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Chapter 2

作者: Little Four
With the sleeves rolled up, the neckline dipped low on Eden.

The shirt belonged to Kirk. He kept it in his office rest area as a spare.

“Ms. Bray, there you are.”

Not even getting up, Eden beamed at me.

“Mr. Church said you were unwell, so he told me to sort out your files.”

While talking, Eden waved the mug in her hand.

“This is a lovely mug. Mr. Church said I could have it. I hope you don’t mind.”

I looked her dead in the eye, the tips of my fingers tingling due to my OCD.

“Put it down.”

My voice was devoid of emotion.

Eden flinched, her hand shaking.

A stream of piping hot coffee spilled right onto the financing proposal I had just printed out the night before.

The dark liquid bled across the pages, destroying the hard work I’d pulled three straight all-nighters to finish.

“Oops! Sorry!”

She jolted to her feet in a fluster, apologizing profusely, but her eyes spoke of defiance.

Nearly every colleague popped their heads in and murmured among themselves.

Few had sympathy, but most were just there for the drama.

That was Kirk’s cue to walk in.

Without glancing at the proposal on the floor, he took Eden’s hand right away.

“Did you get burned?”

Eden, her eyes welling up, shrank into his embrace.

“Mr. Church, it’s all my fault. I accidentally ruined Ms. Bray’s documents.”

Snapping his head around, Kirk furrowed his brows and tore me a new one.

“They are just papers. Just reprint it. Why do you have to be so hostile?

“Look at you. You’re acting like a resentful woman.”

I stared at the mess on the floor. This was my last-ditch effort to help him secure Series C funding.

However, Kirk only had eyes for the vulnerable, sweet girl.

Hiding behind Kirk, Eden mouthed to me while Kirk had his head down.

She uttered silently, “Old hag.”

Something inside me broke at that moment.

“Kirk, get the intern out of my office.”

Fighting back my rage, I tried to keep my voice flat.

Triggered, Kirk made a huge announcement to protect his ego in front of his new girl.

“Effective immediately, Eden is promoted to the CEO’s executive assistant. Her office is right next to yours.

“In addition, you are expected to take her under your wing and train her in our core operations.”

The so-called mentorship was just Kirk’s way of stripping my authority and handing it to this airhead.

I met his gaze and asked indifferently, “Are you sure?”

“Don’t use that tone with me, Sandra.”

With that, Kirk escorted Eden protectively and walked away.

The feeling of violation only intensified when I returned to the manor at night.

I stepped into the bathroom for a shower, only to find that my electric toothbrush had been tampered with.

The bristles were damp and stained with a lingering scent of peach-flavored toothpaste.

That wasn’t my toothpaste for sure.

Back in the bedroom, I found a stray scent of perfume on my pillow.

The fragrance belonged to Eden.

My OCD flared up.

I ripped off the sheets, duvet covers, and pillow covers before stuffing them in the trash can.

Kirk happened to walk in on me. Spotting the bare bedframe, he blew up.

“What has gotten into you, Sandra?

“I brought Eden here to pick up a file. So she got some shut-eye. Must you be so dramatic?”

I looked at him, realizing Kirk had become frighteningly unrecognizable.

“So you took her to our bedroom?”

“This is my home. I can bring whoever I want here.”

Slamming the door, Kirk stormed out without even taking another glance at me.

Ten minutes later, I came across his update on social media.

The photo showed Kirk mixing a drink for Eden, the background lighting soft and hazy.

The caption read, “It’s good to be young. There aren’t many rules to hold you back.”

Sitting on the living room floor, I glanced at the sheets in the trash can.

The intense disgust stripped away all the affection I held for him.

Whipping out my phone, I dialed a headhunter’s number.

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  • The Woman in My Seat   Chapter 10

    “Sandra, you are so cruel. You wouldn’t even claim Kirk’s body, even though you had dated him for seven years.” Eden’s accusation was rather absurd to me. “Eden, did you forget who wore his shirt on my bed, trying to rub it in my face? “Who deliberately swapped the data to put me in prison?” I approached Eden step by step. Despite my disdain for the dirt and grime of the place, I managed to push her back just by the sheer weight of my presence. “Since you were practically his true love, why did you drain his bank account and flee when he went bankrupt and lived on the streets?” Eden’s face went white. Her lips parted, but no words came out. She was the type of person who held everyone else to a high moral standard but never saw anything wrong with her own actions. “I have nothing left… The guy hit me and kicked me out…” She hugged herself and wailed out loud, trying to trigger my pity. I looked at her unfazed. Before, I considered Eden the biggest stain on my life

  • The Woman in My Seat   Chapter 9

    I bought a minimalist beachfront home. Floor-to-ceiling windows filled the space with light. The walls were pure white, without the unnecessary ornament. I still couldn’t tolerate filth, but I had learned to make peace with myself. One day, I was sketching out concepts for my new collection in my studio. My phone rang with an unknown contact. The caller claimed to be calling from a local precinct in the suburbs. “Am I speaking to Ms. Sandra Bray? We have an unclaimed body here, and we managed to pull your contact information from among his personal effects.” My hand paused, and the paintbrush blotted a trail of ink across the paper. “Who is it?” “His name is Kirk Church. He died of multiple organ failure brought on by a severe pulmonary infection.” The police officer’s voice was somewhat distorted over the line. “Before he passed, he clutched a photograph of you, along with a rusted band…” I fell silent. Scenes of the past flashed before my eyes before pausing

  • The Woman in My Seat   Chapter 8

    Creditors and outraged internet vigilantes pelted his doorway with trash and dumped sewage outside Kirk’s rented space every day without fail. Kirk took cover in his moldy basement apartment, too terrified to pick his head up. Late one night, a private message popped up on my phone. “Sandra, would you forgive me if I died right in front of you?” I scoffed while reading the text.Kirk thought that his worthless life could stir a shred of emotion within me. My fingers tapped across the screen as I typed, “Don’t stain the floor.” Even dying, the likes of him wanted to be dramatic about it. Too bad I had no desire to even take a look at him. … Kirk didn’t have the courage to take the plunge. A narcissist like him valued his life more than anyone. However, living for him was worse than dying. Thanks to the clips going viral, Kirk became the laughingstock of the city. No firm would hire him. Kirk was reduced to manual labor, either breaking his back working in con

  • The Woman in My Seat   Chapter 7

    As I stood from this elevated position, the resentment I’d carried for so long faded without a trace. “Kirk, do you realize the smell on you is worse than your damp passenger seat?” I didn’t raise my voice, but my words were cutting. “I cannot tolerate filth. “It doesn’t just apply to things. When a person is dirty inside and out, even looking at them is beneath me.”I gestured to security to drag Kirk out. While being hauled away, Kirk kept calling out my name. My new partner asked tenderly, “Shall we go someplace else for a breath of fresh air?” I smiled and nodded. He had a point. The air outside was much cleaner than this place. … Even after being thrown out, Kirk didn’t quiet down.He set up an online account and began posting a serialized version of our seven years together. In these videos, Kirk sold a sob story and painted himself as a heartbroken man who lost his love due to a brief lapse of judgment. He accused me of being ruthless for taking the tal

  • The Woman in My Seat   Chapter 6

    All Kirk had to do was put his signature on the document, and he could play the part of a glamorous CEO in the public eye. Now, sitting behind my desk, Eden stared at the reports in utter confusion. “Kirk, what do these numbers even mean? I can’t make sense of them…” For the first time, Kirk found Eden’s sweet voice grating in his ears.… Six months was enough for an arrogant man to fall from grace. Between the tax audit and the loss of key talents, Kirk’s firm had become nothing but an empty shell. With investors pulling their funding one after another, creditors were eager to collect. To cover the tax bill, Kirk sold the business, the manor, and eventually even pawned his million-dollar watch.He now rented a dark, damp basement apartment on the rough side of town. The place reeked of mildew, and cockroaches crawled across the walls. For a man who had once been spoiled by luxury, it was nothing short of hell. Eden, who had promised to stand by him while he star

  • The Woman in My Seat   Chapter 5

    I hurled the blood-stained evidence at his hypocritical face. Kirk’s eyes widened, and his face turned pale. Not bothered to check on him, I swallowed the pain and walked out of the conference room. Despite the immense agony, I went straight to the precinct and submitted the evidence. After giving my statement, I left the station for the hospital to get treatment for my injuries. The physician told me that the nerves in my hand would have been severed had the cut been slightly deeper. Even with the damage repaired, my days of lifting anything substantial or sketching detailed designs were effectively over.While I looked at layers of gauze over my hand, a rush of liberation washed over me. Meanwhile, Kirk blew up my phone with calls. I shut the phone off and dumped it in the trash can. Kirk assumed that I was just acting up like before. In his mind, it wouldn’t be long before I came crawling back to him. After all, there was a time I lost myself in my feelings for

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