"But she denies knowing the terrorists or being aware that she was a target. We can't convict someone based on speculation alone," Travis said.He lit a cigarette and offered me one."No thanks, I don't smoke," I declined."Right, I almost forgot you used to be a firefighter.""You want me to get Esther to talk, don't you?" I guessed."Yes. I looked into her background. Single-parent family, father died early, adopted at 10, raised by others. Growing up like that, you might be the only person she trusts."I laughed and shook my head. "You don't know her at all. The only person Esther truly trusts is herself."I remembered how she suddenly left for France to study three years ago, then just as suddenly returned to me a year ago. She never consults me about anything, always seeming sure of herself. She's never shown the typical impulsiveness or confusion of youth. Perhaps those of us who grow up in broken homes skip childhood and adolescence too quickly."Last time, you told me t
As usual, Grey came to pick me up for work in the morning."Did... did you stay here last night?" Grey was startled to see Gregory coming out of the bathroom, brushing his teeth."Morning!" Gregory greeted Grey cheerfully."Stay away from me, you're spraying toothpaste everywhere. How could you spend the night here? I'm telling Will about this.""Do you get a bonus for tattling to Will or something? Why do you have to tell him everything? It rained heavily last night, so Gregory slept on the couch. Don't get any weird ideas," I said, coming out of the kitchen with freshly made avocado sandwiches. I handed one to Grey. "Sit down and have breakfast with us.""How did you know I get a bonus for snitching? And how did you know I hadn't eaten breakfast?" Grey asked, helping me set the table for three."I always see you going to the convenience store after dropping me off at work. You must not have time for breakfast before coming to pick me up.""Trying to bribe me with breakfast, hu
After spending the whole evening buttering up to Luther, he finally gave up on the idea of confronting Hugh.The next morning, Will was up earlier than me. Seeing him about to leave for work, I quickly grabbed a piece of bread and followed him, planning to sneak out together. If we ran into Luther, he'd surely lecture me again."Stop right there. Neither of you is going to the office today. You're coming with me to kayak," Luther called out just as we reached the door.Will and I exchanged glances, shrugged, then went back to our rooms to change into kayaking gear.Luther took us to a small lake behind the estate. The morning light shimmered on the water, casting a soft golden glow. The gentle breeze rustling the lakeside grass also soothed my troubled mind.When we were little, he often brought us here to kayak. Watching Luther push the kayak into the lake, I realized he had aged too. His silhouette seemed smaller now. As a child, I always thought his back was big enough to block
Will and I rushed to the hospital where the commotion was taking place.The hospital director hurried over to Will, saying, "We've never dealt with such a difficult woman before! I've tried everything to persuade her to leave, but she won't budge. She's disrupting the doctors' work. That's why I had to call you for help."Outside a room on the third floor, several reporters were snapping photos. A shrill voice came from inside:"How dare you push me, you bitch! You thief!"Wait, why does that voice sound so familiar?I quickly pushed past the reporters blocking the door."It's you! Carol!" I couldn't help but laugh when I saw her. Talk about running into trouble."What are you doing here?" Carol stopped what she was doing, releasing a nurse's collar, and stared at me in surprise."This hospital belongs to our group. I'm here to see who's causing a scene.""Me? Causing a scene? I'm here to report your nurse for theft and assault!"Carol crossed her arms, chin raised haughtily.
After Carol left, I approached Janet. "Janet, Will's suspension is only temporary. Once things are cleared up tomorrow, I'll help you get reinstated as soon as possible.""Thank you for standing up for me earlier. I don't even know your name yet.""I'm Shelia. Let's exchange phone numbers so we can keep in touch tomorrow."Janet had a gentle voice and looked about 20. Her short brown hair had a playful streak of pink, and her nose was dotted with freckles. She had slight buck teeth, but there was a natural sexiness about her."You can go home and rest today. I'll have a driver take you," I said, walking Janet to the hospital entrance."That's not necessary. I can take a taxi. You've already helped me so much." She seemed hesitant about my kindness, as if afraid of being a bother.Suddenly, a convertible sports car pulled up in front of us. The door opened, and a blond man in sportswear and sunglasses stepped out."Mason?""Shelia?"We called out each other's names almost simultaneously
"Wasn't she fine this afternoon? How did she suddenly have an asthma attack?" Mason peeked into the hospital room, then asked me and Janet's roommate in a low voice."You have the nerve to ask? It's all your fault. Haven't you seen the gossip online?" I snapped."How is this my fault again?""See for yourself." I handed him my phone."How can these entertainment reporters write such nonsense? When did Carol become my girlfriend? At most, she's my sex friend! And she's always the one throwing herself at me.""Wait, this photo of Carol's back isn't right. How could Janet have hurt her? It's clearly from when I dripped wax on her back last night. I even took a photo to remember it," Mason said, pulling out his own phone. "The shape is identical, look. Don't swipe right though, the rest are even more intense.""You played BDSM with Carol last night, and today you're here pursuing Janet? Do you have any sense of morality?!" Looking at the photos on Mason's phone, I felt like my eyes h
Since Esther and I returned from Will's interrogation room two days ago, Esther has become even clingier, probably trying to mend our relationship.These past two days, she's been coming to the company at lunchtime to invite me out. I haven't refused.After lunch, we were driving back to the office. But at the reception of Thornton Group's building, I saw Shelia!She wasn't alone. A young girl stood beside her, along with that annoying new boyfriend of hers, Gregory!"Are you here to see me?" I asked, approaching Shelia."Your company allows dating during work hours? No wonder your stock prices dropped again recently," Shelia's tone was full of hostility."Can't we talk civilly anymore?" Shelia's attitude stung a bit."I'm not here for you. I'm here for Carol. But your company's security won't let us in.""What do you want with Carol? Has she caused trouble again?" I frowned slightly."False accusation, defamation, causing my client to have an asthma attack that nearly killed
That evening, I saw Carol's apology video online. I quickly created an online chat group and forwarded it to Janet and Gregory.Gregory: Haha, no wonder she couldn't make it big in Hollywood after three years. Her acting is so over the top.Me: Trying to squeeze out tears when there aren't any.Janet: Thank you both so much for your help. Let me treat you to dinner this weekend.Gregory: Wait until you get the compensation from Carol first.Janet: The compensation doesn't really matter. I just wanted to clear my name.Me: You're too kind. We can't go easy on people like Carol!After chatting with them for a while, I received a text from Hugh:"You haven't set a time for tomorrow yet.""9 AM," I replied.After sending that message, I turned off my phone and prepared to shower and sleep.I recalled Hugh holding Esther's hand as they returned to the office building at noon. I couldn't remain completely unmoved, but it didn't sting as much as before. Since moving out of the Thorn