Chapter 2

2.

The moment Ian spoke, the teasing instantly died down, and the room fell into dead silence.

I quietly retreated to the corner sofa and picked up a double chocolate chip cookie from the coffee table.

It was soft, warm, and melted in my mouth.

I had always loved chocolate cookies.

Trina sauntered over with a fake smile plastered across her face.

"Imported artisanal cookies from France. First time having them, right?"

She sat down beside me with an air of superiority.

She had been a classmate of Zach's and mine in college, and after graduation, the three of us ended up at the same corporate firm.

Zach had personally invited her tonight, whereas I had tagged along uninvited.

After all, Zach clearly favored her over me.

He took her out to lunch every day and regularly took her to late-night movies.

I had even suspected that Zach was secretly in love with her.

When I asked him about it, he merely shrugged, "I don't like her like that. We're just good friends."

Then I gathered my courage and asked, "Then do you like me?"

He answered without missing a beat, "How could I ever like you? We were classmates, so I only let you stick around at work out of pity."

I had fallen for him in high school and spent seven years loving him, so hearing those words cut deep.

Yet because he never officially dated anyone, I foolishly clung to hope, convincing myself I still had a chance.

"Nora, I bet this is your first time stepping foot in a luxury penthouse like this, isn't it?"

Trina leaned close to my ear, her eyes dripping with condescension.

What she didn't know was that my family's private estate in California was twice the size of this place.

During high school, my parents managed multi-million-dollar ventures on the West Coast while I stayed behind with my grandmother.

Because of that, Zach and our classmates always assumed I came from dirt-poor beginnings.

Trina loved picking on me, and I knew she was deliberately humiliating me tonight.

I opened my mouth to put her in her place, but Zach's panicked voice suddenly rang out from the table.

"Mr. Mercer, this is literally all the cash I have on me."

"Is it... is it enough?"