Chapter 34: Rumors
The following week, J took precautions to avoid running into I, but I kept on hinting at her from time
to time.
One morning, she went to the convenience store downstairs to buy some coffee.
As she waited in line, two women nced at her and started whispering to each other.
"Isn’t that the woman from the design department who hooks up with me?"
"Yeah, I think so!"
J overheard their loud whispering and frowned deeply.
"What are you two talking about?"
The two women were shocked by her sudden confrontation.
They quickly shook their heads and smiled embarrassedly.
"Nothing, nothing.We mistook you for someone else, that’s all."
But that wasn’t thest J heard of this.She soon realized that someone from the design department
must have spread unpleasant rumors about her and I.
And those rumors spread lI wildfire.
Some colleagues who used to be nice to J even started to keep their distance from her.
Previously, J was viewed as a well-mannered, kind young woman in the design department.
But now that someone had spoken ill of J behind her back, people began to view her in a different
light.
It was Pam who had first shown hostility towards her.
Ever since I announced that he would select J’s design, Pam had been hostile to J to her
face.
So J suspected that Pam was the one started the rumors.
And sure enough, upon careful but quiet observation, she found that it was indeed Pam who was
gossiping around.
Pam had even made a group chat with many colleagues from thepany.
That was where she shared her made-up rumors about J.
One day, during lunch break, J went to the tea room and took a bottle of soda.
On her way out, she saw Pam nearby.
J paused for a second and just left.
Pam nced at her mischievously then whispered to the colleague next to her, "I heard Lind went to
a hotel with Mr.Lymanst night."
"What? No way! Didn’t he have a meeting in the office until verytest night? I don’t know why she lIs
him though.He’s such a jerk."
The colleague shook her head and sighed.
She had thought that J was a beautiful girl and that she was way out of I’s league.
"Of course she doesn’t like him.She’s just using him because he’s her immediate supervisor.Some
women would do anything to get promoted, am I right? I wouldn’t be surprised if she used to be a
married man’s mistress when she was in college.I’ve heard a lot about her ‘frivolous’ life in college.She
just doesn’t care about her reputation.That’s her style."
As Pam spoke, she sipped from her water calmly, as though she knew all about what she was
talking about.
"What? What happened to her when she was in college? Tell me everything!"
The colleague leaned in closer towards Pam.
"What’re you two whispering about over here? Let me join you!"
Apparently, J hade back and was leaning against the door, smiling sweetly at the two women.
"Wh-what? Nothing.We were just talking about some gossip we heard on the news."
Pam was taken aback when J suddenly spoke.She was so surprised that she stammered and
her face turned red.
With a gentle smile, J straightened her back and strode over to Pam.She picked up the phone
that was lying on the desk and held it up.
"Really? I just came back to get my phone, you see."
She unlocked the phone and nced at it, then feigned a surprised expression.
"Oh, my God! I’m so sorry.The recorder was turned on this whole time.Oh, I know! Let’s listen to what
you said just now!"
A look of horror shed on Pam’s face.She had no idea that the phone was recording their
conversation just now.
J turned up the volume of her phone so that everyone in the tea room could hear it clearly.
In the recording, Pam’s voice could be heard loud and clear.
It also sounded harsh and mean.
All eyes were on her now.
"What? I never did anything you imed here.But you described it so vividly.How about we confront
Mr.Lyman face to face?"
After the recording stopped, J sneered.Pam had made everything up.Còntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org