Chapter 2 · Unmasking Her

I slammed my fork down and smiled.

I said, "You're flirting with someone else's boyfriend right in front of his girlfriend. You really don't care about boundaries, huh?"

I continued, "But maybe try dressing like a guy next time. Otherwise, if people start thinking you're a homewrecker, your reputation's gonna take a hit."

The whole room went quiet.

Riley pressed her lips together.

I caught a flicker of anger on her face.

She shot me a defiant look, covering her mouth like it was no big deal.

Riley said, "Guess you didn't know, huh? Felix and I have kissed before! Our department is always super busy, so I like to spice things up with some perks and games.

"One time, Felix and I randomly got teamed up, and the task was to kiss if we wanted to win. He didn't even say no. You wouldn’t be petty enough to get jealous over this, would you?"

Riley acted like she was just explaining, but I could tell she was bragging.

This was her usual trick. She'd use jokes to push my boundaries, chipping away at my defenses little by little.

In the previous timeline, Sophia had complained to me about this too.

Riley had made out with James right in front of everyone, all under the excuse of playing a game.

It totally humiliated Sophia.

I leaned back in my chair, a knowing smile on my face.

I said, "If memory serves, you kissed James before too, Riley. Looks like James wasn't the only one, huh? Is there any guy in the department you haven't kissed?

"Maybe that's just how you bond with the guys, Miss Blake. By that logic, all the guys have pretty much kissed each other thanks to you."

In the quiet room, I could hear a few barely audible gagging sounds.

Just imagining it was enough to make everyone feel sick.

Riley froze, like she'd been choked up and caught off guard.

She was speechless for a while. She looked both pissed and flustered.

Seeing her reaction, I couldn't help but smirk.

I turned her own tricks against her, putting her up on that moral pedestal she loved so much.

I said, "I'm just straightforward and always speak my mind. I'm not trying to diss you, so don't take it personally."

"You're definitely not the type to fuss over things like us girls, right, Miss Blake?"

Riley's face turned bright red. She was fuming.

Through gritted teeth, she managed to say, "You're right. But seriously, I'm just friends with those guys. So quit jumping to conclusions about me, alright?"

I shot back, "Unless you magically turn into a guy, then we'll talk."

Her expression soured. She just bit her lip, saying nothing.

Riley only regained her composure when she saw Felix set his glass down.

Taking her sweet time, she picked up Felix's glass.

She took a sip right from the spot where his lips had just touched.

Then, shooting me a provocative look, she slipped her tongue inside the glass and gave it a slow, deliberate lick.

"Let's have a drink, Felix. And you too, Courtney," she said.

Right in front of me, Riley gave Felix the glass she'd just licked.

She clinked her glass with his.

Felix noticed, but didn't care at all. He tipped his head back and downed the red wine.

I shot Felix a glare.

"Doesn't it gross you out, sharing spit with someone else?" I asked.

Seeing me get riled up, Riley thought she'd scored a win.

She flashed a smug grin. "Come on, Felix has swapped spit with you too."

Without saying a word, I reached over and snatched the glass from Felix's hand.

I slammed it right at Riley's feet.

The deep red wine slowly seeped into her shoes.

Then, I gave her a hard slap across the face.

Riley staggered, nearly falling over.

Once she realized what had happened, Riley shot daggers at me, her face twisted with rage.

I couldn't care less about her death glare.

Awkward vibes filled the room. The tension was so thick that nobody dared to break the silence.

Sophia finally worked up the nerve to step in and smooth things over.

She said, "Courtney and Felix are together, so no matter what, but you shouldn't talk about this openly.

"Let's be real, you were the one out of line. Courtney got mad and slapped you. So now you're even."

I glanced at Sophia in surprise.

It was true that Sophia and James were a couple. But James's heart was always with Riley.

In the previous timeline, James was Riley's hopelessly devoted puppy.

He'd let Riley walk all over Sophia, and if Sophia ever said anything about Riley, he'd lash out at her.

Sophia was usually shy, so this was the first time she'd ever stood up for someone.

But Riley always had James at her beck and call.

She never gave Sophia the time of day.

Riley snapped, "Who do you think you are to call it even? If you hadn't gotten lucky and ended up with James, you wouldn't even have the right to talk to me.

"If you've got nothing better to do, just get out. My business isn't yours to comment on."

Riley fired off insults at Sophia, not holding back for a second.

She was venting all the humiliation she'd just suffered from me onto Sophia.

"Where's James? Tell him to keep his girlfriend in check!" Riley barked.

She let out a cold snort, a malicious grin curling on her lips. "If you're feeling itchy, go wash up. Quit acting all thirsty in front of the guys in our department."

Chapter 2

I slammed my fork down and smiled.

I said, "You're flirting with someone else's boyfriend right in front of his girlfriend. You really don't care about boundaries, huh?"

I continued, "But maybe try dressing like a guy next time. Otherwise, if people start thinking you're a homewrecker, your reputation's gonna take a hit."

The whole room went quiet.

Riley pressed her lips together.

I caught a flicker of anger on her face.

She shot me a defiant look, covering her mouth like it was no big deal.

Riley said, "Guess you didn't know, huh? Felix and I have kissed before! Our department is always super busy, so I like to spice things up with some perks and games.

"One time, Felix and I randomly got teamed up, and the task was to kiss if we wanted to win. He didn't even say no. You wouldn’t be petty enough to get jealous over this, would you?"

Riley acted like she was just explaining, but I could tell she was bragging.

This was her usual trick. She'd use jokes to push my boundaries, chipping away at my defenses little by little.

In the previous timeline, Sophia had complained to me about this too.

Riley had made out with James right in front of everyone, all under the excuse of playing a game.

It totally humiliated Sophia.

I leaned back in my chair, a knowing smile on my face.

I said, "If memory serves, you kissed James before too, Riley. Looks like James wasn't the only one, huh? Is there any guy in the department you haven't kissed?

"Maybe that's just how you bond with the guys, Miss Blake. By that logic, all the guys have pretty much kissed each other thanks to you."

In the quiet room, I could hear a few barely audible gagging sounds.

Just imagining it was enough to make everyone feel sick.

Riley froze, like she'd been choked up and caught off guard.

She was speechless for a while. She looked both pissed and flustered.

Seeing her reaction, I couldn't help but smirk.

I turned her own tricks against her, putting her up on that moral pedestal she loved so much.

I said, "I'm just straightforward and always speak my mind. I'm not trying to diss you, so don't take it personally."

"You're definitely not the type to fuss over things like us girls, right, Miss Blake?"

Riley's face turned bright red. She was fuming.

Through gritted teeth, she managed to say, "You're right. But seriously, I'm just friends with those guys. So quit jumping to conclusions about me, alright?"

I shot back, "Unless you magically turn into a guy, then we'll talk."

Her expression soured. She just bit her lip, saying nothing.

Riley only regained her composure when she saw Felix set his glass down.

Taking her sweet time, she picked up Felix's glass.

She took a sip right from the spot where his lips had just touched.

Then, shooting me a provocative look, she slipped her tongue inside the glass and gave it a slow, deliberate lick.

"Let's have a drink, Felix. And you too, Courtney," she said.

Right in front of me, Riley gave Felix the glass she'd just licked.

She clinked her glass with his.

Felix noticed, but didn't care at all. He tipped his head back and downed the red wine.

I shot Felix a glare.

"Doesn't it gross you out, sharing spit with someone else?" I asked.

Seeing me get riled up, Riley thought she'd scored a win.

She flashed a smug grin. "Come on, Felix has swapped spit with you too."

Without saying a word, I reached over and snatched the glass from Felix's hand.

I slammed it right at Riley's feet.

The deep red wine slowly seeped into her shoes.

Then, I gave her a hard slap across the face.

Riley staggered, nearly falling over.

Once she realized what had happened, Riley shot daggers at me, her face twisted with rage.

I couldn't care less about her death glare.

Awkward vibes filled the room. The tension was so thick that nobody dared to break the silence.

Sophia finally worked up the nerve to step in and smooth things over.

She said, "Courtney and Felix are together, so no matter what, but you shouldn't talk about this openly.

"Let's be real, you were the one out of line. Courtney got mad and slapped you. So now you're even."

I glanced at Sophia in surprise.

It was true that Sophia and James were a couple. But James's heart was always with Riley.

In the previous timeline, James was Riley's hopelessly devoted puppy.

He'd let Riley walk all over Sophia, and if Sophia ever said anything about Riley, he'd lash out at her.

Sophia was usually shy, so this was the first time she'd ever stood up for someone.

But Riley always had James at her beck and call.

She never gave Sophia the time of day.

Riley snapped, "Who do you think you are to call it even? If you hadn't gotten lucky and ended up with James, you wouldn't even have the right to talk to me.

"If you've got nothing better to do, just get out. My business isn't yours to comment on."

Riley fired off insults at Sophia, not holding back for a second.

She was venting all the humiliation she'd just suffered from me onto Sophia.

"Where's James? Tell him to keep his girlfriend in check!" Riley barked.

She let out a cold snort, a malicious grin curling on her lips. "If you're feeling itchy, go wash up. Quit acting all thirsty in front of the guys in our department."