Chapter 2
The next morning, I arrived at the lab early, like always.
Michael and Cara didn't show up until nine, and they made quite the entrance.
He pulled up in his car while she arrived on a shared bike, and they met right outside the building.
The whole "arriving separately" act only made it more obvious.
"How convenient. They both show up at the exact same time again," Lily Grant whispered in my ear, her voice dripping with fake innocence.
Lily was just like Cara. She was another one of Michael's special recruits.
She wasn't exceptionally talented in her field, but she was pretty, the type who knew how to work a room.
Men seemed to love that.
Michael didn't have any genuine interest in her, though. He'd just brought her on to add some visual appeal to the lab.
Cara followed Michael inside, but the moment she spotted me, she bolted like a startled rabbit. Michael, on the other hand, didn't even flinch.
He walked over and handed me the stomach medicine he'd forgotten to buy last night. "Does your stomach still hurt? Did you eat breakfast? I got you some soup."
Lily rolled her eyes and walked off, clearly disappointed by the lack of drama.
"Did your mom say anything to you?" I asked.
"What?"
I smiled. "Nothing."
I'd finish this experiment first. I'd spent half a year working on it, and we were so close to results. I couldn't let all that effort go to waste now. My doctoral thesis depended on this data.
What I didn't realize was that Michael had quietly breathed a sigh of relief, too.
During afternoon tea, Lily deliberately stirred up trouble.
"Oh no, what should we do? There's only one vanilla crepe left, and both Claire and Cara want it."
She put on an exaggerated expression of distress.
No one said a word.
Michael came out and handed the crepe directly to Cara.
Cara glanced my way and asked, "What about Claire?"
"It's fine. She's not a kid anymore."
Cara's face flushed pink as she happily ate the crepe.
I wouldn't have known about any of this, except my phone suddenly showed a new story from someone on my close friends list.
[All my favoritism goes to you!]
The post included a photo of the crepe.
When I clicked on it, the message had just been deleted.
Too bad for him—I read fast. In that one glance, I'd seen every word crystal clear.
I put my phone away and noticed everyone in the lab staring at me with weird smiles.
I scanned the room and caught sight of my phone screen reflected in the darkened computer monitor next to me.
Michael had posted another story that blocked me out, with the exact same content but an added photo, a goofy face with the caption: [Almost got caught.]
Everyone in the lab could see this story. They were all in on the joke, watching me. No wonder they looked like that.
"Claire, I'm so jealous. You're clearly Michael's favorite," Lily said, plastering on an envious expression that was obviously dripping with mockery.
The others' smiles grew even more twisted.
Cara finally couldn't hold back her laughter. Her smoothie sprayed out, and she choked, her face turning bright red.
"Take it easy." Michael ruffled her hair affectionately and turned to scold the others with mock seriousness. "What are you all laughing at? Get back to work or you can forget about your bonuses!"
He personally brought me a mango pudding and black coffee. "You've been working hard. Take a break."
Once I let go, everything felt easier. My perspective had shifted, and I could finally breathe.
Right now, I felt nothing. I just wanted to focus on work and finish this project as soon as possible.