Chapter 4

Simon and I met at a trivia contest. We admired each other and respected each other's talent, so we got together naturally.

After graduation, we both landed jobs at the same company, starting at the bottom.

At first, our salaries were low. Combined, we barely covered our daily expenses. Luckily, we had this apartment, so we didn't need to rent and saved a huge chunk of money.

We worked our tails off, performed well, got promoted quickly, and our pay kept going up.

Last year, we bought a car together to make commuting easier, and it was registered under my name.

Later on, since Simon had to travel a lot for work and his schedule was all over the place, he ended up driving the car most of the time.

A week ago, Simon left early and drove himself to the airport.

Meanwhile, my project was at a critical stage, so I was working overtime almost every day. I never thought about picking up the car from the parking garage.

Until I saw the lucky charm in the car had been replaced by a childish fuse bead craft, I realized I hadn't been in the car for so long that it was covered with traces of someone else.

Two months ago, Simon got promoted to project manager, the same level as me. We were put in charge of different projects. Our salaries kept climbing, too.

I thought our lives would keep getting better and we'd embrace promising prospects together. But I never expected that he had gone off course.

The young man in his graduation gown, standing under the lush summer tree and gazing at me tenderly with his wish to strive for a bright future alongside me, had finally gotten lost in worldly fame and gain.

When I woke up, I lay in bed staring blankly for quite a while.

I pulled myself together, thought about it for a moment, and then called for a cleaning service. "Throw away everything that belongs to a man and clean every corner."

The cleaner worked fast. By noon, it was like Simon had never lived here.

I changed the door lock code and deleted Simon's fingerprint, leaving only mine.

It was nice. I shouldn't have any bad dreams tonight.

*****

I grabbed my bag and headed to the company.

As soon as I walked in, I could feel all those strange eyes on me. I said nothing and went straight to my office.

The project managers' offices were pretty close together, and all the colleagues knew the relationship between Simon and me. Our offices were next-door to each other, the closest pair.

But now my office door stood wide open. My stuff was dumped in a messy pile out by the doorway, left there untouched.

Lily stepped out of the office next door, wearing a sweet smile. When she saw me at the door, a flash of smugness crossed her face. "Oh, Ms. Carter, I'm so sorry.

"Mr. Wilson said I've got loads to learn lately and need to stay close to him. So he took over your office, since it's the nearest one to his. You don't mind, right?"

Simon came out too, one hand in his trouser pocket, looking aloof. "Don't argue with the new girl. There is an empty office in the southeast corner. You can move there."

That office hadn't been used in years. It was right next to the toilet and covered in dust.

I sneered, "Simon, who gave you the right to swap my office without asking?"

Simon frowned. "Think of it as helping out the newbie. The offices are all the same. Why are you making such a big deal out of this?"

"If you're so keen on looking after the novice, why don't you give her your own office? You're using my place to score points with your girl. Pretty big-hearted when it's not your things, huh?"

I glanced at my belongings on the floor, looked up, and asked, "Who threw my things out?"

Lily blinked. "It was me, Ms. Carter. You hadn't shown up, and I couldn't wait, so I took care of it myself."

I stared at her smug face, let out a short laugh, crouched down to sort through my stuff for a bit, and then stood up.

I pulled out my phone and dialed 911. "Hello, this is the 46th floor of Victory Tower. I want to file a police report."

Meeting Lily and Simon's shocked stares, I smirked. "I've lost a gemstone bracelet worth 30,000 dollars. The suspect is right here. Please send officers over as soon as possible."