Chapter 5 : Unknown Good News

Sarah

"Where the hell have you been all this while?"

Andrew's angry voice echoed through his office the moment I returned to the company after taking my car to the mechanic.

"I got into a minor car accident on my way back. That's what delayed me," I replied.

Just as I had expected, his face showed no sign of concern. Judging by the anger still written across his features, it was obvious that he couldn't care less whether I had been hurt in the accident or not.

But I wasn't surprised. After all, I wasn't Tessa, the love of his life.

"Well, I'm not surprised," he began coldly. "I've told you countless times to be careful while driving, but you never listen."

And just like that, without even bothering to ask what had happened, he had already concluded that the accident was my fault.

"By the way, what the hell happened between you and the client? What did you say to him that made him change his mind?" Andrew demanded.

I shot him an angry glare.

"And what exactly do you mean by that question?" I shot back. "Are you suggesting that I was the one who made the very same client I went through hell to convince to sign a deal with us suddenly change his mind?"

My face contorted with anger as I folded my arms across my chest.

"No, of course not, babe. That's not what I'm trying to say," he replied after letting out a sigh. "It's just that something like this has never happened with you before, and that deal would have generated a lot of revenue for the company if it had gone through."

His tone gradually softened, and I couldn't help smiling inwardly.

I had always thought Andrew was the only one who knew how to play innocent while making a fool out of me. I never imagined I possessed the same talent. And honestly, it felt incredibly satisfying to give him a taste of his own medicine.

"I understand perfectly well what you're saying, babe. Believe me, I did everything I could to convince the client to finalize the deal with us, but he wouldn't even explain why he had suddenly changed his mind," I said, putting on the most convincing display of disappointment I could manage.

"How I wish there were something I could do to make him reconsider," I added, letting my voice trail off.

"It's okay, babe. I know you did your best," Andrew assured me.

He walked over and pulled me into a hug. I couldn't help smirking wickedly against his shoulder, knowing he couldn't see my face.

"By the way, there's a new client whose contact information I received today," Andrew said after pulling away from the hug. "From what I heard, he's a very wealthy and influential doctor who wants to open a new branch of his hospital here in New York City."

He returned to his chair and sat down.

He didn't need to say anything else. I already knew what he wanted from me. He expected me to do what I had always done best: convince potential clients to work with our company.

"Well, that's good news," I replied, pulling out the chair in front of his desk and sitting down. "Just send me his contact information. I'll look into him and see if I can arrange an appointment."

Andrew's face immediately brightened with a smile.

"I'll do that right away," he said. "Hopefully, when you work your magic and speak with him, he won't have any choice but to agree to work with us."

"I hope so too," I replied with a fake smile that never reached my eyes.

"One more thing, babe. I have a very important meeting in Hawaii first thing tomorrow morning, so I'll be leaving this evening to make sure I get there before the meeting."

"Really?" I asked, pretending to sound surprised.

"Yes, of course, babe. Sorry I didn't inform you earlier. I was only told about the meeting this morning."

"It's okay, babe. I completely understand," I replied, maintaining my fake smile.

If only he knew that I now had access to his messaging app. I knew perfectly well that he wasn't going to Hawaii for any business meeting. Instead, he was going on vacation with Tessa, the love of his life.

"I'll be away for at least two or three days, so please take care of everything here while I'm gone," he continued.

"There's absolutely nothing to worry about, babe. I'll make sure everything is in order while you're away," I assured him.

"I'm so glad to hear that, babe," Andrew said with a warm smile.

His expression made me wonder how he could always look so calm and affectionate while making a complete fool out of me.

"I'll send you the new client's contact information before I leave," he added.

"No problem, babe."

I stood up and straightened my clothes.

"I'll head back to my office now. Don't forget to let me know before you leave."

"I won't, babe."

With that, I turned around and walked out of his office.

Before I could even reach mine, my phone began vibrating repeatedly.

Once inside, I settled into my chair and pulled out my phone to check the notifications that had been making it vibrate.

As expected, Andrew had sent Tessa a message, telling her that I had believed his story without asking a single question.

Tessa, on the other hand, hadn't disappointed him either. She had responded by calling me stupid for believing that Andrew was in love with me.

I stared at their messages, a bitter smile spreading across my face.

How amusing. They were both so convinced that I was still the same gullible woman they had always taken me for.

They had no idea what I was planning, and I intended to keep it that way.

Just as I was scrolling through their conversation, an incoming call from my doctor suddenly appeared on my screen.

It was Dr. Edwards.

Without hesitation, I answered and placed the phone against my ear.

"Hello, Dr. Edwards. How are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm doing well," he replied. "Please, can we meet? I have some good news for you."

"Good news?" I repeated, my voice filled with surprise.

It had been an eternity since I last heard those words, especially from a doctor.