruel?)**
**(I would never have expected that... she seemed like a nice girl.)**
**(What a bitch! So she actually stole someone else’s boyfriend!)**
**(To be honest, I always suspected there was something wrong with her...)**
“ARGH!” Laura screams and makes me flinch and look fearfully at the way she clutches her phone and starts hyperventilating. Her eyes suddenly go bloodshot and sharp as they pass me and rest on Jackson, ready to kill him. “Honestly... How can you be so stupid?”
Jackson doesn’t move, nor does he make any mention of answering her... Which, somehow, seems to make her even angrier.
“You’ve ruined everything, you idiot! Everything!” She screams, throwing her phone hard at him, causing it to shatter near Jackson’s feet. “All my hard work, all my effort over all these years...” Then she looks at me, straight into my eyes, and says, with a whisper, *“This is all your fault.”*
“My fault? I didn’t do anything, you dug this up for yourself, Laura-”
“It’s always been like this, hasn’t it? Always poor Angelee, suffering, crying, and mumbling in the corners... Even now, you’ve got that damn poor face.” Laura scoffs, her eyes watering. “Angelee, can you stop pitying yourself?”
“I’m not pitying myself, Laura.” I retort with a firm voice, feeling anger spread through my chest. Why is she trying to blame me? From the beginning, I never did anything to harm her; it was always the other way around. *It’s Laura* who’s trying to ruin my reputation, hurt me, and take advantage of me!
So why does she keep making it sound like I’m to blame for her getting exactly what she deserves?
It infuriates me... it really does!
“Instead of feeling sorry for me, I feel sorry *for you,* Laura,” I say firmly, disentangling myself from Julian’s embrace and taking a step towards her, my chin high. “You’re so rotten that you have to live through a mask because if you didn’t pretend to be someone different, no one would stick by your side... You’re shallow, truly shallow. And even if you try to fill the hole in your chest with the money you love so much, with influence, with brief things and appearances, it will never be enough to make you whole... And do you know why? Because it’s your soul that’s shallow, Laura. It’s your nature that’s broken, rotten.”
Laura laughs, but her eyes are watery and red. Even though she pretends not to have been affected by my words, I know they hit her deep down... I just know it; after all, it’s all over her face. Still, I can’t feel sorry... I can’t close my eyes to everything she’s done.
“And you think you’re different from me?” She retorts in a shaky, high-pitched voice... It’s almost like her mouth is bitter. “Do you think you’re better than me, Angelee? At least everything I’ve built has been my effort, but what about you? You’ve always had everything, but what have you achieved for yourself? Nothing, absolutely nothing! Everything was handed to you — you didn’t even have to make an effort! It’s nice to be born with a golden spoon, huh? Just snap your fingers, and the whole world is at your feet... Don’t you think it’s too easy to live like that?”
“Yes, you’re right... I have wonderful people by my side now. And yes, I used to think that everything I had was given to me by other people, but you know what, Laura? At least I didn’t step on other people and use them for my own benefit.” I look directly into her eyes, which are shining with a certain madness. It’s like Laura is on the edge of her sanity, just one step away from complete madness. “I’m really grateful for everything my father and Julian have done for me, and I’m not ashamed to say that I’m here thanks to them because it’s the truth. I’m here today because they were there for me. I can walk on my own two legs now because they were holding me up before.”
“Haha, you fill your mouth with pride to say that you’re weak.” Laura retorts.
“Do you think there’s any wrong with depending on people?” I interrupt her with a harsher voice. “That just proves what a bitter person you really are... You don’t love anyone, Laura... I dare say you don’t even love yourself. You don’t know what love is, what it’s like to love someone, and that’s why you trample on other people’s feelings... And that’s also why no one can love you for long.”
I glance at Jackson, and I can see tears in his eyes as well.
Yes, I can understand how he’s feeling because I’ve been in the same place. I trusted Laura. I had her as a sister, someone who I did my best to please, to make her smile. I used to believe that Laura would be by my side even if the world were against me, and I discovered that she would throw me into the abyss before anyone else.
I’ve also been betrayed; I know how much his chest is aching with disappointment, with the sadness of seeing Laura’s mask shatter before our eyes. *I’ve been there.*
“I’m tired of it,” Laura mutters to herself, drawing my eyes once again. “I’m tired of all of you... What’s wrong with wanting to be someone in life? What’s wrong with using any means necessary to do so? People do it all the time, especially in the corporate world. And your father is no different, Angelee... Didn’t you know? The shares in the company next door have fallen dramatically, and he bought them all for an absurdly ridiculous price.”
Wait... Isn’t the company next door where Eric works...?
“But rumors are going around that he was the one who leaked the words that caused the company to crash so badly... So tell me, Angelee... How am I any different from your father?”
“You’re lying,” I say through my teeth, feeling my heart speed up.
“Am I? Well, ask your boyfriend... He should know the answer.”
I look fearfully at Julian, but he doesn’t look back at me. His eyes remain cold on Laura, and he also seems to be clenching his teeth.
“There’s no point in prolonging this.” Julian finally says, causing Laura’s expression to frown. “I extended it too long because it was Angelee’s wish... Which is curious since if it had been my will, you would have left this company a long time ago, Ms. Laura.”
“You can’t-”
“Of course, I can... I have all the evidence I need... And even if I didn’t, do you really think I don’t have the power to decide your future in the company I founded with the father of the woman you wronged? We both want you out of here, and that’s not Angelee’s decision... You’re not welcome in this building anymore. And I wish you luck, after all, you’ll need it... It won’t be easy to get another job in your circumstances.”
“Don’t you dare-”
“You’re fired, Laura,” Julian says simply and smiles, even though his eyes are cold and stern. “You and all your kind.”
Laura’s eyes widen, and she shouts, advancing toward me, but Julian is quicker to get in the way, making himself the target of her hollow punches that don’t seem to cause any pain in his solid chest. She’s kicking, trying to reach me, screaming and cursing me every possible way while Julian plays the shield.
“Call security,” Julian says, making sure not to touch her, not even to hold back the fury of the woman still trying to reach me.
“I already have, Boss,” Jackson says, but his voice is lost amid the screams...
“I’M GOING TO KILL YOU, ANGELEE!” Laura points her finger in my direction, glaring at me. “I’M GOING TO DESTROY YOUR LIFE, EVEN IF I HAVE TO THROW US BOTH INTO HELL.”
I gasp, with my heart beating at my throat, watching as the security guards quickly appear and take Laura by the arm with extreme ease, dragging her away from this room, away from this floor. But outside this room, the other employees have their cameras pointed at Laura, recording everything while she screams and swears that she will destroy everyone who gets in her way.
And suddenly, I feel really sick. My stomach twists, and discomfort rises in my throat. But I don’t say a word... I just run off down the corridors in search of a restroom.