Trouble in Paradise

"I didn't say that," I said. "You have legs. You can go anywhere you want. I don't live here, anyway. I hadn't meant to come. back here last night."

To be honest, it wasn't hard to deal with Claudia. She had to keep up the pretense of being sweet and lovely, so

thoughtfulness was one of her most important facades.

At the very least, she wouldn't start cursing me out or outright hurting me physically, unlike what the movies showed.

All I had to do was go with her flow and play her game: With that tactic, I was mostly able to avoid trouble. I could just talk my way out of anything she threw at me. It wasn't that hard.

I knew that Nicholas wasn't home right now, as evidenced by the way Claudia had glanced around my room earlier. He had probably left while I was in the bathroom.

I went downstairs to his study. The wall where our wedding photo once hung was now empty. Claudia hadn't lied to me.

I was a little angry when I found the large photo tossed into a corner. Its surface was slashed by the shards of glass from the frame.

He'd already tormented me physically last night, so why did he still need to vent his anger on the photo?

I looked at the wedding ring on my finger for a moment. Then, I took it off and placed it on his desk. When I left, I took the ruined photo with me and threw it into the bin on the street.

If he didn't want it, then I didn't want it either.

I was planning to treat my colleagues to coffee, but when I arrived at the firm, most of them were out on business. There were only a handful of people left in the office. Even Yasmine wasn't around.

I went to Silas' office to greet him. To my surprise, Pete was there too.

No wonder Silas had asked me to come here. It must have been Pete's idea!

I didn't get along with Pete. When we're in the same room, our tempers flared.

Silas tried to diffuse the situation. "It's lunchtime. Let's go out and have lunch. We can talk it over some food."

He knew that the entire law firm was nothing but a tool for Pete to deal with his childhood friend. It was hard to say whether the deal was good or bad.

I got too drunk last night, so I didn't drive today. Pete stood beside his car and asked haughtily, "So, Ms. Ari, who are you planning to ride with? If you ask nicely, I might just let you hitch a ride with me."

1 was not interested in quarreling with him for the entirety of the journey, so I got into Silas' car without hesitation. Why did I ever think he was more mature now? He was clearly as childish as he was when he was a child.

"Has Yasmine given you a tour of the

firm?"

Predictably, Silas started the conversation with a typical concern that only a superior would ask.

I didn't know him that well yet, so I felt a little awkward. I shook my head.

"That's alright. I'll show you around later."

I couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Harmon, have you been looking to hire anyone for your team recently?"

Silas laughed. "I could see that you're smart from our first meeting. You'll do well in law. Pete cares about you. Have some trust in him. He'll make the best decision for you, Ariana. You'll need some experience first."

I smiled politely. Pete cared about me? If he cared about me, he wouldn't have made me drink two bottles of vodka.

"So I take it that you've rejected me."

Silas did not let anything slip. "Pete will talk to you."

I knew that he'd rejected me.

I was dejected. My mood remained down even when we arrived at the restaurant.Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

Pete wasn't happy that I had refused to get into his car. He swirled the wine around his glass and said, "Ariana, what's with the long face? If this is how you'll behave when meeting with potential clients, then I'm afraid you won't amount to anything."

It was as if he was born with the instinct to belittle me.

I sighed. Before I could say anything, my phone rang.

I had never heard Nicholas speak so fast before. He sounded panicked. "Ariana, what did you say to Claudia? Something's happened to her. Go to her college now and check on her!"