Olivia, once the untouchable prom queen, now kneels at my feet. Her tears flow freely as she begs for my forgiveness, pleading with me to let her off the hook. I pick up an old, yellowed fountain pen from my desk and fling it at her face. “Put this inside yourself, and I’ll let you go,” I say coldly. I open the door to find a pitiful face staring back at me. Even without makeup, Olivia’s skin glows, her delicate features framed by doe-like eyes that radiate innocence. A decade has passed, yet time has been kind to her enviable beauty. She looks exactly as I remember her, minus the arrogant expression she once wore. I recognized her instantly when she first started working here. Olivia had removed all traces of her carefully applied makeup before coming to see me. Before I can react, she squeezes through the door gap and falls to her knees at my feet with a soft thud. Her hands clutch desperately at my pant leg. Disgusted, I frown and step back. The girl who was once worshipped like a goddess at our school now crawls on the ground like a dog, clinging to my leg. “Rachel, please forgive me,” she whimpers. “I really need this job.” I stare down at her, my face devoid of emotion. “You don’t need to do this,” I say flatly. “This is strictly business. Whether you stay or not depends on your performance.” She doesn’t believe me. Biting her lip, she suddenly starts banging her head against the floor with such force it seems she might crack the tiles. When she looks up again, I see a faint bruise forming on her forehead. Seeing no reaction from me, she takes it further, slapping herself hard across the face twice. The sound echoes through my office, making my scalp tingle. Olivia’s eyes fill with tears. “I’m punishing myself. Is that enough?” She had hit herself with surprising force. In moments, her delicate cheeks begin to swell and redden noticeably. Now Olivia’s face is a mess of purple bruises. Tears pool in her eyes, making her look beautifully pitiful. “I was wrong in the past. I’ve already suffered for it,” Olivia chokes out between sobs. “Rachel, without this job, my daughter and I won’t survive—” Olivia tries to grab me again, but I’ve already retreated behind my desk. Her voice breaks as she continues. “You’re the HR manager now. I’m a married woman, I can’t possibly get ahead of you.” “Rachel, please take pity on me, won’t you?” Pity? The word sounds like mockery coming from Olivia’s mouth. I narrow my eyes and let out a derisive laugh. “I never imagined this day would come, even though I’ve dreamed of killing you for the past ten years.” I pick up the old Hero fountain pen from my desk, twirling it between my fingers. It’s not enough. How could it ever be enough? “I never intended to abuse my position for personal revenge. You’re the one who came begging me.” In the next moment, I hurl the pen at Olivia’s face. Ink splatters across her features. She freezes in shock as black liquid drips down her elegant nose onto the floor, staining her fair skin. I’m reminded of how she once crouched before me, wielding a pen with a demonic grin. My lips curl into a cold smile. “Put this inside yourself, and I’ll let you go,” I echo her words from long ago. “After all, that’s what you did to me back then.” “Minor tearing.” The young female doctor’s eyes held a questioning look. “Do you want me to take photos… as evidence?” I stared at her blankly, my legs trembling uncontrollably. I couldn’t make a sound. The next day, I stood outside the teacher’s office clutching the medical report, feeling lost and dazed. Olivia walked out, saying goodbye to the teacher in a sickeningly sweet voice before striding away in her pretty leather shoes without a backward glance. Catching the teacher’s cold stare, I felt a surge of fear and almost fled. But the doctor had told me teachers were the most noble profession under the sun. Surely the teacher would help me. “You’re just in time. Olivia said she saw you at the hospital yesterday. Did you go?” “Yes, but it was because she—” Before I could finish, she impatiently grabbed a notebook from her desk and struck me across the face, cutting off my words. “I’m tired of dealing with troublemakers like you. Don’t bother coming to me with your problems anymore!” She didn’t even want to hear my explanation. Back in the classroom, everyone laughed when they saw my torn books and reddened face. I heard boys loudly claiming I earned money through prostitution and had just had an abortion. They grabbed my bloodstained uniform jacket, dragging me to the front to show everyone the “evidence” of my “abortion.” Under the stares of the entire class, I could barely breathe. When the bell rang and the math teacher entered, shoving me so I fell to the ground, I finally snapped back to reality. Sitting at my desk, I was still gasping for air when my deskmate unscrewed my water bottle and patted my back. I glanced at her gratefully and took a sip. The taste was strange. When she asked if something was wrong, I nodded. She excitedly told the others, “Rachel noticed!” Everyone turned to look at me, including Olivia. She was toying with a Hero fountain pen, her doe-like eyes sparkling with a bright smile. My deskmate burst out laughing. “This is water from the boys’ toilet! They all say you’re always eating that stuff from boys, so you must be able to tell. I can’t believe it’s true!” I ran to the bathroom and threw up in the sink. Then I was punished for disrupting class, forced to stand for the entire morning. The medical report hidden in my clothes could never be shown now. It would only become evidence of my sleeping with men. I could already imagine the boys using the photos to humiliate me, just to make Olivia smile. They trampled me on ordinary days, turning each mundane day into hellish torment for me. I never imagined our positions would be reversed after ten years. I smile coldly. “Olivia, I remember you gave me this pen because you hated me using the same things as you.” Olivia drops the pen in horror. She looks disheveled, but it’s not even a fraction of what I endured. “Rachel, if you’re willing to forgive me, I can pay you. Just let me work here in peace.” I tilt my head, not quite understanding what she means by “work in peace.” “I told you, this is strictly business,” I say. “As long as you perform well and your team leader and coworkers give you good reviews, I’ll evaluate you fairly.” She pauses, then covers her face as she walks out, returning to her desk where she sobs quietly. I stand in the doorway, silently watching as everyone gathers around to comfort the new fragile flower, not understanding why. Even some of the usually aloof male colleagues offer her tissues. Olivia uncovers her face, revealing her ink-stained features. They look at me in shock. “It’s nothing, I just accidentally got ink on myself. It has nothing to do with the manager. Please don’t worry about me.” Her pitiful act is enough to shake the good reputation I’ve built over years of kindness. “Ms. Chen is a good person, she wouldn’t do this on purpose…” one of my closer subordinates says softly in my defense. As soon as the words leave her mouth, Olivia’s eyes redden even more. Her expression silences everyone present. I smile and shake my head, closing the door. Olivia truly wants to stay at the company. The internship lasts three months, with weekly peer reviews and monthly evaluations from team leaders. Olivia is well-liked, just like in high school. The subordinate who defended me earlier sits across from me. Through the glass conference room door, we can see Olivia typing furiously at her desk. She seems busier than those around her, appearing diligent and hardworking. “Olivia is pretty nice. She helps out with a lot of little things at work, like printing documents or getting invoices.” “Does she complete team leader assignments together with everyone too?” “…Well, she has been out of the workforce for a few years. But she’s eager to learn. She might not be great at new tasks at first, but we manage.” I check a box on her file and glance up. “Is that her daughter?” I ask, pointing to the little girl beside Olivia’s desk. Anyone could tell at a glance – the girl is Olivia’s spitting image. Delicate and pretty, she sits quietly in a chair playing with an old model phone. With her head bowed, she looks like a porcelain doll. “Yeah, she often brings her daughter to work. But the little girl is well-behaved, just doesn’t talk much.” My subordinate’s expression turns gossipy. “I heard Olivia’s husband is abusive. She desperately needs this job to support herself and her child. That’s why she fought so hard to get into the interview. Now she even does some livestreaming to earn extra money. It’s so sad.” I smile slightly. “Olivia and I were high school classmates.” “She married well. Her husband is actually one of our company’s big clients. Everyone’s met him before.” My subordinate’s eyes widen in surprise, her brow furrowing. I nod and smile, then wave her back to work. During lunch, my colleague and I run into the little girl alone. I’ve heard her name is Lily. I crouch down in front of her. “Lily, why are you here by yourself?” She clutches her skirt tightly, her eyes wary. I notice a small bruise on her wrist. I take out a box of freshly baked egg tarts from my bag, offering her one. Lily’s eyes light up, but she doesn’t dare accept. After a moment’s hesitation, she shakes her head weakly. “What child doesn’t like sweets?” I wonder aloud. “Lily!” A voice calls from behind me. I turn to see Olivia with her supposedly wealthy husband. I’ve met Mr. Thompson once before. He nods at me in greeting before turning his gaze to his daughter. His face shows little affection, but it’s not entirely cold either. At the sound of Olivia’s voice, the little girl startles. Her pupils constrict as she quickly hops off the chair and scurries over to them, softly calling out “Daddy.” Olivia holds a container of plain noodles. She glances at me discreetly. “Don’t eat things strangers give you!” Then she pulls her daughter away without looking back. I’m curious about the subtle dynamics between the couple. Mr. Thompson just smiles politely before leaving as well. My colleague looks surprised. “The Thompsons are old money. Their daughter probably wants for nothing materially, but likely isn’t the center of attention. Still, I never imagined he would hit his wife and child…” “I heard from the boss that it was a shotgun wedding. He probably doesn’t have much feeling for Olivia. They might even have a prenup that leaves her with nothing if they divorce.” “No wonder Olivia needed this job… But it’s strange her husband would come with her.” I watch thoughtfully as Olivia leads the little girl towards the break room. As they walk away, the child turns back and our eyes meet for a few seconds. She had clearly wanted the treat, but pretended not to care under her mother’s watchful eye. My colleague tries to reassure me. “You have to be careful with kids that age, especially in her situation. What mother doesn’t love her child?” At the end of the day, Olivia is the last to leave, joining me in the elevator. “Rachel, my child is innocent. If you want revenge, come after me. Leave my daughter out of this.” I smile at the girl. “The things you’ve done – if they don’t come back on you, they’ll come back on your daughter.” “I’ll destroy what you care about most.” We stand shoulder to shoulder. Olivia exits on the first floor. As the doors close, she waves a voice recorder at me, flashing that familiar sly, cunning smile I know so well. “Do whatever you want,” she says carelessly. “It won’t be me who suffers in the end anyway.” Soon after, a recording circulates through the company’s internal email. In it, a woman’s sinister voice says: “It will come back on the child.” Many recognize it as mine. During the morning meeting, I feel probing, suspicious gazes, but I don’t care. Looks can’t kill, after all.
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