Chapter 1
At the company's annual party, we were scheduled to perform a salsa routine. But out of nowhere, my best friend, Sophie Bennett, showed up in a striking red costume that made her impossible to miss.
My coworkers, who had gone through tough rehearsals for this performance, all stared at each other awkwardly.
All eyes turned to me, the lead dancer.
I remained composed and smiled. Rather than stopping her, I went along with it and handed her the center stage.
After all, it wasn't my place to interfere with the consequences she had brought upon herself.
*****
I found myself sent back ten minutes before I was supposed to step onto that stage.
When I came to my senses, I was in the dressing room, caught in a fierce argument with Sophie.
"Why are you always trying to stand out? If you wear that outfit today, I'll cut you off. Wait..." I snapped.
All kinds of memories flooded my mind, leaving me stunned for a couple of seconds.
Standing across from me was Sophie, looking resentful and frustrated, but she kept her mouth shut.
I shook my head, quickly composed myself, and replaced my irritation with a warm smile. "Sophie, don't let this opportunity slip away. You can have Charles Grant all to yourself."
While Sophie was still in shock, I'd already nudged her onto the stage.
The spotlight immediately became hers alone.
She froze for just a second. Then a confident smile spread across her face. After all, she had graduated from a dance academy.
Under the spotlight, she had everyone completely captivated.
"She moves like a professional dancer. When can our company get someone this good?"
"Seriously, a performance like this is wasted on a company party."
Everyone in the audience was left amazed, unable to hold back their gasps and admiration.
As the backing track hit its final note, the room instantly burst into thunderous applause.
Even Charles, the CEO, was right there in the crowd, clapping along with everyone else.
After Sophie's stunning act, everything else that followed paled in comparison. As everyone expected, she took home the Best Performance Award for this year's annual party.
Charles personally stepped up to hand her the trophy. Standing right next to Sophie, he let his eyes wander over her openly, not even trying to hide it.
Rather than feeling awkward about his bold attention, Sophie blushed and looked all coy, inching closer to Charles as if she couldn't help herself.
Charles leaned in toward the new dance superstar, dropped his voice into a low tease, and flashed her a wicked grin. "So, Ms. Bennett, our star employee tonight, do you have any words for us?" he asked.
Sophie giggled sweetly behind her hand before taking the mic.
"I'm still pretty new here," she said, "and I feel so grateful for everyone's support. I especially want to thank Mr. Grant for always looking out for me. In the coming year, I'll keep working hard and learning from all of you."
Seeing how Charles was smitten with her, everyone went all out with their applause.
As the applause faded, Sophie wasn't about to give up the mic yet.
Her gaze swept the crowd of colleagues, finally zeroing in on me.
She switched from her earlier excitement to looking all sorry and pitiful.
She said, "But about the solo tonight, it made things awkward between me and my leader, Ms. Joanna Fuller. I'm so sorry. After doing my solo, I started thinking maybe I'd gone too far.
"I'm new here and shouldn't have stolen your thunder. Please, don't be upset with me. I'm really sorry."
Sophie's voice got all shaky, and she was about to lose it and cry.