Favourite Mistake

Chapter 5- Emily Returns

The meeting had gone better than anyone expected.

By the time it ended, the clock had just struck noon. One by one, members of the team pushed back their chairs and headed toward the cafeteria for lunch, their voices gradually fading into the distance. The conference room emptied quickly until only silence remained.

I stayed behind.

While everyone else focused on food and conversation, I remained seated in my workspace, staring absentmindedly at the documents in front of me. My mind wasn't on work anymore. It had drifted somewhere else entirely.

The events of the morning replayed repeatedly in my head.

“Liora, I want to ask you something.”

The voice pulled me from my thoughts.

I looked up and found Stacy standing nearby with her arms folded across her chest. As my senior colleague, she usually carried herself with confidence, but there was something else in her expression today.

Curiosity.

Or perhaps suspicion.

“What is it?” I asked.

She tilted her head slightly.

“What exactly is your relationship with Mr. Andrew?”

For a moment, I simply stared at her.

“My relationship with Mr. Andrew?”

“Yes,” she said. “The assignment he gave you today has never been entrusted to an intern before.”

Her eyes narrowed.

“So tell me, what do you have with him?”

The accusation hidden beneath her words was impossible to miss.

My expression hardened immediately.

“Are you accusing your boss of having an affair with me?”

The question came out sharper than I intended, but I couldn't help it.

Stacy blinked.

“That's not—”

“No,” I interrupted. “That's exactly what you're implying.”

I stood up from my chair.

“That’s too forward, you know.”

The irritation I had been suppressing all morning finally surfaced.

“If Mr. Andrew chose to give me what you call a complicated task, then maybe it's because he has seen my potential.”

My voice grew firmer.

“Maybe it has something to do with my abilities and not whatever nonsense you're trying to suggest.”

The atmosphere between us became tense.

“Stop trying to make something out of nothing.”

Without waiting for a response, I grabbed my things and stormed out.

I wasn't someone who lost her temper often.

In fact, I spent most of my life trying to remain calm, especially after everything that had happened in the past.

But when I did lose my cool, I could become surprisingly sharp-tongued.

And Stacy had successfully pushed me to that point.

The cafeteria was noticeably less crowded than usual when I arrived.

Perhaps most people were still finishing up their meetings, or maybe I had simply arrived during a quieter period.

Either way, I appreciated the relative peace.

I headed toward the ordering counter, determined to grab something quick before returning to work.

Unfortunately, fate seemed to have other plans.

Just as I turned a corner, I collided with someone.

The impact wasn't hard, but it was enough to make me stumble slightly.

“Sorry,” I said automatically.

“Excuse me.”

I hadn't even looked at the person's face when a familiar voice stopped me in my tracks.

“Is this Liora?”

My body froze.

The voice sounded familiar.

Far too familiar.

Slowly, I raised my head.

The moment our eyes met, my stomach tightened.

“Oh my God, Liora.”

The woman smiled brightly.

“How have you been?”

I didn't return the smile.

Instead, I stared at her blankly.

“Sorry,” I said. “Do I know you?”

She laughed.

A light, effortless laugh.

“Don't tell me you've forgotten me already.”

She brushed a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

“I don't think I've changed that much.”

For a brief second, neither of us spoke.

Then I turned away.

I wasn't interested in having that conversation.

Not now.

Not ever.

The woman standing before me was Emily.

Once upon a time, Emily had been one of my closest friends.

There was a period in my life when we had been inseparable.

We shared secrets.

Dreams.

Plans for the future.

Back then, I genuinely believed our friendship would last forever.

I had been wrong.

Very wrong.

Emily was the daughter of a famous actress.

Even during our school years, her family name carried influence.

People knew her.

Teachers respected her.

Students admired her.

And because of her status, she often found herself at the center of everything happening on campus.

She had her own way of controlling affairs within the school.

People listened when she spoke.

People followed when she led.

Back then, I had stood beside her through it all.

Until everything changed.

Until the incident.

The memory surfaced briefly before I pushed it away.

I wasn't ready to revisit it.

Not yet.

Not when merely seeing her had already unsettled me.

After collecting my lunch, I sat down at an empty table.

The food remained untouched.

My appetite had disappeared entirely.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop thinking about Emily.

About the past.

About everything I had worked so hard to bury.

Eventually, I stood up.

Leaving the meal behind, I returned to work.

It was easier to focus on reports and documents than on painful memories.

Hours passed.

The afternoon moved steadily toward evening.

Just as I was finishing a task, a message arrived.

Mrs. Britney wanted to see me.

I immediately stood up and headed toward her office.

When I arrived, I knocked gently on the door.

“May I come in?”

“Yes.”

Her voice sounded warm as always.

I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The office looked exactly as I remembered.

Elegant.

Professional.

Comforting.

The red and eggshell color theme blended beautifully with the expensive furniture, creating an atmosphere that felt both authoritative and welcoming.

Mrs. Britney sat behind her desk.

When she looked up and saw me, a smile spread across her face.

“Liora.”

Her voice softened.

“How are you?”

She gestured toward a chair.

“I know we haven't really had the chance to talk properly since you started here.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

The response slipped out automatically.

She laughed.

“Come on.”

“Don't be so formal.”

I smiled faintly.

Despite everything, I couldn't help admiring her.

Her chubby face and salt-and-pepper bob haircut gave her a strict yet motherly appearance.

To many people, she was simply an administrator.

But to me, she was much more.

She had been my saving grace during some of the darkest moments of my life.

During my years at this school, she had fought for me countless times.

She defended me whenever she could.

Supported me whenever she was allowed.

Yet even someone like Mrs. Britney had limits.

There were situations where authority wasn't enough.

There were battles she couldn't win.

And unfortunately, I had become the victim of one of those situations.

“I'm fine,” I said quietly.

“Thank you for asking.”

She studied me for a moment.

Then she sighed.

There was a look in her eyes that suggested she knew I wasn't telling the whole truth.

But she didn't press further.

Instead, she folded her hands together.

“Someone wanted to see you.”

I frowned.

“Me?”

She nodded.

“Yes.”

Confusion flickered through my mind.

Before I could ask another question, a movement from an inner room caught my attention.

The next second, someone stepped out.

My heart stopped.

Emily.

She stood there awkwardly, almost nervously.

“Hi,” she said.

Her voice was softer than before.

For a moment, the room felt unbearably small.

The pieces clicked together instantly.

So this was why I had been called here.

Mrs. Britney had arranged this meeting.

Emily shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

“I just found out you're an intern here.”

She attempted a small smile.

“It's been a long time since we last met.”

The words hung in the air.

I stared at her.

Memories threatened to break through the walls I had built around them.

The years.

The friendship.

The betrayal.

The pain.

Everything came rushing back.

For a brief moment, I considered responding.

Perhaps asking how she had been.

Perhaps pretending nothing had happened.

Perhaps allowing myself to revisit the past.

But I couldn't.

I simply couldn't.

Not after everything.

I turned toward Mrs. Britney instead.

“Do you have anything for me to do?”

My voice remained steady.

“If not, I'm leaving.”

I picked up my file.

“I still have a lot of work to finish.”

Mrs. Britney looked disappointed.

But she understood.

Slowly, she shook her head.

I nodded once.

Then I walked out.

Immediately.

Without another glance.

Without another word.

The moment I left the office, the composure I had maintained began to c***k.

I walked down the hallway as quickly as possible.

My breathing became uneven.

Each step felt heavier than the last.

I tried to calm myself.

Tried to steady my emotions.

Tried to convince myself that I was fine.

But eventually, I couldn't do it anymore.

I turned into a quiet corner where nobody could see me.

Then I crouched down.

The tears came instantly.

Hot.

Uncontrollable.

Painful.

Everything I had spent years suppressing erupted at once.

I covered my face as sobs shook my body.

All the courage I had gathered to return here.

All the strength I had relied upon to survive.

All the confidence I had built since the incident.

For a brief moment, it felt as though everything had vanished.

Seeing Emily again had reopened wounds I believed had healed.

Apparently, they never had.

They had only been hidden.

Waiting.

Waiting for the day they would be exposed once more.

I stayed there until the tears eventually slowed.

Until exhaustion replaced heartbreak.

Until there was nothing left to cry about.

By the time closing hour arrived, I had regained enough control to function.

Not enough to feel okay.

But enough to move.

Enough to leave.

The moment work ended, I rushed out of the office building.

I didn't go home.

I couldn't.

Not yet.

My thoughts were too loud.

My emotions too tangled.

The memories too fresh.

If I returned home now, I knew I would spend the entire night reliving the past.

So instead, I kept walking.

I needed air.

I needed space.

Most importantly, I needed to clear my head.

Because whether I liked it or not, Emily was back.

And deep down, I knew this reunion was only the beginning.