The ladies' restroom echoed with soft laughter and the sound of running water.
"I told you," one of the women said mockingly from near the mirror. "He was obviously just playing with her."
Another voice immediately joined in.
"Of course he was. Someone like Oliver Queen is literally at the top of the food chain. Men like him don't settle for ordinary women."
The first girl laughed.
"Exactly. He was probably attracted to her face for a while. The moment he tasted the forbidden fruit, he discarded her immediately."
Both women burst into laughter again.
Near the entrance of the restroom, Dinah Wellington paused.
At first, she had only come to wash her hands before returning to work. Lunch break would end in less than ten minutes, and she still had unfinished reports waiting on her desk.
But the moment she heard Oliver Queen's name, she already understood.
The gossip was about her.
Quietly, Dinah walked toward the sink without interrupting them.
The voices continued shamelessly.
"I heard Mr. Queen already has a fiancée," the second woman whispered excitedly. "And she's the daughter of some famous public figure."
The first woman scoffed loudly.
"Then who does Dinah think she is? Why would Oliver Queen choose her over the elite ladies in Country Q?"
Another round of laughter followed.
Honestly, I pity her," the second voice added with fake sympathy. "Every man that comes close to her eventually leaves after messing with her."
"She should learn how to carry herself properly," the first girl sneered. "She's a woman for goodness' sake."
"Well…" the second one chuckled cruelly, "that's usually the fate of women like her."
The two women laughed once more.
Dinah stared silently at her reflection in the mirror while washing her hands.
Her expression remained calm.
But deep inside, something twisted painfully.
No matter how strong she pretended to be, words still hurt.
Especially when they touched old wounds.
Still, she refused to let them see that.
She dried her hands calmly ,
Then finally, they pushed open the outside restroom door.
The moment the two women saw her
Their laughter died instantly.
Awkward silence filled the restroom.
Neither of them expected Dinah to be standing there listening the entire time.
Then one of the girls folded her arms boldly.
"Dinah," she said sharply, "were you seriously eavesdropping on us?"
Of course.
It was Miss Chan.
Who else would it be?
Miss Chan had disliked Dinah from the very first day she entered New Day Publishing Company. Whether it was jealousy or pure resentment, Dinah honestly no longer cared.
Standing beside her was Claribel Stone, the company's unofficial gossip queen.
Unlike Miss Chan, Claribel looked visibly uncomfortable.
She reached out slightly, trying to calm her friend.
"Miss Chan, maybe let's just leave it"
"Oh please," Miss Chan interrupted immediately. "Don't stop me."
Claribel instantly fell silent.
She already knew that look.
Miss Chan had completely lost control of her mouth.
"This woman," Miss Chan continued while pointing directly at Dinah, "always likes climbing over people's heads. She doesn't even understand what privacy means."
Claribel quietly stepped backward.
She loved gossip, yes.
But she was smart enough to avoid openly standing against Dinah Wellington.
Especially now.
Too many strange things surrounded Dinah lately.
And Oliver Queen's name alone was enough to make people cautious.
Claribel preferred surviving office drama not becoming a casualty of it.
Dinah calmly folded the tissue in her hand before speaking softly.
"Finished?"
Miss Chan frowned.
"What?"
"I asked if you're done," Dinah repeated calmly. "Or should I wait while you continue discussing my personal life?"
Miss Chan scoffed loudly.
"You think too highly of yourself."
Dinah smiled faintly.
"No," she corrected. "I just find it interesting how people who know absolutely nothing about me always have the loudest opinions."
Miss Chan's expression darkened immediately.
"Oh please," she laughed sarcastically. "Everyone in this company knows exactly what kind of woman you are."
Dinah tilted her head slightly.
"And what kind is that?"
Miss Chan stepped closer confidently.
"The type that uses her face to get attention from powerful men."
Claribel quietly inhaled.
Even she knew Miss Chan was crossing the line now.
But Miss Chan was too deep into her anger to stop.
"First your ex-boyfriend dumps you," she continued mockingly. "Then suddenly Oliver Queen starts showing interest in you. Do you really think people are blind?"
Dinah's fingers tightened slightly around the tissue.
But her face remained unreadable.
That calmness only irritated Miss Chan more.
"What?" she sneered. "Did I hit a nerve?"
Dinah stared at her quietly for a few seconds.
Then unexpectedly
She smiled.
And somehow, that smile made Miss Chan uncomfortable.
"You know," Dinah said softly, "gossip usually says more about the people spreading it than the person being discussed."
The restroom fell silent again.
Claribel looked between them nervously.
Dinah took one slow step forward.
"You don't know my story," she continued calmly. "You don't know what I've survived. And you definitely don't know anything about my relationship with Oliver Queen."
Her voice never rose.
Yet every word carried weight.
"And whether anybody stays in my life or not …" she added softly, "…is none of your concern."
Miss Chan folded her arms tighter.
"You're acting confident now, but we all know men like Oliver Queen don't stay with women like you."
Before Dinah could reply
The restroom door suddenly pushed open.
Benny Smith walked in.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Her cheerful expression disappeared the moment she sensed the tension inside the room.
Then she slowly glanced between Dinah, Miss Chan, and Claribel.
Unfortunately for the two women
Benny had overheard enough.
A dangerous smile slowly curved across her lips.
Claribel's heart immediately skipped.
Unlike most employees, Claribel knew one important thing:
Benny Smith was not someone ordinary.
Officially, she was introduced as just Benny smith , but there is no record of her on the internet, the only thing is that the Company's highest shareholder recommended her resume`
But there was always something strange about her presence.
Something unsettling hidden beneath her playful personality.
What nobody in the company knew was that Benny Smith was the daughter of the demon Belial himself a demon infamous in the supernatural realm for manipulation, lies, and wickedness though born of human mother and an adopted sister to Kelvin smith, Oliver Queen's right hand man,
in the supernatural world, Benny is stronger than her mates though younger than Kelvin but she has the blood of a fighter
And the only reason Benny even joined New Day Publishing Company…
Was because Oliver Queen personally ordered her to protect Dinah Wellington without Dinah knowing ..
Benny slowly walked toward them.
The sound of her heels echoed softly against the tiles.
Then she smiled sweetly.
"Oh?" she said lightly. "Did I interrupt something interesting?"
Miss Chan immediately straightened.
For some reason, Benny's smile made her nervous.
Claribel looked away instantly.
Smart people knew when danger entered a room.
Benny stopped beside Dinah before casually wrapping an arm around her shoulder.
Then her smile widened slightly.
"You know," she said softly while staring directly at Miss Chan, "there are some conversations people should never have behind closed doors."
Her tone remained playful.
But somehow…
The entire restroom suddenly felt colder.