A typical day at the office

Malcolm didn't understand what the hell had just happened. One of his employees, some low-level clerk whose name he didn't even remember, had just called him "Lori" and ordered him to prepare a presentation for the meeting. Him! The owner of this damn company!

"What the hell?" He had already opened his mouth to reprimand the insolent man, but froze, hearing his own voice, which now sounded strangely high and melodic.

He felt a strange sensation in the chest area. Something was pulling at his shoulders, digging into his skin... some thin strap was cutting into his shoulders. Instinctively, he touched his chest, feeling the cups of a bra and something soft beneath the tight fabric.

He looked down and froze. His body... this was not his muscular figure. Instead, there were slender legs in a tight skirt, encased in pantyhose. "What is happening?" he said in panic, jerking away. His shoulder bag slipped slightly at that moment, and he nervously reached to pick it up, but immediately felt how his new long hair fell across his face, slightly tickling the exposed areas of skin and sliding along his neck.

"Lori, what are you standing there for? We have a meeting in fifteen minutes," came the sharp voice of a woman who had approached him. She was clearly irritated. "Are you just going to stand there?"

"I don't—" Laura began, but the woman interrupted her.

"God, I don't even want to hear it. Just get to work, okay?" It was Maria. Laura recognized her. Maria, the deputy head of sales, and now, apparently, she considered Laura to be her subordinate.

Laura took a few steps, feeling how the skirt tightened around her hips. Each step was extremely awkward, and it felt to her like she was some kind of transvestite, but no one even looked at her that way. Her feet were in shoes with small heels, and even her walk felt unnatural.

She looked around. It was an ordinary workday, everyone was busy with their tasks.

"Laura Grey, stop dawdling!" Maria shouted again, walking past and even giving her a light pat on the shoulder, as if there was some sort of closeness between them.

"Uh... yeah, of course," Laura automatically replied, not believing her own ears. But what else could she say? All of this seemed like madness. And she was already about to head to her actual office — the CEO's office — to sort out this mess, when suddenly she saw a man walking down the corridor. It was her, or rather who she used to be — Malcolm Hendricks — the founder of Hendricks & Co.!

Malcolm, in an expensive suit, with that same aura of confidence, walked right past her without even acknowledging her, as if she were just another secretary from one of the departments, or some low-level employee. As if she were nobody.

She watched herself… from the outside. And that was the most horrifying part.

"What… what the—" Laura froze in place, her breath hitching, and at that moment she felt her shoulder bag slip slightly, hitting her hip. With a soft metallic clink, something fell to the floor.

She quickly bent down to pick it up, feeling her long hair once again tickling her face, while the tight skirt uncomfortably tugged at her hips. Her heart pounded as she became acutely aware of her new breasts, which felt completely foreign. Her gaze was unfocused, but when her fingers touched the cold object, memories flashed like lightning.

The trinket.

Laura froze, staring at the small silver item in her hand. Small, delicate, adorned with ancient symbols that once had no meaning to her. A gift from Victor Lawson, one of her partners… or enemies? He had smiled broadly back then, holding this thing in his hands and giving it to Malcolm.

"This will bring you luck, Hendricks," he had said, as if it were a joke. Malcolm hadn't even paid attention to it, leaving the trinket on his desk as decoration. And now it was here, in her purse.

This couldn't be a coincidence.

She straightened up, gritting her teeth, holding the artifact in front of her. In that moment, when she had touched it that evening, she had felt something strange run through her body. Now everything fell into place.

"Laura!" Maria's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, making her flinch. "What are you standing there for, like a statue? Get to work! The meeting's in five minutes, and the reports still aren't ready! Stop wasting time."

Laura instinctively stuffed the trinket back into her bag, feeling her throat go dry. This is real. Somehow, Victor had turned her into Laura Grey — a powerless employee whom no one even bothered to notice.

"I… yeah, of course," she whispered, trying to suppress the tremble in her voice.

"Good," Maria responded in a strained tone, waving her hand dismissively. "Finish the quarterly sales reports and prepare a summary for me. I can't do everything for you."

Laura bit her lip, nodded, and walked to the desk that, apparently, was hers. Her fingers still trembled, but now it wasn’t from fear, but from growing despair. Everything she saw around her — her former life, her company, her people — now seemed so far away. She sat down at the computer and began opening the reports, knowing exactly what to do, but still in a state of shock.