004: Mascot

"Why did the mascot run away?" Mandy, the girl with Williams asked, her tone laced with curiosity. Her wide eyes darted between the crowd and the retreating figure.

Williams frowned, his sharp gaze following where the mascot had disappeared. He didn’t usually concern himself with trivial matters, yet something felt off. The image of the clumsy mascot colliding with the cake lingered in his mind, and an inexplicable pull urged him to investigate why.

The murmurs of the crowd grew louder, a ripple of gossip spreading through the air. Meanwhile, the man holding the ruined cake turned on the mascot, his face red with anger.

Elodie stood frozen, her heart pounding like a drum. Her vision was obscured by the frosting smeared across the mascot head. Trapped and humiliated, she realized there was only one way out. With trembling hands, she slowly lifted the oversized head, revealing her flushed, tear-streaked face.

“I-I’m so sorry,” she began, her voice trembling as she faced the furious man. But before she could say more, a familiar voice cut through the commotion from behind her.

“Are you okay?” Williams asked, his tone surprisingly soft.

Her heart stopped, her breath caught in her throat. She hadn’t expected him to follow her. Panic surged through her veins, and without a second thought, she tried to flee.

Her steps were clumsy, her vision blurred by tears. She barely registered the slick frosting beneath her feet before it was too late. Her foot slipped, and she felt herself falling, the world tilting in slow motion. She braced herself for the cold, hard floor.

But instead of hitting the ground, she landed in strong arms.

The familiar scent of his cologne enveloped her, the one she had gifted him so long ago. It was bittersweet, a memory of a time when they were inseparable. She opened her eyes, her breath hitching as she found herself face-to-face with Williams.

For a brief moment, their eyes locked. His gaze was unreadable, filled with emotions she couldn’t name—shock, anger, something deeper that flickered and vanished too quickly to grasp. Her heart ached as she realized just how much she had missed those eyes, even as they bore into her with a mix of disdain and indifference.

Then, without warning, he let her go. His hands released her as if her touch burned, and she fell to the ground with a thud.

The pain that shot through her back was sharp, but it was nothing compared to the agony in her chest. Tears filled her eyes, but she bit her lip hard, refusing to let herself cry in front of him.

“Oh no!” Mandy’s voice broke the tension as she rushed to Elodie’s side, kneeling down to help her up. “She slipped out of your hands!” Mandy said, looking at Williams in disbelief.

But Williams had already stepped back, his face a mask of cold detachment, his gaze avoiding Elodie as if she were nothing more than a nuisance.

Elodie accepted Mandy’s help, her body protesting every movement. She stood shakily, her clothes smeared with frosting, her hair a wild mess. The humiliation was almost unbearable.

“Are you okay?” Mandy asked, her voice kind, her hand lingering on Elodie’s arm.

Elodie nodded, forcing a small smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m fine,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

The crowd’s whispers grew louder, their curious eyes darting between her and Mandy.

“They look like twins.”

“It’s uncanny.”

“Same face, same eyes... Is this some kind of drama?”

The murmurs reached Mandy, and her eyes widened as she finally noticed the striking resemblance between herself and Elodie. Her gaze flicked back and forth, confusion evident on her face. “We... we look alike,” she murmured.

But Elodie wasn’t listening. Her focus was on Williams. She searched his face for any sign of the man she used to know, for a flicker of recognition.

What she found instead was a cold, hardened stare. His eyes, once filled with love and laughter, now glinted with disdain. He looked at her as though she were a stranger, someone unworthy of his time.

Sensing the tension, Mandy hesitated before asking, “Do you two know each other?”

Williams’s response was quick, his tone cutting. “I’ve never seen this person before.”

Without sparing her another glance, Williams took Mandy’s hand and turned away, leading her through the crowd. Elodie watched them go, ignoring the whispers of the crowd, cutting into her like tiny blades.