Without saying another word, I hung up the call in a panic.
As I clutched my phone tightly, the tears in my eyes finally trickled down my cheeks. In the past two days, I had even considered confessing my feelings to Michael so that we could be together.
But these were merely wishful thinking because I knew that he would never be with me due to the vast difference in our statuses.
I sat on the toilet bowl and cried for a long time before coming out. After splashing water onto my face, I stared at myself in the mirror. There was anger in my red-rimmed eyes. I was mad at myself for being so pathetic.
He was unworthy of my love, but I couldn’t control my feelings. I thought I’d never fall in love again after Justin’s betrayal. However, the fact that Michael was with another woman upset me. The feelings were more intense than when I caught Justin and Mabel in bed.
I’ve fallen in love with you, Michael. What should I do?
As I was constantly distracted, I failed to complete the tasks assigned to me by our supervisor, Harry. As a result, I was reprimanded for two days straight.
Since joining Joyful Success a few months ago, I submitted quality work every single time. But these two days, I was always absent-minded at work, so much so that Harry was slightly disappointed in me.
I was called into his office again that day.
In his office, I spoke first. “Mr. Doyle, you wanted to see me?”
Harry looked at me intently, but the next second, he threw a document file in front of my feet and barked angrily, “Is this how you do your work, Anna? I put you in charge of writing the quarterly report, but look at what you wrote. It’s full of mistakes!”
I bowed my head in response to his admonishment, then repeatedly apologized, “I’m sorry, Mr. Doyle. I’ll redo it immediately.”
Bending down, I picked up the file and turned to leave.
However, Harry wasn’t going to let me leave just yet. “Hold up!” he called out and walked toward me, looking disappointed.
“What’s going on with you these two days, Anna? You’ve been making mistakes at work. You’re an experienced employee, but the work you’ve submitted was not even up to the standard of an intern. The company hired you here to work, not to space out during working hours.”
I lowered my head guiltily at his words. I was also aware of how neglectful I had been for the past few days, leading to the sloppy work. However, I had no control over my mind whatsoever.
I knew that I couldn’t let my personal life affect my work. Yet, I couldn’t control my heart. Thus, I was caught in a bind.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Doyle. I’ll make sure this won’t happen again.”
Although Harry didn’t say anything too harsh, I could clearly sense that his patience had run out. If I continued making mistakes like that, I could very well be fired.
Harry furrowed his brows in frustration. “Forget it. Get back to work, and remember not to let your emotions affect you when you’re here.”
With that, he dismissed me with a wave of his hand.
“Thank you, Mr. Doyle.”
I breathed a sigh of relief as I walked out of his office. I have to get my act together and stop making mistakes.
After leaving the supervisor’s office, I returned to my own desk. Millie immediately leaned over with a look of concern on her face. “Anna, are you okay? I heard Mr. Doyle scolding you just now.”
Millie was the only one in the office I could get along with. Even though we started off as colleagues, we already considered each other friends.
“It was nothing. Just some mistakes regarding work on my part.”
Being scolded by the supervisor was a very embarrassing matter, so I didn’t want to reveal too much.
“Anna, I noticed how distracted you’ve been these couple of days. Is something bothering you? These minor tasks were never a problem for you in the past.”
Even Millie realizes that I’ve been acting strange. Is it really that obvious?
“No. It’s probably because of PMS. That’s why I’m having all these mood swings.”
I hastily averted my gaze and found a random excuse, then remained quiet after that.
Millie wisely stopped prying further and continued with her work.
To make up for my negligence, I had to work overtime that night. So I was probably the only one left in the entire office.
Harry was already very disappointed with me recently. To keep my job, I had to stay back to redo the quarterly summary.
Massaging my sore neck, I tidied up the documents on my desk, switched off the lights, and left the office.
It was very dark by the time I walked out of the office building. Glancing at the time, I heaved a sigh and hailed a taxi home, seeing as I wouldn’t be able to make it in time for the last subway ride.
I was waiting by the roadside when the blinding glare of headlights abruptly came on a short distance away. I instinctively used my hand to block my eyes while cursing inwardly.
Who the hell is this idiot? Doesn’t he know how rude it is to shine his car lights at someone this late at night?
If it were in the past, I would’ve stormed over to give the driver a tongue-lashing. But I was exhausted that day and couldn’t be bothered.
Thus, I remained where I was and waited for a taxi. Just then, the car drove toward me. Only when it was close enough did I realize that it was Michael’s car.
Knowing that the person inside was Michael, my heart skipped a beat. Is he back? Is he here to see me?
I watched as Michael alighted from the car and strode toward me. We hadn’t seen each other for only a week, but it felt like an eternity to me.
Michael came to a halt in front of me. As he towered over me, I detected a hint of a smile in his obsidian eyes.
“Why? Aren’t you happy to see me?”
When he didn’t receive a response after a long time, his brows knitted together into a displeased frown.
Only then did I come back to my senses. Tears stung my eyes at the thought that we hadn’t seen each other for a week, and my voice was slightly choked when I answered, “No. I was just surprised. I didn’t expect you to come looking for me again.”
“Why do I get the feeling that you’re upset about something, Anna?”
Michael raised his brows at me, and the smile in his eyes became more prominent.
Why do I feel like this guy seems to be very happy to see me sad?
“No. Why would I be?”
I sniffled, trying my best to stop my tears from falling. Then, I averted my gaze, refusing to look at him.
Without probing further, Michael said, “Come on. Let’s go home.”
Then, he grabbed my hand and pulled me toward his car.
