Love's Bitter Edge (Eva and Leonard)

When I heard Jack apologize, I was momentarily stunned.

"Jack, you didn't actually do anything wrong. Why are you apologizing?"

Seeing that I wasn't upset, he quickly explained. Apparently, he had been rushing to catch his flight, and since Ms. Tanness had gone to fetch the car, he was left juggling the pastries by himself.

On the elevator, he ran into a woman from our department. She had offered to help carry the snacks.

"I know you don't want people to know we're close, so I just said the snacks were for the design department. She claimed she was part of your department, so I handed them over. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I swear, I don't have any other sisters. She has nothing to do with me. I'll swear on anything."

Jack rattled off his explanation so quickly that it left me a little dumbfounded.

Astrid, sitting nearby, cut in, "So, she straight-up lied, huh?"

Jack didn't deny it, "I'll have Ms. Tanness handle it later. I'll clear things up."

"Wait! No," Astrid immediately shot down the idea like she had just thought of something. "This isn't your fight. Trust me, I won't let Eva get bullied."

She hung up on him, shut her laptop, and turned to me with a mischievous grin. "Eva, work is so boring. How about we stir up some fun?"

Poor Mackenzie. Seeing the glint in Astrid's eyes, I knew someone was about to have a very bad day.

...

The next afternoon, the atmosphere in the office was... odd.

Suddenly, a well-dressed man from one of the biggest hotel chains in Erewhon appeared at our door, holding a delivery.

"Who's Ms. Surrey?" he asked, scanning the room.

Confused, I stood up. "That's me."

"Ms. Surrey, this is an afternoon tea set prepared specifically for you and Ms. Wood by a friend. For the next week, we'll be delivering your pastries daily. If you need anything else, here's my card."

He handed over a sleek business card with a polite smile, and I couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

Astrid, however, strutted right over and grabbed the box without hesitation. As she walked past Mackenzie, she even threw her chin up, full of sass.

Mackenzie glared daggers at her.

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"What's there to be smug about? It's just a delivery from a five-star restaurant. Maybe you ordered. yourself. Some people will do. anything to show off," she sneered.

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Her remark earned a chorus of agreement from her little clique.

"Totally. Spending money you don't have just to look rich? Pathetic."

"At least Mr. McLennan treated everyone. Guess someone's feeling left out."NôvelDrama.Org copyrighted © content.

"Well, what can you do? She's the real deal, after all-the family's heiress. Some people can't compete."

I ignored the noise and went back to my desk. Beside me, Astrid was fuming, angrily stuffing a cream puff into her mouth.

I glanced at the card Jack had included with the snacks. His message was short but telling-"Enjoy the food and let them watch. I'll deal with her when I get back." Astrid scoffed when she saw it. "Yeah, right. Why not come back now? Big talk, no action-classic man."

She waved a puff dramatically. "Sending snacks as an apology? Please. Not happening!"

I reached over and pinched her cheek. "You sure don't look too mad with your mouth full. Besides, weren't you the one who told him not to interfere?"

That finally got a small smirk out of

her, though her gaze toward

Mackenzie was still filled with

disdain. Fine, let her enjoy herself

for a few days. The higher she

climbs, the harder she's gonna fall."

I shook my head with a quiet laugh. "Astrid, don't you think keeping a low profile has its perks? You can scope out your future employees without them knowing who you are." She considered that for a moment, her lips curving into a knowing smile.