Unidentified Flying Objects

. . .

Zeirenne had just finished signing her first batch of documents when Dorothy came barging inside her office without even knocking. From the look on her secretary's face, she knew it was something urgent.

"M-miss Lin,"

"What is it Dorothy?"

Dorothy fidgeted her nails before mustering the courage to tell the news she didn't want to reach her CEO.

"Miss Lin... you might have to come with me. There's a ruckus on the lobby."

She closed the folder at hand, and they headed downstairs.

The moment the elevator doors parted, Zeirenne had to dodge. Some streaks of her hair flew with the folder that grazed her right ear. This was not thrown intentionally towards her direction. Instead, it was one of the few things hovering into the air as an office brawl took place right in that lobby.

Dozens of employees were grabbing each other's hair. Like a gang fight you'd witness on the streets, numerous things were flung into the air. Lipsticks, IDs, Lunch cards, keys—EVERYTHING.

"Bitch! Take back what you said!"

She saw one of her employees attacking a CF&H personnel.

"Just accept the reality, you stupid freak!"

Zeirenne braced herself up with some deep breaths. She stepped out of the elevator, dodging items from time to time. She stopped her legs at ground zero, the center of the fight.

"Enough." She said in a deep, authoritative voice.

But no one paid her mind. Amidst the noise, her voice was left unheard, her presence—ignored.

People were grabbing one another. Every office attire in that floor turned rugged from one-on-one tugs-of-wars. The pretty faces wearing make-up had lipstick smeared all over their cheeks. Some hair extensions were scattered on the floor.

For the second time, she pulled herself for an even deeper, deeper breath.

"Enough!"

With a different kind of authority in her voice, Zeirenne managed to halt the riot in front of her.

"Miss Lin..." One of her employees muttered in a low breath. She had her fingers wrapped around someone's hair before pushing her opponent's head upon seeing her CEO.

For a few minutes, the entire floor drowned in silence. As Zeirenne spun her gaze around the room to see the aftermath of this office rumble, her employees bowed their heads in embarrassment.

They were embarrassed, but not apologetic.

Fighting was not the answer, but they would never let someone slander the CEO they wholeheartedly respected. They had no regrets.

"Miss Lin..."

One of her employees, Miss Diaz as she'd recognized, approached her. She was a tall and plump lady who works at their R&D Department. She usually carried a smile on her face, but now, like a seasoned gangster, she approached Zeirenne while wiping off blood on the corners of her lips.

"Miss Lin..." she repeated, "Please tell them that it was not you. These ungrateful outsiders are acting like they know you."

With a pained smile on her face, Zeirenne tucked some loose streaks of hair behind Miss Diaz's ears, "Please don't call them outsiders, Miss Diaz. They're part of the team." Her face turned serious all of a sudden. "Dorothy, let the media in."

"Yes, Miss Lin."

Her employees were snapped out of their thoughts. They cleared the scene up and fixed themselves as well.

Miss Diaz, however, couldn't do the same thing. She was frozen on the spot—starstruck after seeing Miss Lin up close. After a few seconds, everyone was presentable enough to be background subjects for the news coverage except her.

"Was that you? Why did you say those words? Who was that person you're talking to?"

"There were no police records about that incident. Did you really disregard this issue and placed the lives of so many innocent mall-goers on the line?"

"Explain yourself!"

Before the unstoppable wave of queries flooded the room, Zeirenne raised her hand and everyone sealed their lips.

"Tell them, Miss Lin," some of her employees whispered with their hands clasped. "Tell them it was not you..."

"It was me."

Gasps filled the entire floor. Only the sounds of flashes blinding Zeirenne echoed around the hall for a few seconds. Her employees were frozen on their spots from shock.

That's impossible, their minds said in chorus.

Miss Diaz, just like most of her colleagues, had tears streaming down her face. The bruises on their skin didn't matter—what they heard was more painful... more confusing.

What happened? Did they look up to the wrong person? Could someone really be as pretentious as this? Was everything she showed them an act?

Miss Diaz covered her mouth to suppress a sob as she felt her body slumping on the floor.

"No... n-no... no..." was the only thing that came out of her bruised lips on repeat.

The following seconds turned out as Zeirenne had expected. More questions came after her confession. All the reporters were screaming. There was chaos—even more chaotic than the office war she'd arrived in earlier. This time, the angry mob of reporters were determined to come close.

"Why did you do that?! Explain yourself?!"

"You evil wench! How are you going to apologize to those people?!"

"Step down from your position this instance!"

To make things worse, all this mess was being televised. People inside their homes shook their heads in disappointment. Even those watching in their workplace expressed their disgust.

Eventually, this scenario reached five men in their shed. They were all feeling sentimental after being given a new chance at life. They had drinks prepared on the table—ready to celebrate a new life ahead.

As Jonas, the only minor, sipped his juice and settled himself on the side to turn the television on, the sound of bottles crashing followed right after.

"What the heck, Matthew! What's wrong with you? You just dropped our drinks!" Gardo hissed. Almost in tears upon seeing booze wasted in front of his very eyes.

But Matthew stood there frozen. His eyes focused on the screen. Just like Jonas.

The three men sensed his unusual reaction. With a slight chill in the air, they turned their heads towards the screen... and the sound of plates breaking reverberated around their shed right-after.

"What the—"

. . .