Ethan had already left for work when I woke
- up. I got dressed and drove to his office.
The receptionist greeted me brightly. “Ms.
Brooks? Mr. Walker is in a meeting. Let me
call Chloe, his assistant, and let her know
you’re here.”
Chloe? His assistant? I stopped dead in my
tracks. “Chloe? What’s her last name?”
My serious tone startled her. “Uh… Chloe
Miller.”
It was her. I hadn’t been to Ethan’s office in
ages. I had no idea Chloe worked there.
<
“Should I get Ms. Miller for you?” the
receptionist asked hesitantly.
I shook my head and walked past her towards
the elevators. Behind me, I heard the other
receptionists whispering.
“Wow, so that’s the future Mrs. Walker. She’s
not that pretty. What does Mr. Walker see in
her?”
“Shhh! Don’t talk nonsense. She’s practically
a shareholder in this company.”
“But have you seen how Mr. Walker is with
Chloe?”
“Just drop it! What if she hears you?”
<
I ignored their gossip and went straight to
Ethan’s office. I sat in his chair, waiting.
Ten minutes later, I heard voices in the
hallway. Ethan and Chloe.
“Chloe, can you check on Ashley after work? She’s been acting weird lately.” Ethan’s voice
was gentle.
Chloe scoffed. “You’re still worried about
Ashley? I thought you were going to break up
with her. When’s that happening?”
Ethan paused. “Soon. The company still
needs her family’s support. Trust me, I’m into
you. Ashley’s not even my type.”
Then came the sound of a kiss. I trembled,
tears welling up again. The betrayal cut deep.
<
“Ethan, will you marry me?” Chloe’s voice was
soft and hopeful.
The door swung open, and Ethan froze mid-
sentence, his eyes widening in surprise. He
hadn’t had a chance to answer Chloe’s
question.
“Ethan? Why’d you stop talking?” Chloe
strolled into the office, radiating confidence,
until she saw me. She stopped abruptly.
Ethan frowned, trying to regain his
composure. “Ash, what are you doing here?”
I leaned back in his chair, my voice calm. “I
heard you were looking for a spokesperson
for the new product. Thought I’d take a look.”
Chloe clasped her hands behind her back, a
<
nervous habit I knew well. I fought back tears,
forcing my voice to sound normal. “Chloe,
when did you start working here?”
She recovered quickly, plastering on a bright
smile. “Remember I told you I quit my old job?
I saw Ethan was hiring, so I took this position
temporarily. I’ve been busy moving, so I
haven’t had a chance to tell you everything.”
I looked from Chloe to Ethan. They were still
lying. “Is that so?”
Ethan jumped in. “Yeah, that’s right.”
I nodded slowly. “Okay.” They clearly planned
to keep me in the dark, stringing me along.
