Big Corp Inc. (G/T)

Part 38: Pity

Candy was being stretched to the limit of what she could tolerate. She was a brave and hardy individual, and she had endured her circumstances for so long, but she couldn't go on in this fashion for much longer. Mr. Hardon was increasingly blatant in his abuses, aggressive and unapologetic, fulfilling all his worst vices and desires. She hated him with every fiber of her existence, but there was nothing she could do to fight back against him. He was simply too big and she was too small. He had all the power and leverage over her to force her to bend to his will, whether she wanted to or not.

Mr. Hardon piled more tasks onto Martin, in order to keep him busy and distracted. With such an intense workload, Martin had less time to check on Candy at work. Even so, he could tell something was amiss. Candy seemed to be drifting away, and he couldn't figure out why. When he tried to talk to her about it, she would always deflect and refuse to discuss anything of substance. He offered her comfort in the best way he could, by holding her and being there for her, and it seemed to help, but her joyous, sweet self was fading fast. She didn't smile as much or as openly as she used to. Sometimes, when she thought he was asleep or distracted, he would notice her silently crying. Martin observed that she didn't eat as much and was losing weight as well. He wished she would open up to him, and tell him what was eating away at her, but she was closed off, so unusual for a sweet woman who was typically as sociable and friendly as Candy. Martin was deeply concerned.

Martin decided to ask Bianca if Candy had mentioned anything to her, but Bianca was just as stumped as Martin. Candy hardly spoke to her anymore, and Bianca didn't see her much around the office. She noticed Candy was at her desk less, but she didn't know where Candy disappeared to. When she did talk to the little human, Candy seemed distant and distracted. She didn't react with as much enthusiasm when Bianca shared the details of her dating life, her successes and conquests. Before, Candy had always been very interested and empathetic. Now, she hardly paid attention at all. Her uncharacteristic attitude worried Bianca, but trying to pry out the truth was like talking to an unyielding brick wall.

The only Giant who figured out what was going on was Ronny, since his cubicle was so close to Candy's. At first, he had been delighted to have the tiny woman get her comeuppance. Seeing Candy in pain made him feel like he was getting revenge on his ex-wife, which gratified him immensely. However, he grew tired of having to listen to the tortuous noises emanating from Mr. Hardon's office behind closed doors, the yelps and cries and moans. As Mr. Hardon's abuse worsened and became more frequent, Ronny would have to hear his nonsense all day. Ronny wasn't particularly fond of his perverted boss, who was responsible for hiring all those disgusting sluts around the office to begin with. He hated that somehow the lecherous old creep was able to get all the girls, even though he realized it was mostly through force.

Even so, the sounds made him increasingly uncomfortable. He didn't like Candy, and harbored considerable resentment towards her, but even Ronny with his cold heart had to admit this constant torture was excessive. Somehow, the times where Candy went eerily silent were almost worse. He wondered what the old Giant was doing to her in those moments, but he couldn't envision anything good. If her heart-wrenching sobs a couple of hours later were any indication, it must be something truly deplorable. Mr. Hardon always pranced out of his office in a fantastic mood afterwards, which disgusted Ronny.

One day, Mr. Hardon finished up with his usual session with Candy and dumped her on her desk. He strolled off whistling to himself, and Ronny's curiosity got the better of him. He slunk over to Candy's cubicle, ducking below the partition so she wouldn't see his towering figure approach. He peered around the side to see Candy quietly sobbing to herself, crumbled up in a heap where Mr. Hardon had left her.

"Candy," Ronny said in a low, menacing voice, striding into her cubicle and revealing his presence. Candy stiffened and quickly concealed her weeping. With his swollen, purple eye and nose disfiguring his face, the Giant appeared even scarier than he usually did, with a brooding aura.