For the thirty-eighth time, Brandon Hayes slapped Tiffany Stone’s name on my design and called it her promotion. I didn’t react hysterically as I usually would. Instead, I just shrugged, “Whatever makes you happy.” He always said his grandfather found me to make the family money. That I was a placeholder who’d stolen the fiancée title meant for Tiffany. It wasn’t until Tiffany tore up a cherished painting of mine, only to be falsely accused myself, that I finally understood why he was so obsessed with her. If he was so blind he mistook the wrong person for his ‘destiny,’ why should I keep suffering for nothing? When my best friend, Chloe Miller, found out I was planning to leave Brandon, she was ecstatic, practically incoherent. “Let’s order eighteen male models tonight to celebrate your escape from that hell!” I chuckled, glanced at the growing shadow on the table, and hung up. Turning around, I saw Brandon casually asking, “Eighteen male models for what?” I suppressed a smile, vaguely replying, “New models the company just hired.” He didn’t press, but my gaze lingered on the bubble tea in his hand, and I felt a pang of something. “Craving it, aren’t you? It’s for you.” That fall, my SnapChat feed was flooded with couples flaunting their bubble teas. I’d begged Brandon for ages, but he never bought me one. I thought he was saving it to make up for it on a colder day, for winter. My heart fluttered for a second. I pulled open the drawer, my hand brushing against my allergy medicine, when Tiffany’s sweet, innocent laugh echoed in the air. “Brandon, thank you for the bubble tea! It’s even better than the first one you bought me last fall.” His eyes were brimming with affection. “You can ask me to buy it for you anytime you want.” “Consider this bubble tea your treat for the whole company. As for your promotion gift, we’ll think of something else.” I froze, taking a long moment to process what he’d said. This bubble tea wasn’t because he’d listened to me, but because it was part of someone else’s celebration. Tiffany raised an eyebrow, “Maya, I specifically added double milk to yours. Hurry and try it!” Brandon, who never liked sweets, held the bubble tea cup that looked completely out of place in his hands, and explained to me. “Tiffany has brought in a lot of revenue for the company these past two months. The company decided to promote her to Design Director. From now on, she’s your boss.” “You must obey her without question.” I nodded, not arguing. But I pushed the bubble tea in front of me away. “I’m allergic to dairy. I can’t drink even a drop.” The moment the words left my mouth, Brandon’s face darkened. “And here I thought you’d finally learned to behave. Tiffany just started, and you’re already trying to pull rank and show her who’s boss just because she’s new?” Tiffany quickly stepped between us, her voice a tearful sob that would melt anyone’s heart. “Brandon, please don’t argue because of me. I understand. It’s hard for people to accept someone like me, who’s only been working for less than a year, becoming a director.” Brandon tenderly wiped away her tears. “With me here, no one will dare spread rumors.” When he looked at me again, his eyes were filled with blame for my “misbehavior.” “You were whining about wanting one earlier, and now you’re playing games again. Why do you always have to be so dramatic, always trying to make things difficult for others?” My eyelids twitched. So he remembered. He just didn’t want to buy it for me. My mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out. The thought of wanting to have a normal boyfriend-girlfriend interaction with him, even knowing the allergic reaction would be awful… I scoffed at myself. I was being dramatic. Brandon left, cradling a sobbing Tiffany who looked close to fainting. I sighed, suppressing the bitterness in my heart. Just as I finished typing my resignation letter, a colleague brought me a freshly bought lemonade. “Mr. Hayes said these drinks are a treat for everyone because of Director Stone’s promotion. He specifically told me to record you drinking it as proof, Maya. Please, help me out.” Not wanting to make things difficult for my colleague, I took a sip. But not long after, my body started to feel hot, and red splotches appeared on my skin.
At the hospital, I was told all the doctors were busy. After waiting for ages, an intern nurse finally came. “Your allergy is quite severe. I’ll arrange an IV drip for you right away.” Bored, I pulled out my phone and saw a SnapChat story Tiffany had posted five minutes ago. “OMG! Boss spends ten grand on high-concentration, colorless, odorless creamer just to get back at an employee!” The comments below were all praising her. “Director Stone, you should have seen Maya, she looked like a giant lobster.” “Director Stone, Mr. Hayes spoils you so much, are you two getting serious?” My heart gave a sharp pang, and my eyes welled up with tears. Brandon was strictly against office romance. Outside of work hours or official business, I was never allowed to even set foot in his office. If we met in the hallway, I had to stay at least three feet away. Once, eager to share some good news with him, I accidentally smiled and looked at him. He deleted and blocked all my contacts, and even changed the locks on our apartment. I had to live in a hotel for a month before he finally forgave me. “Don’t do that again. I don’t like it.” So I tried my best to become the person he wanted, becoming the “ice queen of the office” that colleagues secretly joked about. However, ever since Tiffany arrived, all his so-called principles vanished overnight. They were inseparable, having afternoon tea and watching movies in his office, laughing and chatting. They even orchestrated a poll that named them the most compatible couple in the office building. Five years of my life meant nothing compared to three months with her. He wasn’t against office romance; he just hated me getting too close. While I was on the IV, I overheard a few nurses talking. “Is that Mr. Hayes’ girlfriend? She cried until her eyes were red, and he booked every doctor in the hospital to be on standby. Oh my god! It’s like a romance novel CEO coming to life, so dramatic!” I stared at the dripping IV, suddenly remembering a stormy night a year ago. I’d been hit by an electric scooter while delivering documents to Brandon, scraping my face. When I finally limped to him, he just pressed a napkin to my wound, his brows furrowed. “Go home quickly. Don’t scare anyone.” Since then, no matter how badly I was hurt, I’d hide it well. The physical pain was nothing compared to the agony of his indifference. Back home, I started packing. While sifting through some books in his study, a yellowed drawing slipped out and fluttered to the floor. The background was an amusement park, and the figures were two children. A wave of familiarity washed over me. Before I could think about it further, an angry shout came from the doorway. “Who told you to touch my things!” Brandon slammed into me, sending books tumbling from the shelves, raining down on my head with heavy thuds. My vision blurred, streaks of black dancing before my eyes. Along with it, a memory from my childhood flickered into focus. Brandon’s eyes were red-rimmed as he made sure the painting wasn’t damaged, then finally let out a sigh of relief. “This painting…” I started to speak, but he cut me off. “Tiffany gave this to me when she was a kid. It’s priceless. You couldn’t repay that, not in a hundred lifetimes.” Standing behind him, a flicker of guilt crossed Tiffany’s eyes. She tugged at Brandon’s sleeve, urging him. “Brandon, let’s just grab your things and go. Mr. Davies is waiting for us for dinner.” As they turned to leave, I called out to Brandon. “Are you sure that painting is Tiffany’s?”
Brandon frowned, about to speak, when Tiffany’s tears started flowing like a broken faucet. “Maya, why do you always have to fight me for everything? If it’s not mine, then whose is it?” As she ran out the door, Brandon’s flicker of doubt vanished. “Your lies are getting more ridiculous by the day.” He shot me a cutting glare. “I’ll deal with you when I get back.” Then he chased after her. I stood there for a while before continuing to pack. There wasn’t a huge amount, but not little either. My heart felt heavy. I tossed our shared mementos into a box, slapping a “junk” label on it. By the time I finished organizing everything, it was past midnight. My head felt light, the images of the amusement park from my childhood swirling repeatedly in my mind. I finally drifted off to sleep as dawn approached. But I was woken up not long after by the sound of a door being forced open. I opened my eyes to see several unfamiliar men rushing into the room. They dragged me out of bed. My face went chalk-white. Trying to suppress my panic, I said, “Who are you people? You know trespassing is against the law, right? Leave now, and I can pretend nothing happened.” But instead of letting go, their eyes shamelessly raked over my body. “Mr. Hayes sent us to bring you back to the company. You messed with him, you’re gonna pay the price.” Hearing they were Brandon’s men, my heart eased a little. He was probably still mad about Tiffany crying last night. After a night of restless sleep, all the repressed memories had resurfaced. I wasn’t afraid to confront them about the painting’s origin. “Wait outside. I need to get dressed.” The men smirked. “Why bother? You look good just like that.” They ignored my struggles and forcefully pushed me into the car. I was wearing only a thin nightgown, and colleagues in the office building pointed and whispered as I was led through. Seeing my disheveled state, Brandon’s face showed a hint of displeasure. But just as his hand reached for his suit button, Tiffany, her voice laced with fury, accused me. “Maya Reed, you’ve gone too far! I put up with you targeting me, but how could you tear up the painting I gave Brandon?” The painting? Didn’t Brandon take it with him last night? I was confused. I looked up, meeting Brandon’s dark, menacing gaze. Any fleeting pity I’d thought I saw earlier must have been my imagination. I shook my head at him, calmly saying, “I didn’t do it. Don’t accuse me baselessly.” Brandon raised a hand. Soon, two people walked in. One was the colleague who’d given me the lemonade yesterday. Tiffany stepped in front of them, her voice gentle, but her eyes full of menace. “Don’t be scared. Just tell us what you saw last night.” As if on cue, they started speaking over each other. “Around eleven, we were just finishing overtime and about to leave when we saw Maya come back.” “She stormed into Mr. Hayes’ office, came out with something, and headed straight for the shredder.” “A few minutes later, she went back into Mr. Hayes’ office.” I listened in disbelief to their fabrications. But clearly, Brandon believed them. He picked up the shredded pieces, his eyes bloodshot, and kicked me hard in the chest. “With both witnesses and evidence, what more do you have to say?” I gasped for air. These so-called “proofs” were nothing but a baseless accusation. “I wasn’t even at the company last night. You can check the security footage to see if I did any of that.” Brandon seemed to have anticipated my words, and the surveillance footage was played. One glance, and my face went stark white.
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