All it later took for me to stop was a little gum pain.

Annie offers to drive me and drop me off at Crimson Group headquarters before heading off to her art engagements.

Annie was giving me a lot of pep-talk on the way. I did not listen to much of it.

I was occupied in the personal eclipse of the mixed feelings of anger, guilt and embarrassment. And also an overwhelming rage against the world for being so unfair. I’m going seeing someone I would rather not see.

Things only go well in dramas—in cleverly created fiction. But never in real life. In dramas, villains which is the antagonist sure get their moments. But they do not succeed in the end. They lose to the protagonist.

But it is so frustratingly different in real life. Villains don’t get punished, they grow. They rule and continue to torment. Look at me now in a car heading to that damn company to get a job with that damn man! He is a top businesses tycoon. Brooke, one of the people who gave me a lot of shit is now a famous model and influencer with millions of followers on all of her socials and living a glamorous lifestyle that will even make even a dog jealous. Hell, I had almost pressed the follow button on her Instagram. But then luckily, I remembered who she was. I was so mad and envious that I wish I could pierce a knife into her photo and then she would get injured or die wherever she is. All of my ex tormentors life are going well. But there is nothing to say about my life.

I have barely even been living, let alone to get the luxury of achieving something.

Why isn’t it the other way around? I’m supposed to be a rich heiress or a woman who built her wealth from nothing and was able to get herself the top.

He and the rest of them would be the one seeking me out for a job and in that case begging and grovelling for my forgiveness.

And I would take it as a karma-given opportunity to pay him back all they did to me. Why isn’t it like that instead? That’s how it is supposed to go isn’t it?

Annie suddenly switches from pep-talk to another topic. She asks me if what Calyx did was the reason for my insane brushing habit back then.

Silence was my reply and she gets it. "I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I just thought you were crazy or something."

"Of course you didn’t know. I didn’t tell you. I felt ashamed to." I reply.

She lets out a sigh that is angry and sympathetic at the same time. "Yours is the harshest bully story I have ever heard. What he did was downright sexual assault. Did he get punishment for it?"

"No." I grimly respond. "Why would he when he is so rich?

When the video came out and everyone knew of it, I had actually thought finally, he would be punished. They wouldn’t turn a blind eye and pretend they did not see. But then I was the only one whose name was called out to attend a disciplinary meeting."

I give out a light, mirthless chuckle as I could not help but recall that.

I did not attend the disciplinary meeting. I left that place on the day the meeting was supposed to hold. All that the school authority were going to do was spin the narrative and make me seem immorally at fault. Then they would cancel my scholarship. . .or maybe not.

But I saw them do that to two people in my short academic stay in that school. The school board of directors, they did not care one bit of the less privileged scholarships students being trampled on like rags by the wealthy and privileged.

They did not grant the scholarship systems to poor students because they were magnanimous. It was to bring in floor mats and punching bag for the children of rich bastards. Something I came to realize much, much later.

KROHN’S HIGHSCHOOL. The name itself gets me pissed.

I wonder if it is still like that. The experience in that school forever altered my life. If I ever have kids in the future, I am going to homeschool them so they don’t face even a fraction of the bullying I went through.

I did not step out of the car immediately she stopped at my destination. I take my time to observe the tall skyscraper.

It’s dizzying to look at because of how high it is. It looks so daunting and scary at the same time. It feels like gallows to me. Annie did not speak or urge me to go ahead. We stayed in grateful silence. I come out of the car after a while. "I’II call you soon and tell you how it went." I say to her. "Good luck. I hope it goes well." She replies and then drives off. I stand there for another two minutes inadvertently paying attention to the passing cars in the early morning rush traffic, before heading to the place and going in through one of the revolving doors. The cold temperature inside pierces into my skin like a thousand acupuncture needles all at once. I rub my arms to generate some heat. The lobby is so large. It is twice the floor length size of where I used to work at. How many meters is this? The lobby is so lively with people left and right. I go to the receptionist table. Sitting behind is a speckless looking blonde whom I thought to be Mackie at first because she sort of resembles her.

Before I could make the words to tell her my reason for being here, she cuts me knowingly, asking, "You’re here for the executive secretary interview?"

"Yes." She looks at her watch and then back at me. "The time is 9:30am. The interview started at 9am."

"So I’m late then." I state the obvious. She shakes her head, "Not just late. Catastrophically late. Mr Lamont values punctuality. So you’ve got no chances of being employed. I would advise you to just leave now to save yourself the embarrassment of getting rejected."

I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out. I am stunned at her words.

She said it outright. A corporate receptionist isn’t supposed to be like this. Bitch personality. Now I dislike her even more. I flash her a small smile, and prepare my clap back. I only suffered bully back then because the bullies were stronger and socially and financially way above me.

I will not hesitate to bite back if it’s someone I can take on like this bitch right here. "Thank you for your concern, but I would love to hear that rejection from the boss and not a floor level employee. So do you mind telling me what floor is his office?" Someone comes beside me while I was yet speaking. A young lady too. "Are you perhaps here for executive secretary interview?" She asks me.

I did not feel like I should answer her but I did anyway, as she seems like less of a bitch and will be kind enough to point me to that bastard’s office because it doesn’t feel like this Mackie look alike would kindly tell me where it is. "Yes I am. I’m Gweneth Calloway." Why am I even introducing myself?

"Gosh!" She exclaims. "There are so many of them in the executive floor lobby. It’s like the screening before a fashion show. And you are looking so fashionistic by the way." I do not know if that is a compliment. But I take it as one given the fond, happy tone in which she says it.