On Valentine’s Day, a $5,200 charge popped up on my credit card. I was still processing it when an unknown number called. “Hello, is this Ms. Tiffany Vance? I’m calling about the Valentine’s package from Mr. Jenkins. The Ecuadorian roses and the Dom Pérignon are out for delivery, and your 3-star Michelin dinner reservations for tonight are all set. Will you be at the office to receive the delivery?” I froze. Liam and I kept our office romance a secret for three years. Just two days ago, he held me close and reassured me: “Baby, just wait a little longer. Once I make Director, we can finally go public.” I asked the so-called luxury concierge, “Are you sure you have the right person?” The guy paused, checking his notes. “Let me pull up the details… It says here it’s from your boyfriend, Liam Jenkins. Is that right?” I nodded at first, but then it hit me. My last name is Vance. But my first name isn’t Tiffany. Tiffany was our new intern. The second she joined, she made sure everyone knew she was the CEO’s niece. By week one, she closed a massive client I’d spent three months chasing. Liam scoffed at her back then. “Total nepo baby. She only landed that deal by riding her uncle’s coattails. What’s the big deal?” I just smiled and let it slide. Turns out, he was playing the perfect boyfriend to someone else—on my dime. I let out a cold laugh. “Actually, swap those roses for a massive funeral wreath. And cancel that dinner reservation.” …… I hung up just as Tiffany strolled in, armed with a dozen aggressively expensive coffees. “Happy Valentine’s Day! My boyfriend wanted to treat the whole department to coffee!” She slammed a cup on my desk with a smirk. “Emilia, this is Blue Bottle. You’ve probably never had it, right?” My coworkers instantly swarmed her, kissing up as usual. “Your boyfriend is so good to you! Rich, handsome, and so considerate—he even thought of us!” “Seriously, Tiffany is literally God’s favorite. The CEO’s niece and she has a perfect boyfriend? When do we get to meet this dream guy?” Tiffany noticed my silence and seized the moment. She raised her voice so the whole office could hear. “Emilia, didn’t you mention you had a boyfriend too? What did he get you for Valentine’s? It’s awfully quiet over there…” She looked at me in pure mockery. “Don’t tell me… he didn’t get you anything at all?” A coworker scoffed. “Emilia talks about this guy every day, but have any of us actually met him? Three years, and not a single sighting. I bet she just made him up!” “Yeah, totally. Look at Tiffany’s boyfriend—the surprises never stop. Emilia, what has your boyfriend ever given you?” I shot a glance at Liam. Panic flashed across his face. He forced an awkward laugh, scrambling to change the subject. “Come on guys, leave Emilia alone. So she invented a guy to save face. It’s no big deal.”
My instincts told me something was off. Usually, whenever coworkers joked about my boyfriend, Liam would just ignore them and play dumb. But today, he was way too eager to brush it off. I checked my banking app, only to find my alerts under $1,000 were turned off. $388… $698… $999… Dozens of charges I never made. All from this month alone. So that’s why. No wonder Liam tried to shut them up so quickly. He was terrified I’d connect the dots. My blood boiled. I shot out of my chair. “Liam…” But before I could finish, Tiffany’s shrill voice cut me off. She walked over, flashing a smile as she looped her arm through Liam’s. “Everyone, let me officially introduce you. Liam is my boyfriend.” “I wanted to keep it low-key, but Liam didn’t want to keep me hidden anymore. He insisted on going public for Valentine’s Day!” The office erupted. “Wait, Liam is your boyfriend? No wonder I saw you guys leaving together last month!” “You two are literally a perfect couple! Wealthy heiress and handsome high-flyer!” “Come on, Liam. Don’t tell me coffee is all you got her for Valentine’s. Spill!” Tiffany giggled behind her hand, but her gaze cut me like a knife. “Oh, it’s nothing crazy. He just Zelled me $15,000 for Valentine’s, ordered 999 roses and booked a Michelin-star dinner. They’ll be delivered here in a bit, you’ll see.”
I stood there, staring at Liam in disbelief. Three years of a secret romance. He told me he valued his privacy. That he didn’t want to be office gossip. I respected that. I never breathed a word about us to anyone. But now? Tiffany just claimed he insisted on going public for her. Then what the hell was I? What were our three years together? Liam came from nothing. He sent most of his paycheck back to his family every month, and I never complained once. I figured he was strapped for cash, so I always picked up the tab. No big deal. It wasn’t until this moment that the truth hit me. He wasn’t broke. He just didn’t think I was worth his money. I bit my lip hard, refusing to let him see me break. Tiffany shot me a taunting look. “Emilia, what’s with that look? Aren’t you going to congratulate us?” Looking at her expression, it all clicked. She knew about Liam and me from the very beginning. She did all of this on purpose.
I ignored her, locking eyes with Liam. My voice cracked. “Liam, I don’t buy it. Tell me yourself.” Liam avoided my gaze for a split second. But he quickly squared his shoulders. His tone was cold and detached. “Emilia, I admit you’re attractive, but face reality. Tiffany is the one I love.” “Could you stop obsessing over me? It’s pathetic. You’re acting like a total stalker.” I scoffed. Thinking back, when Tiffany landed that massive client, Liam wasn’t sneering. He was jealous. Bitter that his own girlfriend was just a nobody. Bitter that a trust-fund baby like Tiffany wasn’t already in his pocket. At his words, the coworkers’ stares felt like daggers. “Jesus, Emilia. Did you seriously think you were Liam’s girlfriend?” “This is hilarious. Tiffany is rich, connected, and capable. What do you even have?” “Tiffany, your uncle is the CEO, right? Just have him fire this psycho. Sharing an office with her is gross.” I let out a cold laugh. “Fire me?” “Why don’t you ask Tiffany if she has the pull?”
Tiffany paled for a second. But the crowd’s flattery fueled her ego. She marched up to my desk, glaring down at me. “Emilia, do yourself a favor and just quit. I’ll pretend the whole ‘hitting on my boyfriend’ thing didn’t happen. Otherwise, I’m calling my uncle to get you kicked out!” I sat back down, unbothered. “Sorry, but I won’t be quitting. If anyone has a problem with me, there’s the door. Don’t let it hit you on the way out.” “You—” Tiffany’s face turned beet red. “Fine, Emilia! Since you’re so desperate to humiliate yourself, I’ll let you see what a real Valentine’s gift looks like!” “If Liam is really your boyfriend, where’s your surprise?” I let out a laugh. A surprise? Bring it on. I’ll wait. Because they’re the ones in for a rude awakening today… Not me.
The office drama died down for now. I stepped out to use the restroom, only for Liam to corner me in the hallway. He looked impatient. “Emilia, was I not clear enough? Why are you still dead set on hanging around the office?” “Tiffany is the CEO’s niece. Being with her fast-tracks my career by ten years. And you? What could you possibly offer me?” I stared at him. So this was the real Liam. “You’re dumping me just because Tiffany claims to be the CEO’s niece?” Liam frowned. “Don’t make it sound so ugly. People trade up. I did nothing wrong. If you want to blame someone, blame your own family for being nobodies!” He turned and stormed off. I watched him walk away with a cold laugh. When I first joined the company, my dad—Robert Vance, the real CEO— wanted to put me straight into the executive suite. But I wanted to work my way up from the bottom. Just to prove myself. To avoid any special treatment, I kept my identity under wraps. After three years of grinding it out, my dad decided it was time. At the quarterly meeting, he’d reveal who I was and make me Marketing Director. I had planned to tell Liam today. Give him a Valentine’s surprise. I didn’t expect a slap in the face instead. Three years of my life, completely down the drain.
Back at my desk, I pulled up every charge Liam made on my cards. Especially all the times he secretly swiped my card to buy gifts for Tiffany. I screenshotted every receipt and built a detailed document. Right before I clocked out, a huge commotion erupted outside. Two coworkers rushed up to my desk, sneering down at me. “Liam’s gift for Tiffany is here, down in the lobby! Come see what a real gift looks like!” “I bet you’ve never seen anything this luxurious in your life.” They didn’t stop talking as they grabbed my arm, dragging me out. Instead of fighting back, I just went with it. After all, they had a point. I had never seen what a $5,200 funeral wreath looked like. I kind of wanted to see it myself. As we hit the lobby, a concierge’s booming voice echoed through the space: “Delivery for Tiffany? Valentine’s gift from a Mr. Jenkins.” I looked over. Inside the black van sat a massive object shrouded in velvet. Tiffany gloated before stepping forward, acting shy. “Hi, my boyfriend ordered this for me. Thank you.” The crowd buzzed with envy. A few even shot me mocking looks, hoping for a scene. The next second, the concierge yanked the velvet cloth away. Underneath sat a giant wreath of white lilies and chrysanthemums. The concierge raised a megaphone and blared: “One funeral wreath from your boyfriend, Mr. Jenkins. Sign here, please.” The room went dead silent. All the color drained from Tiffany’s face.
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