Chapter 2

Aldric was not alone. Beatrice’s friend, Misty Fowler, was also there.

They thought Beatrice had lost her mind, so they pulled her off me.

Aldric even slapped her across the face.

The scene was chaotic.

At that moment, I finally understood just how wrong I had been.

“It’s not Beatrice’s fault. It was me.”

I confessed everything.

Everyone fell silent. They all stared at me like I was a stranger.

Misty gritted her teeth and said, while pointing at me angrily, “You know what you did was illegal, right?”

“I know. I’m willing to face the consequences.”

In the end, Beatrice still stepped in front of me.

“He’s just a kid who didn’t know any better. He was messing around. Don’t blow this out of proportion.”

“Are you seriously still defending him at a time like this? He’s twenty-two years old! You can’t still call him a kid!”

I looked at Beatrice with tear-filled eyes.

I wanted to take her to the hospital, but when I grabbed her arm, she shook me off.

Aldric sighed and said, “I’ll go with her. You stay here and think about your actions.”

That was when I realized why Aldric always said that I was loved.

So, this was what it felt like not to be loved.

From that moment onward, I knew I had to pay for what I had done.

Word spread fast.

Everyone found out there was a lunatic who loved Beatrice so obsessively that he had actually drugged her.

I bombarded her with apology texts, bought gift after gift, and begged Aldric to pass them along for me.

A few days later, she finally replied to me.

[I don’t blame you. If you have feelings for me, just be upfront about it. There was no need for all that.]

But by the time I received that message, I had already boarded the train to Caldon.

I replied.

[Thank you, and sorry. Don’t worry. I won’t try to force you to like me anymore.]

After sending that, I removed the SIM card from my phone and cut it in half with scissors.

Then, I inserted a new SIM card with a different number that I had prepared in advance.

Before I left, I told Aldric he could text me if he missed me. But I made it clear that I did not want to hear anything about Beatrice.

I was done being the villainous side character.

I wanted to leave my old life behind for good.

...

I got through my probation period and finally found my footing in the big city.

I thought I would never run into Beatrice again.

Unexpectedly, Beatrice was so good at her job that she got transferred to my company as the new executive director.

The day “Ms. Sherbird” showed up, I was completely frozen. I could not help but curse my luck.

I watched her walk in, and I kept watching until she disappeared into her office.

Luckily, she did not spot me.

My colleague, Catrina Smith, exclaimed, “Finally, a boss who’s beautiful and has an amazing figure!”

She then nudged me with her elbow and said, “Conan, she’s totally your type!”

I snapped back to reality and nodded awkwardly, “Yeah, she is.”

My supervisor, Taylor Wright, poked me on the head and said, “Don’t even think about it. I heard some guy once tried to spike Ms. Sherbird’s drink.

“Ever since then, she couldn’t stand people who pull underhanded nonsense.”

My heart dropped. That shameful memory came flooding back.

Catrina covered her mouth and whispered.

“No way! That’s just vile. Did she report it to the police?”

I wanted to find a hole in the ground and hide.

Logically, I should have quit on the spot.

But the job market was brutal, and I could not afford to just walk out.

Besides, my position was nothing special. My desk was tucked away in a corner.

Even though we shared the same floor, she never even glanced my way.

So, I lay low for two full months.

Then, Misty randomly showed up at the company to find Beatrice.

Beatrice was in a meeting, so Misty started wandering around.

I kept my head down, praying she would not see me.

Of course, my worst fear came true.

“Are you... Conan? No way!

“You followed Beatrice all the way here? You really don’t know when to quit. I almost have to admire your dedication.”

Everyone turned to look at me at once, making me feel vulnerable.

I could feel their stares burning into me.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I tried to deny, “No, it’s not like that! I came to the company first. It’s just a coincidence...”

Just then, Beatrice finished her meeting and walked out of the conference room.

When she noticed me, she said, “Conan? What are you doing here?”

Without giving me a chance to explain, Misty pointed at me and said, “What else would he be doing? Obviously he’s here to chase after you.

“This is too good! I have to post this on social media!”

Beatrice’s hands were trembling as she clutched the folder in her hands.

She must have felt utterly humiliated to see me here.

“Conan, I’ll see you at lunch. I have something urgent right now. We’ll catch up then.”

With that, she entered her office with our CEO, Winston Sterling.

My colleagues looked intrigued and started prying into my relationship with Beatrice.