The ladies' restroom remained unusually quiet after Benny and Dinah left.
Claribel Stone was still standing in the exact same spot, staring blankly at the restroom door as if her brain had stopped functioning properly.
Meanwhile, Miss Chan remained frozen beside the sink, her eyes unfocused.
Something felt… wrong.
Very wrong.
Claribel slowly walked closer.
"Hey…" she called cautiously. "Are you alright?"
Miss Chan blinked repeatedly before finally looking up.
Her expression was dazed.
"What happened?" she asked blankly.
Claribel frowned immediately.
"What do you mean what happened?" she asked carefully. "Are you hurt?"
Miss Chan touched her cheek absentmindedly.
The moment her fingers brushed against her skin
"Ouch!"
She cried out loudly.
"My face!"
Claribel immediately moved closer.
Miss Chan stared at her own reflection in the mirror in confusion.
"I feel like…" she muttered slowly, "…I was slapped."
Claribel stiffened.
"But I can't remember who slapped me."
She touched her cheek again and winced painfully.
"Oh damn it!" she shouted. "Why does it hurt this much?!"
Claribel's heartbeat suddenly quickened.
A strange feeling washed over her.
Déjà vu.
It felt like something important had happened just moments ago…
Something shocking.
Something she should remember.
But the memory felt foggy.
Blocked.
"Wait…" Claribel murmured slowly. "You don't remember being …."
Her words suddenly stopped.
Her brows furrowed deeply.
Being what?
She stared blankly ahead.
Then slowly shook her head.
"I… forgot what I wanted to say."
Miss Chan looked irritated and confused at the same time.
"What exactly are you trying to say?" she snapped while still touching her burning cheek.
Claribel rubbed her temples slightly.
For some reason, her head suddenly hurt.
Then faintly, fragmented memories began surfacing.
Dinah.
The restroom.
Benny.
Something happened.
But the details remained frustratingly blurry.
"Wait…" Claribel muttered again. "Wasn't Dinah here earlier?"
Miss Chan paused.
At the mention of Dinah's name, a strange irritation rose inside her chest immediately.
"Yes!" she exclaimed suddenly. "I remember talking to Dinah!"
She frowned deeply.
Then her eyes widened slightly.
"And that new employee too…"
Her expression darkened instantly.
The more she tried remembering, the more intense the burning sensation on her cheeks became.
"What has that jinx done to me?" she hissed angrily.
Suddenly
"My face is on fire again!"
She rushed toward the sink and turned on the tap immediately, splashing cold water repeatedly against her cheeks.
Claribel quickly moved to help her.
Water dripped everywhere as Miss Chan desperately tried easing the burning sensation.
She kept splashing more and more water onto her face until her expensive makeup began washing away completely.
Foundation.
Powder.
Mascara.
Everything melted off under the running water.
Within minutes, Miss Chan looked completely different.
Pale.
Messy.
Drenched.
For the first time, the heavy layers of makeup she always hid behind disappeared entirely.
And strangely enough
That was the exact moment the pain finally reduced slightly.
Miss Chan leaned heavily against the sink while breathing hard.
Claribel didn't look much better either.
Although her face remained untouched, her clothes were now partially soaked from trying to help.
At that moment, both women looked nothing like the polished office workers they usually pretended to be.
Miss Chan slowly looked up at the mirror again.
The reflection staring back at her nearly ruined her mood completely.
Her hair was disheveled.
Her mascara had smudged beneath her eyes.
Without makeup, the dark spots and imperfections she carefully concealed daily became visible.
Her expression immediately darkened.
As someone obsessed with appearance and perfection, this was practically a nightmare.
How was she supposed to face her coworkers looking like this?
Claribel sighed deeply beside her.
At this point, she had already started regretting following Miss Chan into the restroom.
Lunch break was almost over.
And now she looked stressed for no reason.
Miss Chan narrowed her eyes angrily.
"Dinah has some explanations to do," she muttered through gritted teeth.
Claribel immediately frowned.
"I honestly think you should stop provoking Dinah," she said seriously.
Miss Chan looked at her sharply.
"What?"
Claribel crossed her arms.
"Think about it carefully," she continued. "Something obviously happened here. You felt pain. I know something happened too. But neither of us can remember clearly."
She paused briefly before lowering her voice slightly.
"And somehow, Dinah and that new employee are suddenly gone."
Miss Chan scoffed immediately.
"What are you trying to imply?"
Claribel hesitated.
Honestly…
She didn't know herself.
But her instincts were screaming at her to stay away from whatever strange situation this was.
"You should just stop bothering Dinah," Claribel repeated carefully.
At least someone around here still had functioning survival instincts.
Miss Chan stared at her in disbelief.
"What do you mean?" she snapped. "Don't tell me you're actually scared of that jinx?"
Claribel rolled her eyes immediately.
"I like juicy stories," she replied bluntly. "I never said I enjoy violence."
She just scoffed at her and planned to go back to her desk , then she turned and stared at her for the last time and said …
"If you still want to keep fighting with Dinah after this weird nonsense, then count me out."
And she genuinely meant it.
Claribel loved gossip.
Loved drama.
Loved entertainment.
But whatever happened in that restroom no longer felt normal.
And she had no intention of involving herself in something she didn't understand.
She was just a girl trying to enjoy soft life peacefully.
Nothing more.
With that, Claribel turned around and walked out of the restroom.
Miss Chan glared angrily at the closed door after she left.
Cowards.
"All of you can be scared of her if you want," she muttered bitterly. "But I'm not."
She inhaled deeply while trying calming herself.
"I only want explanations," she continued convincing herself aloud. "It's not like I'm trying to eat her alive."
Still grumbling, she began fixing her messy hair as best as she could.
Unfortunately, there was only so much damage control possible after washing off layers of makeup.
Eventually, she gave up and reluctantly headed back toward the office floor to get her bag she use for touch ups ..
But the moment she stepped inside
She froze.
Every single eye turned toward her instantly.
The timing couldn't have been worse.
Employees who had gone on lunch break were just returning at the same moment.
Whispers immediately spread across the room.
Some looked shocked.
Others looked confused.
A few even struggled not to laugh.
Miss Chan's expression darkened completely.
Then suddenly
The company announcement speaker turned on.
"Attention everyone," the receptionist's voice echoed throughout the office. "An important company-wide meeting will begin shortly. All employees are required to attend immediately."
The office instantly became busy again.
But unfortunately for Miss Chan…
That only meant one thing.
Every single employee in the building was now about to see her exactly like this.