Chapter 2
I stood outside James's office building. Amid the crowd, I spotted him right away.
As I was about to walk over, my heart skipped a beat. He was leaning in toward Sophie Grant. I didn't know what Sophie said to him, but a faint smile appeared on his lips.
I could clearly hear the office gossip around me. "Mr. Harper and the new assistant, Sophie, totally look like they were made for each other. I heard they started dating back in high school."
"Mr. Harper can't take his eyes off her whenever Sophie's around."
"Don't get me started. Mr. Harper picks Sophie up and drops her off every day. That's so sweet."
My feet felt like they were made of lead. I couldn't move. I lowered my head, turned around stiffly, and tried to quietly sneak away.
"Emma?" James grabbed my wrist and pulled me into a quiet corner outside the office. "What are you doing here?"
The way he questioned me made my chest tighten. "I booked that restaurant you've always wanted to try. I wanted to surprise you for your birthday."
James paused, something complicated flickering in his eyes. "Let's go."
"James, did you forget you promised to have dinner with me tonight?" Sophie called out, her voice tinged with disappointment.
Her gaze slid past James. She sized me up from head to toe, almost imperceptibly. Then she broke into a smile. "Hello, I'm Sophie, James's assistant. So you're James's sister?"
The atmosphere instantly froze around us. James pressed his lips together, staying silent. I looked at her and shook my head. "We're married."
Hearing that, Sophie bit her lip. Her expression was soft and vulnerable. "Guess I shouldn't intrude tonight."
"You're not interrupting anything," James's tone was firm. "It'd be dull with two of us. Come along."
He turned around, and Sophie gave me a quick glance before quickly catching up to him. The two of them stood side by side in front of me. The distance between us kept growing.
In the passenger seat, Sophie's voice sounded helpless, but the smile on her lips was especially grating. "Emma, everyone at the office loves to joke around. Don't take it to heart.
"I've already explained that James only posted my photo because he lost a dare at our class reunion, but nobody believes me. Now they're saying we're getting back together."
After replying to the lawyer's message, I spoke up calmly. "You two do make a great couple."
James's cold voice finally cut in. "Sophie was trying to explain things for you. Why are you being like this?"
Sophie quickly tried to smooth things over. "Emma came all the way to the office today to surprise you. Don't be so harsh."
James didn't glance at me. "She could've surprised me at home. I don't know why she had to come to the office. Don't come here again. I don't want anyone knowing about my personal life."
Sophie leaned over, smoothly connecting her playlist.
"So, now that the whole office is gossiping about your personal life, does that not bother you?" I said.
James slammed on the brakes and stopped the car by the curb. An icy, menacing chill radiated from him. "Get out."
My hand slowly clenched into a fist. "I wanted to celebrate your birthday."
James spoke, with each word sharp and deliberate. "Well, my birthday wish is for you to disappear from my life."
The moment my feet hit the ground, the car sped off. I stood there, staring after it for a long time.
After spending so long planning his birthday surprise, I still didn't deserve to have my name mentioned. But suddenly, I couldn't cry at all.