Your Guise Is Slipping, Miss Pearl

James didn't say anything, quietly looking at Summer.

"Also, you can ignore her, but bringing someone new to purposely upset her is too much... I don't even know how to describe you anymore," Summer continued, her anger palpable as if she were the victim in the situation.

James couldn't help but laugh. "Are you implying that I'm a bad person?"

Even though Summer thought James was the worst, she knew it wasn't worth losing her job over expressing it. "I wouldn't go that far, but you should definitely think about it," she replied firmly.

Summer imagined herself being furious if she were in Esther's shoes. Esther was so kind-hearted. If it were her, she would have caused a scene to embarrass them both.

James glanced at the uneaten food on the table, remembering how Esther always reminded him not to waste food. A pang of sadness washed over him. How unhappy must Esther be if she couldn't even enjoy the food she loved?

Determined, Summer removed her name tag. "If you feel I've offended the lady or you, you can fire me, and I'll accept it. But I still think you should just leave her alone if you don't have feelings for her, okay?"

James nodded. "Okay."

Although she sounded cool saying that, Summer's heart still ached. She was about to join the ranks of the unemployed. "I'll pack my things then," she said, turning to collect her belongings.

"You don't need to resign. I think our firm needs someone who values justice as much as you," James remarked.

Summer paused and turned around in disbelief. "Really? You think I value justice?"

"I won't fire you," James stated simply, not elaborating further.

As he turned away, Summer interjected, "In that case, I should mention that Esther saw the woman who came over and was very upset. She said she'll never come over again."

Never come over again? That must have been quite an impact.

James couldn't find the right words to express his feelings. It felt like a tangled mess, but he managed a nod. "Okay."

Summer could only sigh, knowing she had done all she could. The rest was up to fate.

*

Esther went to a bar by herself for the first time. She chose Dark Bar because Pearl owned it, and she knew she wouldn't be bothered there.

However, there were always people who didn't understand boundaries. One of them saw her sitting alone and approached her with two glasses of beer.

"Drinking alone, sweetheart?" the man leered, placing the beers in front of Esther before taking a seat beside her. Content © NôvelDrama.Org 2024.

Esther looked up, her voice filled with sadness. "Please leave me alone. I'm feeling down."

The man's smile faltered, his lips twitching. Was this a new tactic to turn people away?