Chapter 4

The next morning, I emerged from the room to find Derek and Giselle waiting for me by the elevator.

Derek pulled a long face, clearly upset over last night’s breakup talk.

Grinning, Giselle gave him a nudge.

"Alright now. She brought it up in the heat of the moment. You’re a man. Are you seriously going to pick a fight with your girlfriend?"

She linked her arm through mine.

"I spent the whole morning playing peacemaker, and he finally agreed to let it go."

Derek said, "Since Giselle asked, I’ll let last night slide.

"Quit threatening to leave me every time things don’t go your way."

I simply glanced at him without bothering to explain.

Our itinerary for the day was to visit the historical district, the museum, and the boardwalk.

They were places I’d been dying to check out when I planned the trip.

The plan was to take pictures with Derek at every stop.

However, when we reached the historical district, Derek stayed behind with Giselle to wait in line for an exclusive drink.

At the museum, Derek would rather sit outside and watch Giselle’s bag than be stuck with the crowd.

I didn’t wait for them.

All on my own, I followed the map and collected every souvenir stamp along the way. I even asked a passerby to take a shot of me near the water.

Though the wind blew hard, the photo captured a genuinely bright smile on my face.

It hit me that Derek’s absence didn’t seem to mean a lot to me.

When we met at noon, Derek still looked sour. "You wandered off on your own without letting us know."

Giselle stepped in to smooth things over.

"She doesn’t get to travel often. Just let her do her thing.

"I’m here with you anyway. It’s not like you’re going to get lost."

Derek glared at her, the tension across his lips easing.

His phone then rang.

His mother, Crystal, was calling him on video.

Giselle answered the call and cried out with a smile, "Mrs. Storm."

Oblivious to my presence, Crystal said, "Oh, Giselle. Have a wonderful time on this trip with Derek.

"I have some good news to share. I already talked to someone at the company. The job slot is reserved for you."

Derek’s face fell. "Mom, stop talking."

Only then did Crystal spot me in the frame.

She paused, her smile diminishing. "Oh, you’re there as well."

I held my silence.

Derek ended the call hastily. After seconds of silence, he decided to lay everything on the table.

"Oh, right. There’s one thing I forgot to mention.

"Westbrook only has one internal referral spot this year. Giselle’s grades aren’t as good as yours, so it’ll be hard for her to get in on her own.

"Let’s give her priority for the position. Given your competence, landing a job offer should be a cinch for you."

Derek didn’t give me time to process the information.

"Then, there’s the house situation.

"Giselle will be working around the same area. The place we rented happens to have two bedrooms. She can move in with us.

"You can take the master bedroom, and she’ll take the guest bedroom. It won’t interfere with our privacy."

Giselle clapped her hands.

"That’s awesome. We besties can finally live together!"

She shot me a playful wink.

"Relax. I know how to respect boundaries. I’ll make myself scarce when you’re spending quality time together.

"You can be lovey-dovey behind closed doors, and I’ll just listen from next door. I promise I won’t barge in."

The people around us burst out laughing.

However, I found nothing funny about it.

I scouted the place and put down the security deposit.

Even the living room couch and the curtains in the bedrooms were handpicked by me.

Just like that, they took away my job and cleared a place for Giselle in my own home.

I was trembling with rage down to my fingertips.

Nevertheless, the anger within me fizzled out when I stared at their entitled faces.

"Fine."

Thinking I was on board, Derek looked visibly relaxed.

"Had you been this sensible earlier, we wouldn’t have had such a terrible fight last night."

I met his gaze, my voice flat. "It’s over between us. Whatever you two do is none of my business. Just make sure you pay me back for the apartment."

Giselle reached out to hold me back.

"Don’t do anything rash. Fine, I won’t take the position, alright?"

Derek stopped her.

"If I go running to her now, she’ll threaten to leave me just to get her way.

"We can’t indulge this behavior."

I didn’t look back.

Every place on my bucket list had been checked off today.

I prepared for my travel home that afternoon.

Later at night, Derek returned to the hotel with a stuffed animal he knew I loved.

He lingered at the front desk for a while before asking with a feigned nonchalance, "I’m not trying to appease her or anything. I picked it up on an off chance.

"Can you call Iris’ room and tell her to come down?"

The receptionist was taken aback.

"Are you talking about the girl staying in the room without a view?

"She checked out this afternoon.

"Her family sent a car to pick her up. She left with all her luggage."

Derek’s face went stiff.

Something else crossed the receptionist’s mind.

"Before I forget, she left a message for you.

"She doesn’t want the apartment, the job, or you anymore."