Chapter 44
My mom's busy in the kitchen. I look around and feel at ease after making sure Harrison is not here.
"Wear your shoes!" Mom comes out of the kitchen and says.
I lower my head and realize I'm barefoot. I explain, "I just had a dream about a ghost chasing me."
"Grow up, girl." Mom looks at me dotingly. "Go fresh up and come to breakfast."
At breakfast, Mom tells me she was talking to her neighbor. I have mixed feelings because I thought she was talking to Harrison.
On the way to work, I'm still thinking. Did Harrison really come to me because of the call last night? Was he really worried about me? I don't quite believe what he said.
Our relationship is a little complicated right now. We're like friends or lovers because we're already physically close, but we're neither.
I used to think he was out of reach, but I don't anymore.
He is really different from all the men I know.
He seems distant, but he occasionally does something that makes me feel warm. Because of that, my heart keeps racing for him.
As soon as I arrive at the company, the cleaner pulls me aside and whispers in my ear, "There are a lot of rumors going around the company. Be careful." "Rumors?" I seem to know what she's talking about.
She looks at me with anger. "Why do you have to be the other woman? This isn't gonna end well."
My calmness makes her sigh. "This morning, the whole company was saying that you seduced Sean. His wife is pregnant. Aren't you afraid of karma?"
I knew it! But I didn't expect that I became the target and Sean was fine.
"This is not true. Sean and I are just classmates," I explain.
But my explanation is useless. The cleaner shakes her head and says, "No one's gonna believe you. You need to figure out how to fix this!"
After talking to her, I go straight to Sean's office.
As soon as I appear, everyone stops talking.
Ignoring their eyes, I calmly walk into Sean's office and close the door.
"Why are you here?" Surprise flashes across his face when he sees me.
I go straight to the point. "Everyone at the company says we are having an affair. Are we?"
"So you're here for this. Calm down." Sean sits leisurely on his chair.
"It's bad for our reputation. Aren't you going to explain to them?"
He can ignore it because everyone is targeting me. In their eyes, I got this job with Sean's help and then wanted to be his wife! And Sean just made the mistake that all men make. Men and women are always treated unfairly, but we shouldn't take it for granted.
Sean can't stop laughing when he hears that, as if he had heard a joke.
His reaction confuses me. Is this funny? But with everything that's been going on lately, I can see why he's laughing.
"Did you do it on purpose?" I ask him.
He spread his hands and looks at me innocently. "Did I do anything? No. As I told you, rumors can't be stopped. If you care it so much, you can never get over it."
"But the rumors aren't true! I think we need to explain it." I insist.
I still have to work here, and I don't want to live in gossips.
But Sean refuses me. He won't tell everyone the truth, because he doesn't care.
His attitude really pisses me off. "Sean, I don't know what you're thinking, but it's your job to keep people from talking about things I didn't do!"
He gets up and walks over to me, with one hand on my shoulder. Subconsciously, I look around and find he has closed the curtains. "Stay away from me. You're only making things worse."
"So what?" He takes my hand but I pull it back immediately. He says indifferently, "As long as you're with me, there won't be any rumors around the company tomorrow. You can trust me." "How could you be so shameless?!" I roar angrily.
Instead, he asks in confusion, "Chelsea, I helped you so you need to repay me. Besides, you're not a virgin, are you? What are you afraid of?"
I can't believe he said so. Before I leave, he added, "Chelsea, don't go against me, or you'll regret it."
Son of a b*tch! Turns out he started setting me up from the moment he met me.
He wants me to repay him? Does he think the value of women is to please men?
I'm angry and upset for the whole morning. When I'm thinking about how to fix it, my boss asks me to go to her office.
"Boss, what can I do for you?" I go into her office and close the door, trying to cover up the uneasiness in my heart.
Pointing at a chair, she gestures me to sit down.
I sit down and ask, "Is it because of the recent rumors?"
"Sean's wife is an old employee of our company. She will come back to work after the baby's born. I suggest you make a choice." She says slowly.