[Nocturna Company]
Christina's heart pounded like a wild drum as she hurried to her workstation, her ID card thumping against her chest. Scanning the room, relief washed over her as she confirmed Albert, her grumpy team leader, hadn't arrived yet. Sinking into her chair, she ran trembling fingers through her hair.
She had felt fine leaving the hotel, but the moment she stepped into the apartment she shared with Derek, the events of the previous night crashed over her like a tidal wave. The betrayal, Derek's hurtful words—each memory stabbed fresh pain into her heart. She found herself questioning everything, trying to understand why Derek would cheat on her. But no answers came, only more tears.
"Had a blast last night?" Jessica's cheerful voice broke through Christina's thoughts as she rolled her chair closer. "Did Derek finally pop the question?" she teased.
The mention of Derek's name felt like a punch to Christina's gut. She managed a weak smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. Tears welled up, and she bit her trembling lip, trying to swallow the lump in her throat.
"What's wrong?" Jessica asked in concern, moving closer.
Before Christina could respond, Derek strolled in with a casual smile. "We just had a small fight," he interjected, speaking for her, much to Christina's dismay.
Christina's heart clenched at the sight of him. A wave of emotions crossed over her face, anger taking over everything else as he affectionately smiled at her.
Despite Christina's obvious discomfort, Derek's smile remained fixed on her. He was determined to win her back! All it would take was an apology and perhaps a date. Right?
"Feeling hungry, princess? Let's grab some coffee. They have your favorite muffins today." He suggested, reaching for her hand.
Christina recoiled, swatting his hand away. "I'm not hungry!" She retorted, her voice icy. Sensing the tension, Jessica discreetly retreated to her desk, granting them privacy.
Derek's smile faltered, replaced by a stern expression. He grabbed her hand again, his grip firm. "Let's talk in private, Christina!" He insisted.
"Talk what? How good your new lover was in bed?" Christina shot back, her voice carrying across the room, drawing curious glances from their colleagues.
"Let's talk in private," Derek repeated through gritted teeth, his grip tightening.
"Leave me, you fucking asshole!"
"Didn't I say we were over last night? Go enjoy your time with that new lover!"Christina shouted, her voice echoing in the now silent room.
Derek's frustration etched deep lines across his face as he abruptly pulled Christina into the secluded pantry, the door slamming shut behind them. Christina glared at him, rubbing her arm aching from his vice-like grip.
"Listen, I messed up! But you're treating it like I've committed some heinous crime," Derek began, his words sparking bitterness in Christina. "It was just a fling, Tina! You know how stressful this project has been for both of us, and I needed to blow off the steam. Why are fussing about it?"
Christina scorned, disbelief evident in her eyes. "Are you hearing yourself, Derek? You can't use the project as an excuse to hook up with someone else when you are in a fucking relationship with me!"
"I swear we did nothing! I was just playing-"
PAK!
Christina cut him off with a slap, tired of his hearing his shit. The sound echoed in the room, catching the attention of colleagues peering through the pantry's glass wall. He deserved more than a slap, but Christina was already spent. She couldn't find the strength to speak as a lump formed in her throat, less raising her hand again.
Before Derek could recover from the harsh slap, Jessica knocked, signaling Christina that their team leader was looking for her. She was perhaps the only person concerned about her than interested in gossip.
Christina shot one last glare at Derek before walking toward the door, and Jessica quickly helped her toward the restroom.
As they left, everyone's attention returned to Derek in the pantry. Some even opened the company's chat room, eager to spread the shocking news that a mere contract employee in their design department had slapped her boyfriend, the assistant manager of the marketing department.
---
While on the highest floor of the same building, a certain someone was also about to receive the shock of their life.
"No," Reylan dismissed as Blaze, his brother, presented the final profile of a person with a name somewhat similar to Monalisa. "She might be from a different city. Search the whole country!" He declared, causing Blaze to sigh in exasperation.
"You already wasted half of my day gathering all these stupid profiles, and now you want to search the entire country? That's absurd!" Blaze grumbled, placing down the tablet. But at Reylan's icy glare, he relented, "Fine, but at least give me some valid details about her. Just the name isn't enough."
"Do you know anything else about her? Family, surname, anything?"
"She is the daughter of Leonardo Da Vinci."
Blaze blinked in confusion, initially surprised, before breaking into a fit of laughter at his brother's statement. Reylan frowned but soon realized that even his brother found the name weird and joined in the laughter.
"Funny, right? Even I couldn't believe it for a moment." Reylan added, recalling how the sleepy drunkard had grumbled her father's name at his relentless questioning last night.
Blaze shook his head, fighting to suppress his laughter. "That's not a real name! Monalisa is a famous painting by the artist Leonardo Da Vinci in one of our parallel worlds. It has been trending as a favorite meme picture all over the universe." He managed to say between his chuckles.
"Oh my god! I can't take it." Blaze gasped, wiping the tears in the corner of his eyes. "She is so funny!"
Reylan's face hardened at the revelation. So, she lied to him?
"Wait, does that mean she conned you?"
"Did the Reylan Blackwood get conned by a woman?" Blaze repeated, gleefully stoking his brother's frustration. Not only did she call him a mosquito, but she had also fooled him?! The audacity!