Chapter 1
Lila Bennett was late again.
As usual.
Her heels clicked nervously against the polished floor of the office building. She clutched a stack of documents tightly against her chest, her handbag swinging awkwardly at her side as she hurried down the hallway.
The moment she reached her office area, she didn't even bother sitting down to catch her breath.
The only thing on her mind was delivering the documents to her boss before doing anything else.
As she walked, her eyes drifted toward another office.
It was empty.
Where was Jason Carter?
He was always the first to arrive at work, burying himself in documents, his usual frown deepening whenever he concentrated.
Maybe he went somewhere, she thought before pushing the idea aside.
Taking a deep breath, she walked toward her boss's office.
The papers were still pressed tightly against her chest.
She raised her hand, ready to knock.
Then...
She heard it.
A soft...
Unmistakable kissing sound.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Lila froze.
Before she could quietly turn around and come back another time, the sleeve of her loose blouse caught on the door handle.
"W-What..."
She tried to free herself, but the fabric pulled her forward.
Her arms flailed wildly.
The documents slipped from her hands, scattering across the floor like frightened birds.
"No...!"
She stumbled forward and slammed against the door.
Thankfully, it wasn't locked.
The door slowly swung open with a soft creak.
Lila lost her balance and tumbled inside.
"Oh no... no... no..." she muttered under her breath, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.
She quickly knelt down, trying to gather the scattered papers with trembling hands.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to—"
Her voice suddenly stopped.
She slowly raised her head.
Her blood ran cold.
Jason Carter was sitting comfortably on the office chair.
And...
Victoria Sterling...
Her boss...
Was sitting on his lap.
Victoria wore a faint smile as she wrapped both arms around Jason's shoulders.
Her face rested against his neck as she kissed him lovingly.
Their closeness was impossible to misunderstand.
Lila's chest tightened painfully.
The papers slipped from her fingers once again.
Fluttering helplessly onto the floor.
Her mind went completely blank.
This...
This isn't real.
It can't be real.
Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks.
One after another.
She stood there frozen.
Unable to move.
Unable to breathe.
Jason Carter looked at her.
His expression was cold.
As though she were nothing more than a complete stranger.
Victoria Sterling didn't even spare Lila a single glance.
Instead, she continued resting comfortably against Jason, a satisfied smile playing on her lips.
Lila's heart pounded painfully against her chest.
Shock.
Hurt.
Anger.
Confusion.
Thousands of questions screamed inside her mind.
But no words came out.
Without saying anything, she suddenly turned around.
Her heels struck the floor loudly as she hurried out of the office.
---
Back at her desk, Lila buried her face in both hands.
The tears refused to stop.
How could Jason Carter...
The man she had trusted.
The man she had loved for six years...
Do this to her?
She replayed the scene over and over again.
She wanted to scream.
She wanted to demand an explanation.
But all she could do was cry.
After several minutes...
Lila suddenly stood up.
Bang!
Her knee slammed hard against the edge of the desk.
A sharp pain shot through her leg.
But she didn't care.
She grabbed her handbag and walked away quickly, almost as though something was chasing her.
She ignored every curious stare around her.
All she knew...
Was that she had to leave this suffocating company before she completely broke apart.
"What's wrong with her?" one colleague whispered as Lila rushed past.
"Her eyes are so red," another murmured.
"Did the boss fire her?"
"I don't think so."
"Don't you think something is strange?"
"Jason came to work this morning, but he didn't even go to his own office."
"He went straight to the boss's office..."
"And he still hasn't come out."
"Oh my..."
"Do you think she caught them together?"
"Shhh..."
"We don't know anything."
"Yes... yes…”
