CHAPTER TWO: FRAMED AND FORGOTTEN.

A deep, firm voice suddenly cut through the tense atmosphere, commanding attention and halting the brewing conflict between Laura and her coworkers. It was the CEO of the company.

“What’s going on here?” He demanded, his voice stern and unyielding, laced with authority.

The troublemakers, caught off guard and sensing the power shift, quickly scrambled to distance themselves from the scene. 

“Nothing, sir!” they answered in unison, their voices dripped with false innocence, their expressions smug. They couldn't help but feel satisfied by the emotional pain they’d just inflicted on Laura.

Still boiling with frustration and anger, Laura felt her control slipping. She wept uncontrollably, a mixture of emotions clouded her composure as she looked her boss in the eye. 

The disgust and anger she had tried so hard to shield her face from, poured out in an uncontrollable flow of tears. Without answering, she took her cleaning supplies and turned away from the scene, bitterly crushing all the hope within her.

The others watched her leave without offering a shred of sympathy or concern, their stares insensitive and dismissive.

Still staggering from the humiliation, Laura sought refuge in the restroom, as she hoped to get away from the torment. She started cleaning the floor, but every scrub of the mop only served to intensify the memories of what just happened.

Flashbacks of the cruel taunts and the maltreatment filled her mind, and the tears continued to flow freely.

“When will this end?” She thought to herself. “Why can’t I come to the office and be happy for a change”? Her feelings swirled and overlapped with confusion, sadness, and a feeling of incapacity.

All at once, her phone buzzed in her pocket and  interrupted her stream of consciousness. She hastily placed the cleaning items on the floor and trembled as she picked up the phone. 

It was her younger brother.

“Hello, sis,” he said in a quiet, worried tone.

Laura, already on edge from the earlier ordeal, answered impatiently, “What’s going on Daniel? Why are you calling me so many times?”.

"Mom is sick... We're at the hospital," he said as his voice oozed with fear. 

The shock of the news was felt by Laura as an impact blow to the stomach. She immediately had trouble breathing and her heart missed a beat.

“What happened? Where are you? Which hospital?” She asked as her voice tightened with worry.

Her brother waited for a long moment before he answered. “I tried to tell you this morning, but you were off to work in such a rush… There was no time for me.”

A wave of guilt crashed over Laura. She could have taken a moment to listen. She should have. But she hadn’t. Why hadn’t she paid attention?.

Before she could say anything more, a cold, commanding voice cut through her thoughts.

“End the call now!.”

She froze. It was the voice of her boss. Her stomach dropped. Slowly, she turned around to face him, dread crept into her chest.

"I will call you back in a minute," she told her brother in a rush and disconnected the call. She was trembling as she raised her head to face her boss. 

Before she could comprehend the situation, she received a hard hit on her face again on the same cheek where her colleagues had struck her seconds ago.

The sting was immediate and intense. Her face burned, and her body tightened in shock. 

She stammered as her voice trembled, “Sir, you slapped me?, Why…. Wha - What’s going on?”

His eyes were cold, his face hard as he voiced out, “You’re fired!”.

He turned on his heel and stormed out of the restroom, leaving Laura reeling as her mind struggled to catch up with what just happened.

“Is - Is this real?” She murmured to herself, her thoughts became blurred. "Are you kidding me?".

Bitter tears threatened to fall as she sprinted behind him and panicked in the middle of the race with her heart beating wildly. 

“Please, sir, I beg you, what is wrong?” She cried, her voice thick with desperation. “Why am I being fired?” The words tumbled out, raw and pleading, as she followed him into his office, refusing to be left in the dark. 

Her breath came in quick, shallow gasps as she stepped inside, clutched the door frame as if to steady herself, her gaze locked onto his in a silent appeal for answers.

To her shock, when she stepped into the office, she found the three troublemakers and several other coworkers already present. Her stomach twisted in confusion and anger. 

“Wha - What’s happening?” She asked, her voice quivering, thick with confusion and hurt. 

Sweeping the room with her gaze, she looked at everyone present in search of some hint, some recognition.

Yet the rest looked away uneasily and pretended not to notice her, their eyes averted from her.

A hint of panic arose within her; she was beginning to understand that no one was going to even give her any explanation.

It was a claustrophobic feeling, as if everything around her was shutting down on her while even the eye contact was full of blame, and there she was lost in a group of people.

Then she noticed her purse, which rested wide open on her manager's table. Beside it was a stack of money. Her heart skipped a beat as she stared at the cash, her mind began to race.

Her boss didn't wait long to explain. 

“$20,000 has gone missing from the company,” he said, his voice cold and accusing. “We’ve gone through the CCTV footage but found nothing. However, when your handbag was brought to me, we found the money hidden underneath it.”

Laura’s stomach dropped. Her gaze flicked to the cash and then back to her employer as fear crept in. She was in utter disbelief. 

"There's no way this is happening." “This isn’t me,” she said as she tried to defend herself, her voice lifted in desperation. “I - I didn’t do this! I’ve been set up! You’re all part of this!” she yelled as her voice trembled with emotions.

The three women exchanged sly, triumphant glances. They smiled at her misfortune, clearly relishing the moment.

Laura, still unaware, had no idea that while she was cleaning the restroom, they had secretly planted the money in her bag, framing her.

Her boss lost patience as he stared at her.

“It’s clear you’re guilty, Laura. Your explanations don’t matter. You’re fired,” he declared, his voice final. “Pack your things and leave in five minutes. Your services are no longer needed here.”

With that, he turned and walked out of the office, leaving Laura alone with her coworkers.

The three women moved closer to her, grinning with satisfaction. One of them leaned in and whispered maliciously, “We told you we’d make your life miserable here. We told you you’d be gone soon.”

Laura stood there, heartbroken and humiliated, gazing at them in disbelief. Her eyes filled with unshed tears, and her voice cracked as she whispered, “God ... .this is too much for me”. 

The words hung in the air, raw and vulnerable, as if she pleaded for an answer. But the silence was her only reply.

Suddenly, the tears rushed down, unstoppable, each one carrying the weight of her grief, frustration, and exhaustion. 

Her whole body trembled, a storm of emotions broke through as it caused her to feel small, exposed, and utterly defeated.

Without a word, they walked out and left her as she stood there, utterly alone. 

Laura’s gaze fell on her handbag and the pile of money beside it. Her world crumbled around her.

The weight of everything, her humiliation, the betrayal, the depressed feeling, crashed down on Laura all at once. 

The weight of her own body seemed unbearable and her legs buckled under her. Her heart pounded violently while breathing became impossible for her.

A wave of unbearable pressure, fear, and despair washed over her and she collapsed on the ground, losing her consciousness.