“You haven’t forgotten why I was injured, have you?” I asked coldly. “Benjamin is in jail because of you. Do you still think you’re some kind of saint? Any normal person who had caused such harm would be so overwhelmed with guilt they’d barely be able to eat. Yet here you are, stirring up trouble.”

With me standing between Rachel and the girls who were arguing with her, their expressions shifted. Unwilling to concede defeat, the second girl, Aria, retorted, “Even if what you say is true, you should think about the company. You’ve been an intern for quite a while. How many projects have been delayed because you’re not doing your job and always making fuss and how much has it cost the company?”

I smiled at her smart comeback. I glanced at the drawer near me and broke into a wide grin. Rachel stared at me in confusion as I walked toward the table beside her and opened the drawer. I kept a smile on my face while reaching for one of her hands and placing it gently on the table, then took out a pair of scissors. I lifted them high and drove them down forcefully. My expression was calm and devoid of aggression and everything happened in a flash. No one had time to react.

The sharp, piercing scream reverberated through the lab. Rachel’s tears flowed instantly, her makeup smudged beyond recognition. The scissors stopped just one centimeter above her palm. I remained composed while returning her words.

“If the scissors had gone a few inches lower, would you still keep this from the manager’s table?”

Rachel trembled, frozen in fear. Her eyes, the only part of her body still moving, were teary and burning with hatred as they locked onto me, as if she wanted to devour me.

Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced through my right shoulder, causing my body to lurch sideways. My balance faltered and I stumbled, slamming my lower back into the corner of the table. The impact made me gasp in agony, the pain radiating through my spine.

As I struggled to regain my composure, my eyes met the scene unfolding before me. Benjamin was standing beside Rachel, his hand gripping her shoulder with a protective urgency. His face was flushed with a mix of anger and concern, his eyes blazing with a fierce intensity.

“Cora, there’s a limit to what you can joke about. I could even hear the commotion from outside. Look at her! You’ve made her cry. This isn’t a joke; it’s workplace bullying!” He paused for a moment before continuing,

“If you have a problem with me, then come at me. Don’t take out your anger on an innocent girl. She has nothing to do with this.”

As he spoke, his grip on Rachel’s shoulder tightened, a protective shield against the scene that had erupted around us. The room was filled with a tense silence, broken only by the muted sounds of Rachel’s sobs and Benjamin's resolute declarations.

Benjamin’s righteous indignation and severe condemnation of me might have seemed justified, but his actions were fundamentally flawed. The issue wasn’t with me but with his own behavior and no amount of bluster could silence the murmurs of discontent.

“How can he say that when he’s the one who caused Cora’s injury?” Aria remarked.

“If my hand had been harmed and I was subjected to such mockery afterward, my reaction would be even more intense,” Aria’s friend added.

“Whose boyfriend is he exactly? Why is he defending another girl over his own girlfriend? He’s a disgrace,” someone else chimed in. 

Rachel’s brows furrowed as her tears fell to the ground. Her face, though smeared with tears, bore a vulnerability and poignancy that could rival the most dramatic TV dramas.

“I can’t defend myself against all your accusations when you outnumber me,” she said, her voice trembling. “Even though I’m an intern, everything I’ve said and done has been aboveboard. I’m done making pointless excuses. I believe the truth will speak for itself.” Rachel bit her lip and added as she left, “I’m here to earn a living, not to engage in office’s drama.”

Benjamin moved swiftly to intercept Rachel, his hand resting gently on her shoulder as he murmured a few soothing words into her ear. With a calm but firm tone, he guided her away from the chaotic scene, his eyes flashing with a mix of concern and calculation. Once he was satisfied that Rachel was somewhat calmed, he turned his attention to me, his expression shifting to one of feigned seriousness.

“Can't you be less impulsive?” he asked, his voice laced with a condescending edge. “What would have happened if I hadn't stepped in to defend you? Do you really think this situation could have ended well without my intervention?”

He paused for a moment, as if weighing his next words carefully. “Here’s what you need to do,” he continued, his tone now more measured. “Apologize to Rachel and all of this will be forgotten. It’s the easiest way to smooth things over and put this mess behind us.”

“I should have slapped you for saying that, but I decided against it. I don’t want to dirty my hands.” I took a few steps forward and pointed at the repulsive man. “Just leave. Don’t you have work to do? Your presence here is just irritating and your knight-in-shining-armor act just now is disrupting our experiments.”

Benjamin’s face turned a deep shade of embarrassment. Just as he was about to retort, the team leader, Mrs. Gates arrived to address the matter.

Mrs. Gates’ voice was tinged with concern, but also a hint of impatience. “Cora, you have two projects nearing the deadline and the client is rushing out. How is your hands? Do you think you can handle it?”

Before I could respond, Rachel stepped forward, her tears now dry but her face still carrying a shadow of recent distress. “I can take over the projects, Mrs. Gates. I’ve been here for two months and I’m confident in my abilities. I can handle them.”

Benjamin, who had been observing silently, nodded in agreement. “I’ve worked with Rachel recently and she’s proven to be efficient and competent. I believe she’s capable of managing these projects.”

Mrs. Gates hesitated, her gaze shifting between Rachel and me. “Alright then. You can use this opportunity to gain experience. Newcomers need a chance to grow.”

Turning to me, she added, “That doesn’t mean you’re off duty, Cora. You’ll be the supervisor and help me keep an eye on things.”

As I listened, a wave of unease washed over me. I knew Rachel’s work abilities all too well, having trained her myself. Her basic aseptic techniques were consistently flawed and I worried that these projects, critical to our clients, might not proceed smoothly under her oversight. The thought of potential errors and setbacks made my stomach churn. Despite her confident demeanor, I feared that the pressure of these high-stakes projects might overwhelm her, causing further complications.