Chapter 2
1035 Words
Clara’s POV
“Are you really sure you can handle it?” I just rolled my eyes in the air because of Angel’s constant questioning.
It’s been a week since the event at the orphanage, and when we got home, I completely passed out and ended up having a fever, which kept me from going to work for several days.
“I’m fine now, Angel. You’ve asked that question way too many times.”
“Well, you i***t, you suddenly fainted out of nowhere. You weren’t even sick when we went to the orphanage.” I couldn’t understand it either—why I suddenly lost consciousness and got sick. I wasn’t even tired during the event.
Could it have something to do with Montreal? Who is he?
"Let’s go or we’ll be late,” Angel urged and left the apartment first.
We got to work quickly, luckily there wasn’t much traffic even though we left later than usual.
“Call me if you get dizzy again, okay?” Angel reminded me before we parted ways. She's assigned to a different department now.
“Yeah, yeah, see you at lunch,” I said as I got off the elevator, having reached my floor.
Time passed quickly. Work had piled up because of the days I was absent. I wouldn’t have even noticed it was almost lunchtime if one of my coworkers hadn't nudged me.
“Come on, Clara, it’s lunch. You can continue that later,” they invited.
“Okay, let me just tidy up my desk,” I said. While fixing my things, I texted Angel to just meet me at the cafeteria so she wouldn't have to drop by my floor.
“Did you guys hear? We have a new boss,” I overheard as I got back to our table—gossiping already.
“Where did you hear that?”
“Oh come on, it’s all over the other departments.”
“Who is it?”
“How would I know? That’s all I heard from their conversation.”
“I think I heard the name somewhere.”
“What was it?”
"Mont—" I didn’t catch the rest because Angel suddenly sat down next to me.
“You didn’t get dizzy, did you?” she asked right away.
“No, not really. I didn’t even notice the time,” I replied. She just nodded and started eating.
We talked about all sorts of topics, and our lunch break was full of laughter and teasing. After eating, we headed back to our departments and resumed work.
Thankfully, I managed to finish and submit all the tasks I needed to. My eyes and back were a bit sore though because of how much work I had left behind.
“Clara, are you okay?” a coworker asked as I stretched my arms.
“Ah… yeah, my body’s just a bit sore,” I answered.
“Well, you did finish a lot of work. Go ahead and rest a bit,” she said, and I nodded, sitting back down. While resting, I started outlining my to-do list for tomorrow. It’s easier for me to work when I know what to prioritize.
“Clara, someone left this for you.” I was startled when another coworker suddenly appeared.
“You scared me! Who’s it from?” I asked while taking the box of macarons they handed over.
“No idea, they didn’t leave a name,” they said before walking away.
"Macarons?" I muttered. I noticed from the corner of my eye that some coworkers were sneakily eavesdropping.
There was only my name written on the note stuck to the macaron box. Do I have a secret admirer? It was already time to leave work, but I still hadn’t opened the macarons.
“Clara!” I turned around at Angel’s call.
“Wait, I’m still packing up,” I said. She nodded, so I hurried with my things. Once I was done, I went over to her.
“Oh? What’s that? Macarons?” she bombarded me with questions as soon as I got close.
“Ah, yeah. Someone gave it to me,” I replied, seeing the teasing and curiosity in her eyes.
“Who gave it?” she asked, grinning.
“I don't know. No name was left; they just said it was for me,” I answered.
“Weh? Maybe it’s your secret boyfriend you’re hiding from me?” she teased.
“You i***t! I really don't know!” I glared at her and started walking ahead.
“Geez, I was just kidding. No need to get mad,” she said, but I ignored her and kept walking.
“It’s just surprising, you know? That someone gave you your favorite food and you don’t even know who it is. Maybe it’s a secret admirer?” she continued, linking her arm with mine.
“I don’t know either. I’m just scared to eat it—what if there’s something weird inside?” I honestly wouldn’t be this paranoid if I had a lot of close friends at work. But honestly, there were only a few people I could call close.
“Just eat it, and I’ll take care of you if you get sick afterward,” she joked. I gave her a light elbow to the side for teasing me. This girl was crazy sometimes.
“No way. I’ll just give it to someone else—let them feel sick instead,” I said, and we both laughed at that. And that’s exactly what I did. When we got to our apartment, there were some kids playing outside, so I gave the box of macarons to them instead.
*ting*
I looked at my phone when I heard it beep—signaling a message.
From: Unknown
Why did you give it to someone else?
Huh? Who’s this?
To: Unknown
Sorry, I think you have the wrong number.
*ting*
From: Unknown
I’m pretty sure you’re Clara Evangeline Suarez. So why did you give away what I gave you?
I immediately blocked the number after that because I was getting really nervous. How did they get my number? And why do they know who I am?
- Writer
