Libra & Venus

Chapter 7

"Tap... tap..." The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the emergency stairwell.

"Come on, Venus. Keep going!" Venus continued walking with faltering steps. "Two more floors, Venus," she encouraged herself. And after a few minutes, Kejora finally reached the first floor, panting heavily.

"That scale is crazy! It thinks the eighth floor is close to the first floor!" Venus grumbled to herself. She regulated her irregular breathing, waving her hand over her hot, sweaty face. The air conditioner on the first floor couldn't cool the heat on Venus's face or in her heart.

"Oh my goodness, I have to go back to the eighth floor!" Venus sighed deeply, looking left and right with a sly smile on her lips. A few minutes later, Venus entered the room where Mr. Libra was. She began to report that she had finished carrying out Mr. Libra's punishment.

March.

"So you went down to the first floor via the emergency staircase?" asked Libra, without taking her eyes off the file in her hand.

"Yes, sir," replied Venus, her voice sounding tired. Like someone who had just climbed up and down from the eighth floor to the first floor using the emergency stairs. In reality, she had only gone down using the emergency stairs. To go up to the eighth floor, she had used the elevator. Earlier, when she was on the first floor, Venus had chosen to go to the break room to wait. That way, when she used the elevator, Mr. Libra wouldn't suspect her.

"Good..." said Libra. "And when you go up to the eighth floor, do you also..."

using the emergency stairs?"

"Of course, I..." Kejora fell silent, unsure of how to respond. If Venus was lying, she would definitely sneeze. But if she wasn't lying, Mr. Libra would surely be angry with her. And it was possible that she would be fired by their new president director.

"Answer my question!" Libra shifted her gaze, staring sharply at her employee.

"I..." Venus, still with her head bowed, began to nervously squeeze the hem of her clothes.

Jose, who had been silent all this time, watched the interaction between Mr. Libra and the office girls. Now he understood his boss's orders from a few minutes ago: to watch the CCTV camera and find out where the woman was.

"Are you suddenly mute? Hurry up and say something!" Libra, who was starting to get annoyed, slammed her hand on the table very hard.

"I... I used the emergency stairs, sir," Venus replied, lying. "Achoo... achoo..." And at that moment, she sneezed repeatedly. Libra slammed his desk again.

"How dare you lie to me!" Libra snapped.

"I-I'm not lying, sir." Venus sneezed again, loudly. Libra, who had been about to get angry because his employee had been caught lying, immediately looked confused at the woman who now looked exhausted from sneezing.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" Jose asked, looking confused at the woman next to him who suddenly sneezed. And this wasn't the first time Jose had seen the woman sneezing in his master's room.

"I'm fine, sir." Venus sneezed, increasingly violently and incessantly.

Both Libra and Jose now looked at each other in confusion.

"Sir, may I go out? I..." Venus sneezed again.

"No way! Because I'll punish you for daring to lie to -- "

"Honey..."

Libra stopped talking when he saw a beautiful blue-eyed woman walking into his room.

"Claire..." Libra immediately stood up and welcomed the woman he loved so dearly. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"