Chapter 8: The Coffee Trap

After muddling through a night at home, my work alarm rang as usual.

That’s adulthood for you.

Even if your world collapses, you only get so much time to grieve.

I’d taken three days off already; today, come hell or high water, I had to show up for work.

I looked at myself in the mirror.

Heavy dark circles under my eyes.

But for tonight’s promotion dinner, I still put on my best face.

The director had resigned a month ago, and before leaving, she recommended me to the deputy general manager.

By yesterday, my probation period was over, and judging by the deputy’s words, today they’d be announcing my appointment as director.

Word had already spread in the office group chat, and people were already pestering me for a treat.

We’d agreed to go to that trendy new restaurant for dinner.

My treat.

But when I arrived at the office, everyone was giving me strange looks.

When I met their eyes, they quickly looked away.

I frowned.

Sure enough, as soon as I sat down, Aubrey breezed into the office in a high-end tailored suit, walking briskly.

Two people followed behind, hands full of Starbucks coffees.

She clapped her hands, all smiles:

"Everyone, thanks for your hard work lately! After work today, don’t leave—I’m treating!"

As she finished, the two colleagues handed out coffees to everyone.

When they were done, everyone had a cup—

except me.

I already had a bad feeling.

Only then did Aubrey seem to notice me, and she apologized:

"Oh, Miss Natalie, you’re here too! Sorry, I thought you weren’t coming today, so I didn’t get you a coffee."

She walked over, holding out her own cup:

"I haven’t touched this yet. If you don’t mind, Miss Natalie, you can have mine."

When I didn’t take it, she pressed it into my hand. But as soon as the cup touched my fingers,

she let go.

The cup hit the tile, coffee splattering across my shoes and the hem of my skirt.

"Natalie, what are you doing?"

Before I could say a word, someone shoved me hard.

A man stepped forward to shield Aubrey, eyes full of concern:

"Are you alright? Did you get burned?"

"Oh no, Manager Natalie is hurt!" a colleague cried out.

When Derek instinctively glanced at my hand,

Aubrey tugged gently at his sleeve, her eyes brimming with tears, ready to fall.

"I’m fine, don’t blame Miss Natalie. She just didn’t hold it steady, it wasn’t on purpose…"

"Don’t blame her, really, it wasn’t…"

Derek looked away blandly and patted Aubrey on the head.

"You’re too kind. If you keep this up, you’ll just get taken advantage of."

Aubrey looked up at him, stuck out her tongue, and smiled.

The two of them grew more and more intimate…

I watched them quietly.

So love really can be transferred so easily.

Just days ago, Derek still cared for me so meticulously.

In the blink of an eye, he could give that same affection to someone else.

Heh.

The coffee seeped across the tile, dark and steaming, as a hush fell over the room. My cheeks burned, not from the coffee, but from the sting of being so openly sidelined. I could hear the whispers behind me, the quick, pointed glances as Aubrey played the victim. Derek’s hand on her shoulder was a signal to everyone—he’d made his choice. My heart felt brittle, like a glass ornament about to shatter, but I steeled my expression, refusing to let them see me crack. I used to be part of the inner circle here. Now, I was just another face in the crowd, edged out by the very people I’d once called friends.