Chapter 1 1

Linda Martins POV

"Miss Martins, come into my office, now!!." I heard my boss, Tyler Smith, echoed through the bustling office.

Despite me throwing colorful curses his way, I quickly made my way to his office. "Miss Martins, I need the report on this month's car accessory sales. Also, ask the accounts department to send me the file on accounts. Schedule a meeting with Mr. William for the day after tomorrow." He continued giving me instructions without even looking at me. How rude, I thought to myself

"And have you arranged for my dinner meeting?"

"Yes, sir," I replied, still cursing him in my mind.

"Ensure the document brief is completed before the end of the work hours. You may leave now." He said without a speck of humility.

"Okay, sir." I nodded, already dreading the workload he had just thrown my way

I left the office and headed straight to the bathroom, where upon entering I locked the door and screamed in frustration in face front of the mirror. I looked my face and could not believe what I was seeing, my once happy, colourful face has now become tired and colourless and it is all thanks to one person, the great Tyler Smith.

I was so frustrated to the extent that I slammed my hands on the counter, however it only hurt me, which in return annoyed me because of the futility of my action.

As I glanced at my reflection in the mirror, it seemed to mock me for the predicament I found myself in. I asked myself why I had chosen to work with this human-machine that does not seem to possess any emotion.

My reflection met my gaze and, to my surprise, mimicked my moves. "You're asking me? Ask yourself. "Hahahaha" It seemed like my reflection was making fun of me. You were the one jumping with joy when you got the job. You chose not to quit the next day even after you saw the red flags and also because you had a tiny crush on him.

I sighed, realizing the truth in my reflection's words. "Tyler Smith, what have you done to me?

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After completing the task my boss had given me, I handed him the document he had requested for, and after perusing through the documents he had earlier asked for, he left for his dinner meeting. Taking a moment to unwind, I settled into my chair for a brief moment before deciding to call it a day. Making my way downstairs, I stopped a taxi to take me home.

The cab pulled up in front of my home where I resided with my housemate, Susan. Our landlords, the stern Mr. and Mrs. Hall, occupied the adjacent property. After settling the fare with the taxi driver, I stepped into the house and collapsed onto the couch.

Enjoying the moment of peace, I suddenly heard the sound of someone crying. Hell no, I said in my mind as I knew no one was meant to be at home. A hint of anxiety crept in because I knew Susan does not come home early. I scanned the living room with my hand in my chest, however, I found nothing amiss. Another sniffle followed by sobs prompted me to go on high alert. I stood up, tracing the source of the sound.

The crying led me to the door of Susan's room. I hesitated, surprised by the unusual early return. "Susan, are you in there?" I knocked, and to my surprise, the unlocked door creaked open with just one knock. Peeking inside, my concern deepened.

"Susan- Oh, my goodness. What in the name of Jesus happened to you?" I rushed to her side, desperate to understand the cause of her distress and source of her tears. What could have happened to make my lovely housemate to make her cry, I wondered as I sat next to her.

"He... He dumped me. Dylan dumped me." Susan's voice wavered with pain and hurt, and I bit the inside of my cheek, knowing how delicate the subject was for both of us and how unprepared I was for consoling a heartbroken lady. Despite Susan's bold demeanor, when it comes to matters of the heart, she is quite delicate and soft.

While I was novice in consoling people who has had their heart broken, I was accustomed to being dumped multiple times as such I couldn't ignore Susan's distress. My dating history was a series of short-lived relationships, each ending with them telling me I was too crazy for their liking.

"What...what did I do wrong? Susan said as she cried

Why did he break up with me, Linda?

"How am I supposed to know" I thought to myself

Why did he dump me like garbage?" Susan's voice trembled with hurt and confusion.

"Whoa, hold on a second." I gently pushed her away, steadying her shoulders. "Keep one thing in mind, sweetie, you are not garbage. Don't ever say that again, got it?" I scolded her

"But he-"

"Oh, shut up." I stood up, placing my hands on my waist. "Okay, tell me one thing: what did you do when he broke up with you?" I inquired, seeking to understand her reaction.

"I begged him not to do so, and when he refused to listen, I ran away, crying." She sniffed.

"Susan, did Dylan give you any reason for breaking up with you?" I asked calmly,

"No. He just said 'it's over.'

Oh my! I said smiling mischievously at what I had just thought of

"Then let's teach him a lesson," I suggested.

"What can we do?" She asked, a little bit confused and eager at the same time.

A wicked smile crept onto my lips as a sinister idea materialized in my mind. "I won't tell you; I'll show you. But first, tell me where we can find him at this hour."

"Umm... at his restaurant in the mall." She answered reluctantly

"Perfect. Let me change, and then we'll leave.

We drove to the mall in Susan's car – it was her problem I was aiming to solve, so her car it was.

She parked, and as she unbuckled her seatbelt, she asked, "What now? She asked, are we going to confront him?"

"Nope," I laugh wickedly. "Something better." Gazing out the window, I asked her which of the cars parked in the parking lot belonged to him.

"Look straight. That black BMW parked near the yellow board." She pointed. "But why do you want to know about his car?"

"Because we're going to damage his car." I said with the most villainous tone.

"What?! No, Linda, this is insane," she shrieked. I shot her a deathly look, and she complied.

"Okay fine, but we don't have to damage his car. We can flatten the tires or something; that would be enough."

I gave her a sweet, innocent smile. "Deflated tires won't make any difference, but a single scratch will pierce through his heart. And my darling, we are going to scrape his car."

"What? No! This seems like some childish prank."

"It's not."

"You are behaving like a high school girl on revenge, Linda. This is ridiculous."

"Revenge is revenge, taken by whosoever. Besides, I'm not harming anyone, am I?"

"No, but-"

She attempted to argue back, but I didn't give her a chance as I stepped out of her car and dragged her along.

"Let's go," I said, preparing myself as if going to war. "Linda, this is stupid. We will be reported if we get caught."

"There is no CCTV around, and no one is here, so we won't get caught." I took out a flexible knife from my pocket. "You keep a knife in your pocket?" She asked in surprise.

"For protection," I replied. One cannot be too careful.

"Take this and do the honors," I said firmly, giving her the knife, but she stepped away.

"I'm not doing this. Linda, this is a crime."

I banged my hand on the car's hood, showing her the knife with the other. "Now."

"No. It's not right, and besides, this car-"

"Oh, shut up. If you can't, then let me do the honors."

A screeching sound echoed as I grazed the knife on the hood. The black metallic color started to fall off, and I felt satisfied, as if I had gained serenity.

"Linda, no-"

"Don't worry, Susan. Your friend is here. I will take your revenge," I said absentmindedly, my heart and soul dancing in glee as I had not done something crazy in a long time.

"Linda, for God's sake, listen to me for once. This is not his car. You are scraping someone else's car," she whisper-yelled, grasping my upper arm.

But it wasn't her statement that made me stop; it was a deadly, firm, and utterly familiar voice that forced my hands to halt, my heart to race louder. "What's going on here?"

"Shit!! I'm outta here," I heard Susan's dreadful voice before she left me alone.

Fear surged through me, my own soul cursed me for my stupidity, and my legs gave up on life. Still, I managed to turn and face the owner of the voice, and when I did, my face lost color. All the wicked plans fled my mind, and the knife I was holding dropped to the floor.

I was doomed.