Chapter 2

I glanced around at the gawkers and asked coldly, "Seriously, none of you have a clue what's on this hard drive? Or what I've been busting my ass over all day?"

I forced myself to calm down and pulled out my phone.

"Back in college, Oakley Spencer was the go-to guy for data recovery. I'll call him right now and have him take a look!"

I knew what a design project meant for a designer. It wasn't just months of hard work; it was the cornerstone of their whole career.

I knew better than anyone just how much Samuel had put into winning the Gold Prize. He was right at the finish line, and I couldn't let all his effort go to waste.

But Samuel froze for a moment, then suddenly darted forward and swiped my phone right out of my hand.

I freaked out and reached out, trying to snatch it back with all my strength.

"What are you doing?! I need to make this call! We still have time to fix this—if we don't do something, fast, we'll be disqualified for sure!"

Samuel stiffly turned his head away, refusing to meet my eyes. "Samantha, you and Oakley... aren't you two, like, really close?"

Hearing that, I felt a wave of relief and cracked a smile. Honestly, for his project, I'd beg anyone, owe any favor, whatever it took, if it meant saving it.

There was no way I could just stand by and let Samuel's future go up in smoke.

But before I could say a word, Samuel's next words made all the color drain from my face.

He said, "I get that you're freaking out about your project getting trashed. But if you call Oakley, he's definitely going to spill that Sophie messed up your hard drive.

"The selection for the exchange program at Astulan headquarters is tomorrow. You really don't want the director catching wind of this and just dropping Sophie from the list, do you?"

"Sophie doesn't come from a privileged background like you do. She fought hard for this internship. It wasn't easy for her to get here. If you lose this project, it's not the end of the world; with your talent, you'll have plenty of chances next year."

Before I could even process what he'd just said, Samuel spoke up again, his voice thick with guilt.

He said, "Samantha, honestly, there's no guarantee we'll ever get that data back. Instead of wasting more time, how about helping Sophie with her portfolio? Her deadline's coming up fast too..."

I looked up at Samuel in disbelief, my eyes locked onto him, refusing to look away.

He seemed to realize just how out of line his words were, and a flicker of embarrassment flashed across his handsome face.

But he still couldn't bring himself to meet my gaze.

Suddenly, it all clicked for me.

Everyone here thought Sophie had wrecked my hard drive and my whole project.

I could tell from the way Sophie wasn't even trying to hide how pleased she was about it, and from the looks my coworkers were giving me, sympathetic, sure, but with a subtle sense of satisfaction, like they were secretly enjoying the mess.

It was because Samuel and I had the exact same brand and model of external hard drive.

They saw me fussing over this drive all afternoon, so of course they just assumed it had to be my own project I was so worked up about.

And today, to stay focused, I cleared away everything on Samuel's workstation that wasn't related to his project, apps, files, you name it, leaving his desktop spotless.

But then it hit me that even if Sophie's behavior was downright despicable, I could just let her deal with the fallout herself.

But Samuel was innocent, and there was no way I could just stand by and watch months of his hard work, maybe even his whole future, get ruined by some so-called "joke" of hers.

There was no time to explain. I grabbed the hard drive, still warm from the coffee spill, and dashed out of the office, heading straight for the nearest data recovery center. Maybe it was a long shot, but I had to try.

Fine, if I couldn't call Oakley, I would just go find a pro myself.

As soon as I stood up, Samuel grabbed his jacket and followed me out.

He pressed his lips together and said, "Alright, I know how stubborn you are. You never quit until you've tried everything. I should've kept a closer eye on Sophie. Let me come with you.

"Honestly, I know it's a long shot with this kind of physical damage, but I'll go with you anyway."

I didn't say anything, but I didn't turn him down either.

After all, it was rush hour, and I don't drive. With Samuel driving, we'd save a ton of time.

As I rushed into the elevator, frantically jabbing at the close button, a slender arm suddenly blocked the doors just as they were about to shut.

Sophie stood outside, looking all innocent. "Samantha, let me come with you! It's all my fault, I should take responsibility. Whatever it costs, I'll pay for it!"

While she was talking, she just stood in the doorway, not coming in and not letting anyone else through.

Looked like she was trying to waste time on purpose.

I shot her a glare and snapped, "Then get in already! It's almost six. If you keep dragging your feet, the data center's gonna close!"

As soon as I snapped at her, Sophie's eyes started to well up with tears. She stood stiffly in the elevator doorway, refusing to budge, and shot Samuel a pleading, wounded look, like she was the one being wronged.