Chapter 5

"Mr. Bennett," I said, my voice calmer than I expected. "I know I messed up."

He looked up.

"I shouldn't have changed the contact name without noticing the profile picture," I said. "And I really should've double-checked who I was messaging before hitting send.

"Those messages really weren't meant for you."

He stared at me, not moving a muscle. "I know. I get it now."

He turned and walked toward the door, his back straight and his steps steady, like he always did at the office.

The crowd parted for him without a word.

He walked through the crowd, left the ballroom, and disappeared through the door. The door slowly closed behind him.

Silence hung in the air for three seconds.

"Nicole!" Murray was the first to rush over, grabbing my arm. "What's going on between you and Mr. Bennett?"

Before I could say anything, another person rushed over.

"Nicole, did you really take money from Mr. Bennett for three months?" Lillian held up her phone, her eyes shining. "14 thousand a month? That's 42 thousand in total?"

"Mr. Bennett only makes 15 thousand a month, and he sent you 14 thousand? So he only kept 1 thousand for himself? Seriously?"

"What can you do with 1 thousand? Live on air?"

"Damn, that's some next-level simping."

The gossip washed over me like a tidal wave. I was trapped in the middle, with no way out.

Jonathan stood off to the side, watching everything with a detached look, not stepping in at all.

"Enough." A voice cut through the noise.

Everyone froze. I looked up.

Nathan had come back without anyone noticing.

He stood in the doorway, his face pale, but still wearing that distant look.

"This is my problem," he said. "It has nothing to do with Nicole."

The whole room went silent. He looked at me, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something.

"You don't have to pay back the money," he said after a pause. "Treat it as my tuition for the past three months."

With that, he turned and walked away. This time, he really left.

The door closed again. I stood there, and out of nowhere, a thought hit me.

Nathan said I didn't have to pay back the money.

But for the past three months, he'd only left himself with 1 thousand a month.

What could he do with 1 thousand? In Belleridge, that was not even enough for rent.

So where did he live these past three months? What did he eat?

The buzz of my phone broke my thoughts.

I pulled it out and saw a WhatsApp message from Nathan. [Nicole, I'm sorry.]

Just those three words.

I stared at those three words for a long time.

Jonathan leaned over, glanced at my phone, and gave a short, cold laugh. "Interesting."

He put my phone away and patted my shoulder. "Come on, let's go home."

He pulled me along as we headed out.

As we reached the door, I glanced back.

The ballroom was still hum-buzzing with whispered rumors.

Someone looked up at me, giving me complicated looks.

I looked away and followed Jonathan into the elevator.

As the doors slid shut, I let out a long sigh.

"Nate," I said, "did I really mess up?"

He didn't say a word.

The elevator descended all the way to the first floor.

When the doors opened, Jonathan stepped out first.

"Nate?" I called out.

He stopped and turned around.

"Nicole," he said, "do you know who Nathan really is?"

I paused, a little confused. "He's the vice president of our company, isn't he?"

He shook his head. "That's not all."

I gave him a puzzled look.

He paused for a couple of seconds, then dropped a bombshell.

What he said left me totally speechless. "He was my college classmate. And his dad? He's the mayor of the city where Nathan grew up.

"He's only at our company to get some hands-on experience at the grassroots level. After three months, he'll go back."

"Go back where?" I asked.

"He'll be the mayor's secretary."

I was stunned. Nathan? The mayor's secretary?

The guy who wired me 14 thousand a month and left himself with only 1 thousand?

The guy who never acted all high and mighty at work, always treating everyone with respect?

The guy who set our photo as his WhatsApp profile picture?

Jonathan saw the look on my face and let out a sigh.

"So, Nicole," he said, "this whole thing might be a lot more complicated than you think."

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. My phone buzzed again.

I glanced down. Nathan had sent another message: [Keep the money, okay? And don't let Jonathan know.]

I stared at the message, my mind going blank.

Why couldn't I let Jonathan know?

Weren't they college classmates?

Why was he so worried about Jonathan finding out?

I looked up at Jonathan. He was already watching me. "What did he say?"

I held up my phone.

He glanced at it, his brow furrowing.

He was silent for a full five seconds. Then he said something that sent chills down my spine.

"He knows I'd stop you," Jonathan said.

"Stop me from what?" I asked.

"Stop you," he paused, "from paying him back."