Part 2

"Where are you?" The loud shout made Claire wince. She wanted to move the phone away from her ear, but upon seeing the flat square object on the bathroom sink, Claire realized she had a Bluetooth headset in her ear.

"Why? Missing me?" Claire retorted, waving her hand gently to reduce the water on her hands before placing it under the hand dryer.

"Missing your fleas! Damn it!" The girl on the other end snorted. "Where are you now? Don't tell me you're in the restroom!"

"Do you have a GPS on me, or are you monitoring me from your favorite basin?" Claire chuckled. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror, adjusting her hair before grabbing her phone and leaving the restroom.

"Say whatever you want. Just tell me where you are. It's Monday, Claire. Are you heartless enough not to go to work and add to my workload? Just last weekend, I praised you, and now you're burdening me with all this?" Her friend complained again. Whether she liked it or not, Claire couldn't help but laugh.

"Sorry, I have too much money, so I want a tiny holiday." Claire replied casually, confident that it would only annoy her friend even more.

"You?"

"I'm currently a personal driver, impromptu duty." Claire finally answered truthfully, not wanting to be the cause of her friend's rising blood pressure.

"Answer from the start, why do you always enjoy messing with me?" Her friend said with a sweeter tone. "Flirting with the boss there?" She asked, and Claire was sure her friend was grinning broadly.

Bella had a Cinderella syndrome in her mind. She always fantasized about a workplace romance between a subordinate and a boss. Claire couldn't blame her, but she didn't like it when Bella expected the same from her. She already had a mother who always meddled in her future and romantic life; she didn't want her friend to do the same.

"What do you think I am? Cinderella?"

"Yeah, right. Even if I don't get a boss there, I can still see some well-groomed guys, Na. Not like here, where the guys are all gloomy," her friend complained. Once again, Claire chuckled at her friend's response.

"Alright, I'll do my work until it's done. Mrs. Shelly is calling me." Without waiting for a response from the other end, Claire answered the call from her boss. "Yes, Mrs. Shelly."

"Na, I left my files in the car. Please get them for me. Bring them directly to the fifteenth floor." Her boss's command. Claire agreed and immediately walked towards the elevator that would take her to the basement where her car was parked.

The map her boss was referring to was indeed on the back seat of her car. Claire quickly grabbed the map and headed back to the elevator. She glanced at the indicator lights for each floor above the three elevators lined up in front of her and turned when she heard footsteps approaching. She saw a man and a woman walking closely together like a couple intoxicated with love. While the woman affectionately clung to the man's arm, the man, on the other hand, openly observed Claire.

'Ugh, shameless!' Claire muttered to herself.

Clearly, the man was not faithful. Just look at how he looked at Claire even though his girlfriend was right beside him. Seeing the man eyeing another woman, the man's girlfriend glared at Claire with hostility and clung even more intimately to the man.

Claire tried not to snort. Right when the elevator doors opened, she quickly stepped in, hoping the couple wouldn't follow her. Unfortunately, Claire's prayer wasn't answered as the couple entered and stood behind her.

"Please, nineteenth floor," the man said in his low voice, sending shivers down Claire's spine.

Well, at least the man in the expensive suit knew how to be polite, even if his actions suggested otherwise.

Claire pressed the nineteenth floor button and then pressed the fifteenth floor button, and the elevator began to ascend.

Claire stared at the dim wall in front of her. Earlier, when the couple entered the elevator behind her, Claire briefly observed what they were wearing. And honestly, she had her own questions for the woman.

Claire knew this was Manhattan, and a woman dressed provocatively wasn't uncommon to see. However, the appearance of the woman now standing behind her—doing who knows what because Claire heard the rustling of fabric—wearing an outfit clearly unsuitable for an office was a different story. Especially in a prestigious company like Coskun Company, which she knew had an international standard.

The woman's attire seemed more fitting for a nightclub. Bright red, low-cut at the chest, and a skirt cut halfway up her thigh. Not to mention, it was too tightly wrapped around her body, making Claire uncomfortable with the woman's curves on full display. It was evident that the outfit was designed to tempt men.

Claire shivered again. Didn't the woman know how to dress appropriately? She wondered to herself. But looking at the floor they were headed to, Claire guessed that the couple was probably a guest in the company—perhaps one of the investors.

Claire tried to keep her mouth shut and refrain from making sarcastic comments as the noises behind her grew more audible. She tapped the tips of her shoes on the floor and hummed softly to drown out the sounds, preventing her mind from wandering into scenes reminiscent of Fifty Shades, a series she had once watched.

Images of Mr. Grey touching Anastasia in the Fifty Shades movie flashed in her mind. Oh God, it's still morning. Don't let her thoughts be contaminated by dirty ideas.

Claire chose to look up instead of observing the couple behind her who seemed to be getting closer. She watched as the numbers continued to increase in seconds. And ding! The elevator doors finally opened, and Claire quickly stepped out of that metal box, taking deep breaths.