The Core (5)

"Company Beauty" is a title that the ladies at CTC are silently fighting over. a ranking based on the corporate ladies' appearance and personality.

Even though this was a silent fight, it doesn't mean it was not a competitive and fierce battle.

The battle became so serious that some of them became extreme as they held the title.

One of the most serious ones here is Aileen Mutya. She was the most beautiful and elegant woman in the company, where most men drooled. Not until Nida arrived and her position was pushed back to second place.

Everyone was fascinated by the new and fresh beauty that Nida was sending off. Her effortless beauty and alluring body made everyone talk about her on her first day. She also became the talk of every conversation when she fainted in the conference room, getting the title of a 'frail beauty' 

Aileen doesn't like it.

She loves being talked about.

She loves the attention for herself alone.

That's why she made a desperate move to look up Nida's background.

"Is this all you could find out about her?" She asked the man with a shady appearance that she hired.

"Yes maam, everything is stated there, so will you..." the shady man rubbed his palm, indicating payment.

Aileen threw an envelope full of cash at the man's chest, which he immediately picked up and checked.

"Thank you, madam! I'll be going now!"

The shady man left her in her car to read the documents she received.

"oh? this is good."

She first looked at the photos of Nida in her teens, when she used to look like a mess and had a lot of pimples.

Then, next was a document with detailed background information.

She had an evil smile while looking at the document.

She was inside her car with the lights closed. Only the moonlight gave the car the light that made her smile seem more viscous.

"Isn't it best to kick her out completely with this?" A sudden wisp of smoke suddenly appeared at the back of Aileen and talked to her.

Aileen was not perplexed and acted as if she was used to the presence of the supernatural creature.

"Mr. Genie, you'll help me with this, right?" Aileen asked the smoke that was slowly forming into a human-like appearance.

"Of course! I really love to serve Ms. Aileen!" The genie exclaimed while flying around her car.

Aileen looked outside at the genie that seemed to be dancing under the moon. She smiled satisfactorily.

'Too bad for you, Nida, I have a genie as my card.'

She said internally.

The jolly genie that Aileen met a year ago had already fulfilled her three wishes but still chose to serve her, even if he was now free and could go wherever he wanted.

"I'll be going now! I'll make sure you remain at number one!" The genie said before he disappeared into thin air.

Aileen trusted him so much that she was confident that the genie would give her a good result.

The next morning... 

"Aileen, investigate and ask Ms. Mildea to explain this incident." Her manager gave her a paper containing the task she should work on, as she had ordered her to do.

"Mildea? Trucking department?"

"Yes, I heard they made a huge scene at the cafeteria."

"Oh, okay." Aileen's lips twitched slightly, trying her best to hide her smile.

'Is this the Genie's doing?' she thought to herself as she looked into the papers.

Later that day, she met Nida and made her fill out the incident report.

"I cannot possess her, instead I posses her manager." the genie reported to her in her mind. "I will make sure that she leaves the company since its manager is giving her a hard time." The genie continued his report while Aileen looked down on Nida with contempt. Nida was not aware of it since she was busy filling up the paper.

The two decided to keep possessing everyone at the trucking department to give Nida a hard time, but Aileen became impatient when Randell was transferred to the trucking department.

"First it was Daniel, now it's Randell!" She shouted in front of the mirror in the comfort room.

"And what's wrong with you!" She looked up at the ceiling and the head of the genie suddenly popped out. "You told me that you would make sure to kick her out of the company. What now!" she ravingly shouted.

"Ms. Aileen, I'm sorry." The usual enthusiastic genie is acting timid and seems to be hesitating.

"What!" she shouted. "Where's your confidence?"

"Your enemy is someone I cannot go against! I am sorry!"

"Why? Did she have a more powerful genie with her?"

"No."

"Then what!"

"I'm sorry I can't tell you! I am immortal, but I will die if I go against her. I am very sorry!"

The genie who used to mess with Nida by possessing others became aware of Nida's awakening.

"Humans like her are meant to be on top! We can not go against her. You are still in second place anyway. It's not still bad." The genie tries to convince her.

"What kind of nonsense are you talking about? I'm always striving to be the best! You said I deserved to be on top! Why are you siding with her now!"

"No. I am not! I am just warning you! She is not one we should go against!"

"Bullshit!" 

Aileen stormed out of the rest room angrily and went back to her table.

"What happened, ma'am?" her officemate asked.

"Oh, n-nothing." She awkwardly smiled and tried to look sweet and approachable again.

"Really? Ah, anyway, I was waiting for you. You told me you want to deal with every case for the trucking department, right?"

"Yes, why? Is there something going on there right now?"

"Ah yes, I still don't know the details, but it seems a reconciliation is happening there"

"For what?"

Her colleague just shrugged his shoulders and handed him the papers needed for the task.

Still looking annoyed, Aileen walked towards the department she hated the most.

...

A few minutes ago, at the trucking department...

"Good afternoon?"

Nida awkwardly greeted her co-workers.

"Nida!" 

Manager Bungal approached her with teary eyes.

His sweaty, chubby hands held both of his hands.

"I am very sorry!"

Her manager apologized to her for no particular reason.

Well, he has been mean to her, but she can't recall what made him apologize to her, whereas he was still mean to her before she left this afternoon.

"I-I don't think I have a clue about what is going on?" She awkwardly pulled out her hands and looked at everyone who seemed to want to say something as well.

"We were so mean to you."

She is unable to say anything else after they admit their flaws. She also doesn't know how to respond to the current situation. 

"Thankfully for Sir Randell, we realized our fault."

"What?" She looked at Randell but with distrust, then whispered to him, "Did you just alter their memories?" She became suspicious of him because there was no other explanation for their sudden change of hearts.

Randell flinched and gestured with his hand to turn down the accusation. He then patted the shoulder of Manger Bungal.

"Sir, can we talk first? I'll call you after I explain it to her."

Surprisingly, the manger bungal was calm and obedient. 

Everyone leaves the meeting room, leaving only the two of them.

"What did you do?" Nida asked while she crossed her arms.

"It's not what you think! I don't have the power to alter memories! Some wolves can, but some are not. We have each kind of strength. " Randell cleared his name of Nida's suspicion. 

"Then what is all of this about?"

"I noticed that everyone was possessed and that something was controlling their emotions. That is why I asked my pack members around."

Nida's ears twitched once she heard that other wolves were involved. 

"You know that I hate getting involved with more wolves! Why move on your own." 

"It doesn't involve them physically, I just asked them through GC."

"GC?" 

Nida wondered if the werewolves have unique codes and systems they use to communicate. 

"G-group chat, I am not actually close with my pack members, but they still include me in group chat."

She now realizes why Randell was on his phone the whole afternoon. 

"L-listen first. It turns out well, so you don't have to worry!"

Nida raised her brows before she loosen up.

"Okay, fine."

"I asked around if they noticed anything unusual about the company, especially at the trucking department."

"Aren't you the unusual hear."

"No. Supernatural creatures are normal here. We are harmless." 

Nida scoffed at Randell's words but chose not to negate his words more.

"Then what were you talking about. An unusual thing."

"They saw a genie with his vessel."

"G-genie? That goes out the lamp and grants you wishes?"

"Yes, the genie itself is unusual and has been staying here for more than a year."

"And everyone let him be despite knowing this?"

"Yes, he was harmless for many years, but they recently discovered that the genie is working against you."

"Me? Why? What did I do wrong?"

"His vessel is Ms. Aileen, and she is too invested in her title of top most beautiful in the company. Unfortunately, you took the number 1 spot, which makes her order the genie to torment you. "

"Wow. I didn't even know I had the No. 1 rank in the company beauty ranking. "

"You can't help it. You really are a beautiful and elegant woman, I never thought that you would grow up like this so b—." Randell stopped praising and admiring her beauty when she raised her hand close to Randell's face.

"Ehem! The genie seems unaware that you are now a priestess, so I asked one of my pack members to inform the genie. The genie immediately released his control. Everyone that was controlled remembers all the things they did when they were possessed. "

"W-wait! that fast? You just informed him then. Did he let it go that easily? without a fight?"

"Aileen's soul will perish if he ends up being purified. You haven't touched her since you awaken, right? "

"Yes, I don't."

"That's a relief. since you can't control your power yet. You might have purified her unintentionally, so you better not have physical contact with her. "

"Okay fine, I don't want to interact with her either." She should stop knowing more things about Aileen and genies since it would go against her goal to live in peace without supernatural creatures. Knowing more means a greater chance of being involved. 

"Then what happened to Manager Bungal? Why did they look apologetic to me now?"

"The genie released his control over their emotions at the same time I was chatting with them."

"Chatting again? on GC? Our department has GC?"

"Want me to add you?"

"No thanks! continue! "

"Ah, they thought that they just vented their stress towards you, that the month's end just brought too much pressure on them, that made them toxic and mean to you."

"That is why they are apologizing?"

"Give them some slack, it's not their true emotions, they were being controlled."

"Okay, fine, whatever." She reluctantly waved her hands and was about to walk out the door when suddenly a wisp went through the door and came circling around Nida.

"What do you want?" 

Randell caught the wisps and asked viciously while gripping the wisp in his hand.

"A-aileen is coming here! Please don't purify her!"

Nida frowned as she could sense the upcoming trouble on its way to her.