"What?" Jamie scrunched up his nose, his arms crossing tightly over his chest as he stared directly at me, eyes narrowed with suspicion.
I tried not to flinch under his gaze. "Nothing, really," I said quickly, forcing a smile and pretending to focus on the computer screen in front of me. My heart was still tangled up in knots from Lute's confession. The words kept echoing in my head, throwing my whole rhythm off.
Jamie didn't budge. "Gurrrrl, is that what we're doing now?" he said, snapping his fingers dramatically, one brow arched almost to his hairline. "Keeping secrets from each other?"
"It's not like that," I mumbled, fumbling for an excuse. "It's just… there's been this mess with the work files, and I've been trying to—"
He rolled his eyes mid-sentence, clearly not buying it. His gaze drifted toward the window, bored, annoyed, maybe even hurt.
"Are you even listening?" I asked, my voice sharper than I intended.
He blinked slowly and finally looked at me again. "I'm listening. I just don't believe you."
Silence fell between us for a second, thick and uncomfortable. My fingers hovered over the keyboard, useless.
"Jamie," I said, softer now, "I didn't mean to shut you out."
He sighed and uncrossed his arms, his expression softening slightly. "Yup," he said, rolling his eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck.
"Jamie," I called in a low voice, hoping to keep this conversation under the radar.
He turned to me with that knowing smirk. "You are a lying fox."
I tittered, unable to hold back a small laugh. He always had a way of calling me out without being cruel.
"Fine," I sighed, lowering my voice even more. "Lute said he likes me."
The moment the words left my mouth, I slapped a hand over it like I could somehow shove them back in.
"Gurrrrl, no way!" Jamie practically shouted, drawing a dozen pairs of eyes from nearby desks.
Heads turned. Phones paused mid-air. A few whispers started circulating instantly.
I glared at him. "Could you not broadcast my entire personal life to the office?" I hissed.
"Sorry, but what?!" he whisper-shouted, leaning in close. "After everything he did?"
I nodded slowly, shrinking a little in my seat. "Yeah... after everything."
Jamie let out a long, exasperated breath, dragging his hand down his face like he was in a soap opera.
"That kid better not be screwing with my best friend," he muttered darkly.
I froze. His tone was different now—low, protective, and dead serious.
Something twisted in my chest. It wasn't just about Lute anymore. Jamie wasn't angry because he was nosy—he was scared for me.
"Gross. Nobody is screwing anybody— especially not when I'm still not over Yuan," I said flatly, my face twisted in irritation.
Jamie groaned and tilted his head back dramatically. "Not Yuan again," he said, exasperated. "Girl, that ship has not just sailed—it's sunk and rusting on the ocean floor."
Before I could argue, a voice interrupted us.
"Excuse me, I'm assuming you're Miss Chen?"
I turned, caught off guard by the sweet, clear tone—and froze.
It was her. The girl from Lute's office.
She looked like she had stepped right out of a fashion magazine. A brunette, probably in her mid-twenties, dressed in a sleek, blush-pink office dress that hugged her frame perfectly. Her legs ended in glossy green stilettos that somehow didn't clash, but added flair. Her lips were a soft rose pink, glossy like candy, and her eyebrows were shaped so precisely they looked airbrushed.
She adjusted her thin-framed glasses with dainty fingers and smiled—big, warm, and confident—as she extended a hand toward me.
Jamie arched an eyebrow beside me. I could already hear the commentary loading in his brain.
"I'm Charlotte Haven, the new COO of Luther-Croft Marketing," she said crisply.
I reached out instinctively to shake her hand—but she slapped mine away without hesitation.
My eyes widened. "I'm sorry?" I asked, arching a brow, more confused than offended—though the sting on my hand wasn't just physical.
She tilted her head with a smug smirk, her voice suddenly dripping with venom. "So Lute thinks you're some big shot now, huh? A smart little go-getter. Zealous. Loyal. Whatever."
Her eyes scanned me up and down like I was something she'd stepped over in a hallway.
"Here's what I think," she continued, stepping a little closer. "You're a phony. A noise-maker. And I know exactly what you're after—his attention. That's what poor girls like you do. Cling to power like moths to a flame."
I opened my mouth, stunned. "Excuse me—?"
Charlotte just smiled, victorious—for now.
"You're excused, lad...y," she said, dragging out the last word and clicking her tongue with exaggerated sass. The sound grated on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard.
"I think there's a misunderstanding—" Jamie began, ever the peacekeeper.
Charlotte whipped her head toward him, eyes sharp as blades. "One more word from you, and you're fired."
Her voice was calm, cold, and absolutely serious.
Jamie froze. His hands lifted in slow surrender. "Okay then," he muttered, retreating to his screen, though he shot me a look that screamed 'Did that just happen?'
Charlotte turned her glare back to me. "YOU report to me, not him, you goon."
I blinked, stunned by the insult. Goon? Was this high school now?
She flicked her wavy brunette hair over her shoulder with a dramatic flourish, then stepped in closer, towering in her stilettos.
"I'm supervising the summer marketing campaign," she said coolly. "And if you know what's good for you, you'll behave. Otherwise..."
She leaned in just slightly, lowering her voice to a warning whisper. "You're out."
With that, she turned and sashayed off like she was walking a runway, her sharp heels clacking with every smug step.
I sat frozen for a second, the room around me suddenly too quiet. Jamie peeked over the edge of his monitor like we were in a sitcom.
"Did she just—?"
"Yeah," I muttered, still stunned. "She did."