LIANA Zaylen’s eyes lingered on mine for a minute before he turned to James. “Stop bothering somebody hard at work, James, and get back to work, unless you want me to start docking your pay, or worse, fire you.” James dashed away, and I giggled at that scene. “Thank you,” I whispered almost in an inaudible tone. Zaylen twitched his lips and handsomely put his hands in his pocket. “Listen. I won’t come back to the office today after lunch.” “Huh?” Disappointment flushed all over me. Did it mean our dinner da—discussion for revenge was canceled today? “But don’t worry,” his words brought me out of my trance. “I will come pick you up when you are done, okay?”I could feel the heat surge into my cheeks as I nodded. Sparing one last glance at me, he left. I was about to touch my cheek, but I looked around to find everyone curiously staring at me, probably wondering what Zaylen said as we were whispering. I saw Lara squinting her eyes while James had his fists clenched. Oh, so t

LIANA I arched an eyebrow. Sorry? How can Lara be apologetic within a day? Didn't she just taunt me about shifting to Zayden earlier? “Please forgive me. I made a mistake, I know,” she started speaking. “It’s just that I liked James so much and… I also couldn’t give up on our friendship. So I ended up doing that. I am so sorry…” she burst into tears. “Please give me one more chance. I won't fuck it up anymore.” “You can even have James back. I told you, right? I won't go within ten meter radius of us ever again, even if I like him so much. I will give up on the man I love for your sake. Let's just be friends again, please. I can't imagine my life without you in it,” she cried. Her tears weren't fooling anybody, and I was the last person to be fooled by her anymore. I found her tears to be crocodile tears. However, even I can play the game. So I pretended to be heartbroken as I said, “I know, Lara. I know you… and I am so sorry to have been rude to you earlier. I know in the dee

LIANA “You still didn’t tell me what we should do with Lara,” Zaylen pointed out. “Right. We need to find more information on her because Lara isn’t the type to be hurt so easily. Even if she lost her job, she would manage to survive that somehow. She has ways.” “Then how about we target her family like James’s?” he suggested. “Lara doesn’t even have a family. She grew up with a distant relative and left that house when she became eighteen. That’s how she always garnered sympathy from others,” I informed him, and he nodded, understanding the scenario. “In that case, I know a good private investigator. I will ask that person to do a background check on Lara. And just to be safe, James as well,” he stated. “Okay, thank you. I don't know how I would have managed to dig information on Lara, otherwise.” “I told you that I would help you. This is the least I can do for you since you have already taken it upon yourself to handle James.” “I would still like some help if James bothers

LIANA As I stepped out of my apartment, my mind already preoccupied with the day ahead, a colorful bouquet caught my eye. Its presence was vibrant against the dull backdrop of the hallway, which instantly soured my mood. I recognized it immediately, even before my gaze drifted to the attached note. James. The note said, “I am sorry, Liana. I love you. Forga-ive me.” I rolled my eyes. He didn’t even bother to write a new note. That’s how sorry he was. Wow! God, he didn’t even know what my favorite flower was. That’s why he had sent this variety of flowers. He thought I wouldn’t catch that? I swept the flowers from their perch and deposited them unceremoniously into the nearby trash bin. No apology could erase the pain he had caused, nor could it erase the betrayal. If he was in front of me, I swear to God, I would have fed him the flowers and choked him to death. I slid into the driver's seat of my car, the engine humming to life. As I started driving, my phone rang instantly.

LIANAAs I stepped into the familiar hustle and bustle of the office, my thoughts still lingered on the conversation with Zaylen. But before I could fully immerse myself in the day's tasks, a voice sliced through the chatter, sending a shiver down my spine. "Liana," James called out, his tone a sickening blend of remorse and desperation, "did you get my flowers?" I turned to face him, my expression impassive despite the tumult of emotions churning within me — mostly rage. "Yes, I did," I replied curtly, my voice tinged with a cold edge, "and I threw them into the trash where they belong." His face fell, a mask of hurt and disbelief. "Liana, please," he pleaded, reaching out to touch my arm, "can we talk? Just for a few minutes?" I sighed, relenting to his request with a begrudging nod. Leading him to a secluded corner of the office, I turned to face him, my arms crossed tightly over my chest. "What do you want, James?" I asked, my voice clipped. He swallowed hard, his eyes dartin