Chapter 2

I had just finished getting dressed and was about to leave when I looked up and saw the conflicted look on Jennifer's face.

"I've been busy lately, so I haven't had the time to eat breakfast at home," she said. "I'll try to eat at home more often from now on."

I smiled. "Don't. I'd rather sleep in a little longer."

The extra half hour of sleep had left me feeling surprisingly refreshed.

Jennifer looked at me like she wanted to say something, but held back. It wasn't until I reached the door that she finally hurried over and grabbed my hand.

I turned to her.

She hesitated for a moment. "I didn't see Felix's post until later. He didn't mean anything by it. Nothing happened between us, so don't get the wrong idea."

Even after finding out that Felix had made the post, she was still defending him.

Whenever I'd complained about something Felix had done, she would frown and tell me I was too narrow-minded and couldn't see the bigger picture.

If I kept pushing, she'd get impatient and accuse me of having a dirty mind. She'd insist that she and Felix were nothing more than friends, and that nothing was going on between them.

I smiled. By then, I was used to her taking Felix's side.

When Jennifer noticed that I wasn't reacting, she continued, "I know you're upset that I stood you up yesterday, but Felix suddenly got sick. He wasn't feeling well. You know he doesn't have anyone here."

I pulled my hand free.

"I know. I understand. Can I go now? I'm going to be late for work if I don't leave."

She caught the doorknob before I could open it. Her tone turned irritated. "I told you nothing's going on between us. Why are you still acting like this?"

"And I told you that I believe you. Why are you stopping me?"

"You're—"

"I'm really going to be late. I have to go."

I ignored her reaction and left.

…

When I got home that evening, I went straight to my bedroom, grabbed some clothes, and got ready to take a shower.

As I passed the study, I heard Jennifer's voice from inside.

"Send it to me. I'll take care of it. It's fine. I can get this much done while I'm at it.

"Sure. You owe me dinner next time."

Jennifer was helping Felix with his work again.

I'd once asked her to help me grade some student papers, but she put it off for two days. When I asked if she'd gotten around to it, she snapped, "Can't I have the weekend to relax and do something for myself? Do your own work. If I help you, it's a favor, not an obligation."

In the end, I'd stayed up late and finished everything myself.

After Felix joined the company, he always seemed to have something he didn't know how to do, and Jennifer was more than willing to handle it for him.

When I asked her about it, she said, "He's new to the corporate environment. It's normal for him not to know some things. Didn't you have a lot to learn when you first started teaching?"

That brought the whole ordeal with the papers back to mind, and we got into a huge fight.

"At least when I help Felix, I'm doing it for the company. What's my excuse for helping you?" she spat.

We barely spoke for a long time after that. Even then, I couldn't bring myself to let her go, so I forgave her when she offered a half-hearted apology.

After my shower, I went back to the bedroom and watched a show on my digital tablet.

A while later, the bedroom door opened.

I looked up to see Jennifer climbing onto the bed with a helpless smile. She wrapped her arms around me.

"Why didn't you come say hi when you got home? You just went off and did your own thing. I just finished work, and I'm starving."

"Have Felix make you something."

Her hands went still, and her expression darkened. "Why do you have to drag Felix into everything? Can't you stop having such a dirty mind?"

I set my device down.

"No, you spent all that time helping him with his work. The least he can do is make you dinner and return the favor."

She stared at me.

"You heard me?" she asked, frowning. "I told you Felix is new to the working world. Isn't it normal for me to help him? I'm doing it for the company, too. The better the work gets, the better the company does. You have a stake in it too. If the company makes more money, I can give both of us a better life.

"Why can't you understand that?"

She hadn't forgotten that I invested part of my parents' inheritance in the company.

Yet when I asked her to fire Felix, she snapped and asked, "Since when do you call the shots?"