"Alice spends all her time with corpses and machines. She doesn’t even bother to dress up."
"Dr. Lopez, on the other hand, is so much more feminine. No wonder Mr. Collins is drawn to her."
The glass door reflected my image: no makeup, dressed in a white medical coat.
My grip on the files tightened, and I let out a bitter laugh.
Just as I turned to leave, Giovanni’s tall figure appeared at the door.
"Does everyone here have too much free time?"
"Do you all have no idea how much effort Alice has poured into the company’s R&D?"
"Unlike you, she doesn’t waste her time preening in front of a mirror."
The room fell silent. Those people paled, their heads lowering in embarrassment.
After a pause, Giovanni softened his tone. "The company’s success, and my happiness, wouldn’t be possible without Alice."
I froze. It had been a long time since Giovanni defended me like this.
Everyone else stared in shock, unable to believe that the usually aloof Mr. Collins would publicly profess his feelings.
I overheard an older employee mutter under their breath, "I told you to keep quiet! Alice is the boss’s treasure. Be careful, or he’ll fire you."
Once, Giovanni truly did love me.
In college, he survived on plain buns for two months just to buy me the camera I wanted.
I felt so bad for him that I secretly took on tutoring jobs. With my first paycheck, I treated him to a fancy dinner.
But no matter how beautiful our love story once was, from campus to the wedding aisle, it eventually decayed.
—
The noise from the neighboring office interrupted my thoughts, snapping me back to reality.
Through the frosted glass, I saw two blurred figures entwined—Giovanni and Lianna.
Lianna’s voice was low but perfectly audible to me.
"I’m so nervous about tomorrow’s surgery. It’s incredibly complicated..."
Giovanni’s tone was laden with insinuation. "Don’t worry, babe. You’re the best."
"How about...?" Lianna giggled, her voice dripping with sweetness.
My hand trembled, and the pen I was holding slipped from my grasp, hitting the floor with a crisp clatter.
Giovanni turned and saw me, his expression instantly panicked, his voice faltering. "Uh... Dr. Lopez, regarding the surgery arrangements for tonight, I think..."
I calmly closed the folder and walked to the elevator without a backward glance.
Behind me, Giovanni stumbled over his excuses.
"I was just discussing the surgery with Dr. Lopez..."