Chapter 2

The coworker was frozen, not sure what to do, when Andrew walked over.

He pulled Emily, her eyes red from crying, behind him.

Then he gave me a cold, superior look.

"Is that why you can't stand her? Because she and I have the same taste?" he said.

The coworkers who were hoping for some drama instantly went quiet at his words.

They kept sneaking glances at Andrew, Emily, and me, their expressions awkward.

After all, Andrew and I had already been the center of office gossip ever since yesterday.

I stayed silent for so long that someone finally couldn't take it anymore and stepped up to speak for me.

But before she could get a word out, Emily started crying dramatically.

Her eyes were brimming with tears, looking heartbreakingly fragile. "I didn't know you started liking this flavor after I left, Andrew.

"When I saw the familiar packaging, I thought Charlotte had brought them for me."

Andrew gave me a warning glare, but then turned away and softly wiped away Emily's tears.

My gaze locked onto the watch on his wrist, unable to look away.

I remembered seeing the same model on my nightstand at home. Mine was the women's version.

When I snapped back to reality, Emily was saying that classic sentence, "If you're upset, Charlotte, I can apologize."

Her act was so over the top that it instantly reminded me of that fake girl in a drama, whom I used to roast for three days straight.

I blinked and said, "Go ahead, apologize."

Emily was caught off guard by my words, her tears drying up instantly.

I relaxed my brow and pointed to the name tag on my chest.

"You're just an intern. Are you seriously trying to mess with me, your department manager?" I said. "I know you're straightforward, but you don't have to run your mouth like that."

I put extra bite into the word "manager" when I said it.

By the rules, Emily should've been fired.

But Andrew stepped up, took the fall, and got himself demoted to protect her.

I sighed, seriously wondering how he could be such an idiot.

Last night, I stayed up all night scrolling through every chat I ever had with him.

That was when I realized I'd been stuck in a secret relationship with him for three whole years.

Andrew never once made our relationship public.

Now, as I watched him go all out to defend Emily, my emotions were all over the place.

But I kept my cool, picked up the box, and handed it to Andrew with a friendly smile.

"Andrew, hurry up and move to your new desk," I said.

*****

Quitting never even crossed my mind.

It wasn't my fault, so why should I be the one to leave?

But as I was heading out after work, Andrew stopped me.

He looked torn, muttering, "Are you still mad? I didn't know you got discharged today.

"I didn't expect Emily to send the invitation to the whole company chat. She didn't mean to."

I shot him a look, blurting out before I could stop myself, "You're so good at shifting blame. It's a shame you're not a lawyer.

"Do you really think she's three years old and clueless? Who would've believed she didn't mean to?"

I hadn't thrown shade at him in ages, and Andrew was left speechless by my comeback.

He glanced at me, like something just clicked. "How's your injury?"

The back of my head was still wrapped in bandages, so nobody could tell how bad it was.

When Andrew brought it up, I hesitated for a second.

I didn't want him to keep pestering me, so I was about to tell him about my memory loss.

But then Emily came running over and clung to his arm.

"Didn't you promise to have dinner with me? I've been waiting forever," she whined.

Her attempt to change the subject was painfully obvious, but Andrew couldn't help getting pulled in.

He told her not to make a scene, but he was already moving toward her.

Right before leaving, he hesitated for a second, then tossed a box my way.

I opened it and saw a necklace.

The diamond in the center was barely bigger than my pinky nail.

I slammed the box shut like it was scalding, about to go after Andrew when Emily turned her head.

She showed off her index finger, making sure I wouldn't miss that massive rock on it.

"I've kept wearing the ring you gave me when you proposed to me in front of my mom," Emily said, showing off her hand. "Mom said we should go see her together next weekend."

Instinctively, I glanced down at my ring finger.

There was no ring, not even a trace where one might have been.

I stood there, rooted to the spot, watching as they drove away.

A coworker walked by and nodded at me.

"Finally getting rid of Emily. She has no idea how much mess she's made," the coworker said.

I gave a soft hum, my eyes locked on the file I'd been clutching.

Emily used to intern under Andrew.

Now, Andrew's power was transferred to me.

The first thing I did was fire Emily on the spot.

I thought for a second, then sent Emily a message.

But the next thing I got was a photo.

Her hand, showing off that diamond ring, was clutching a bouquet of roses, and in the lower corner, I could make out a man's suit sleeve.

I was about to send her a question mark when I saw Emily boldly post in the company group chat. [I really don't get why some people can't mind their own business and stop trying to get between other people's relationships.

[I made my relationship with Andrew public last time to warn certain people, but they still won't let it go.]

Everyone was busy gossiping and chiming in, but I snorted coldly.

If she refused to listen, there was no point in wasting my breath.

I blocked Emily and kicked her out of the company group chat.

Emily waited for a reply, but it never came.

When my phone lit up again, it was Andrew, demanding answers. [Why did you kick Emily out of the group chat? Can you stop acting out for once?]

When I ignored him, he threatened, [Add her back to the group. Don't make me drag this into the company group chat.]

Andrew was convinced I wouldn't stand up to him over something so petty.

But he was wrong. I fired back with harsh words. [Didn't the doctor mention it to you, since you're supposed to be my family? I've lost the last five years of my memory.

[Insulting you to your face isn't enough. I'm putting it on your tombstones.

[Don't worry. It won't be long before you can go join your precious Emily.]

Right after that, I opened the family group chat and tagged my brother, George Summers. [I'm in trouble at our family's company. Get your squad and get over here as soon as possible.]