Chapter 38


    “Really? But Anna seems like a serious and hard-working person. Besides, she always looks so


    innocent. Why would she do such a thing?”


    “Ah well, people nowadays are willing to do anything to seed and climb up the socialdder. I just


    knew that she''s no decent person ever since she joined thepany. She pretends to be a diligent


    person, but in reality, she''s actually seducing an old man like our supervisor. What a slut!”


    “Hear, hear. Mr. Skeete is already in his forties. Not to mention he''s old and unsightly. Anna is really


    going all out if she can put up with such a man.”


    My colleagues'' gossip drifted into my ears loud and clear. Hearing that, I felt utterly aggrieved.


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    When did I ever seduce Conrad Skeete? Did they see me doing it with their own eyes? Ugh! People


    nowadays are truly good at making up stories and jumping to conclusions! It was him who wanted to


    force himself on me first! So why are they saying that it was me who seduced him now? They''re simply


    lying through their teeth!


    At that moment, I was gripped by the urge to rush out and counter their usations by telling them the


    truth. However, I suppressed that urge, knowing that they wouldn''t believe me even if I exined


    things. Instead, they would despise me all the more.


    Ah, forget it! It''s enough that I know what kind of person I am. There''s no need to exin anything to


    others. I gave myself a pep talk.


    Nheless, tears coursed down my face uncontrobly. I kept telling myself not to be bothered, but


    the feeling of being used wrongly was truly awful.


    It wasn''t until they had left that I walked out of the toilet stall. As I gazed at my red-rimmed eyes in the


    mirror, distress swamped me.


    I''ve been working wholeheartedly ever since I joined thepany, but never had I thought that I''d be


    “rewarded” by the reputation of seducing my superior. Argh! This world is truly unfair!


    In the afternoon, I could clearly sense that all my colleagues were looking at me differently. I tried my


    best to feign ignorance and simply kept my head buried in work, believing that they would one day


    understand the kind of person I was as long as I worked hard enough.


    In the next few days, no one said a single word to me. Even when my colleagues bumped into me, they


    pointedly ignored me. On the other hand, Conrad deliberately made life difficult for me so that I would


    leave Joyful Sess.


    He heaped so much work on me that I had to work overtime until ten o''clock every day before I could


    get off work. I knew that he was purposely dumping work on me to goad me into resigning.


    However, I had long since resolved that I would never resign no matter how he picked fault with me.


    On that particr day, I was still working overtime. It was ten o''clock at night when I finally finished


    going through all the documents on my table. Stretching, I then lumbered to my feet wearily. After


    packing up, I made to leave the office.


    But at that precise moment, my cell phone rang with a call from Justin. My brows creased as a wave of


    irritation surged within me. Without even thinking about it, I declined the call.


    s, he seemed determined, for my cell phone kept ringing incessantly. In the end, I answered the call


    when I couldn''t take it any longer.


    “Have you lost your mind, Justin Xenakis? Why are you calling me nonstop?”


    I couldn''t be bothered to be civil with him, and my voice was cold without a hint of emotion.


    “I''d like to talk to you, Anna. I''m waiting below your office. I know you''ve been working overtime in the


    past few days.”


    On the other end of the phone, Justin sounded much gentler than usual. In the past, I would''ve been


    jumping with joy if he wanted to see me, but there wasn''t the tiniest spark of delight within me now as I


    no longer loved him.


    “There''s nothing to talk about between us. I don''t want to see you,” I declined without an ounce of


    hesitation.


    It''s over between the two of us, so there''s no need for us to contact each other anymore.


    After saying that, I hung up on him without giving him an opportunity to speak.


    When I was done straightening the documents on my table, I turned off the lights and left.


    It was already ten o''clock, so there wasn''t a single soul left in thepany besides the guard at the


    entrance.


    As the cold breeze blew past, I tightened my jacket around me. Then, I stopped by the side of the road


    to hail a taxi.


    There were few taxis since it waste at night. Standing by the road, I waited anxiously.


    “Anna.”


    Someone nearby called out my name just when I saw a taxi approaching in the near distance. I looked


    over my shoulder, and when I saw that it was Justin, my hackles instantly rose.


    Ignoring him, I stretched out a hand and hailed the taxi. When the taxi came to a stop in front of me, I


    opened the car door to get in, but Justin blocked me.


    “I''ve got something to say to you, Anna,” he asserted urgently as he grabbed my arm.


    Upon seeing his face inches from mine, fury welled within me, or to be more precise, it was sheer


    revulsion.


    Shaking off his hand forcefully, I put some distance between us and stared at him coldly. “Why do you


    keep hounding me when there''s nothing to be said between us?”


    In the past, my heart would start racing every time I saw him. That had never changed even after


    having been together for seven years. But now, I felt nothing for him save repulsion and disgust.


    “Anna, I know you hate me, but I don''t want us to be enemies. Would you please give me a chance to


    say a few words to you?”


    With a hand on the door of the taxi, Justin regarded me anxiously, his gaze frantic.


    My wrath zed hotter upon hearing that. Good grief! He actually has the temerity to utter such a


    remark when our rtionship is now in shambles? Hah! I never knew that he''s actually such a


    shameless man!


    “I don''t hate you. I''m just sickened by you because I no longer have any feelings for you!”


    I eyed him coldly, my voice coated with frost.


    Indeed, I admit that I hated him in the beginning for betraying me, forsaking the rtionship that we


    had for all these years, and most importantly, hooking up with my best friend. However, that was just


    when it all started to go downhill. Now that I no longer love him, there''s no need for me to hate him


    anymore. In fact, I find it troublesome to even hate him.


    “Hey! Are you getting in or what? Stop wasting my time if you''re not!”


    The taxi driver''s impatient voice split the air just when Justin was about to say something else.


    “I''m sorry, mister, but she doesn''t need your services anymore.”


    After saying that to the taxi driver, Justin yanked me to his side and mmed the door of the taxi shut.


    “Mister, wait...”