Chapter 5 Back to work

Jade turned with a racing heart and found Kaelan casually leaning against the railing. He had his hands in his pockets and was smiling warmly at her.

"Kaelan?" Jade said Surprisingly. "Did you....did you follow me?".

"Maybe, or maybe I just happen to live in this direction" he replied. "No, you don't" Jade crossed her hands.

Kaelan left the rail and took a step closer to her. "No, I don't," he smirked. Jade leaned against the door, ignoring Kaelan's gaze. "You know what?"

"Most guys don't follow a girl home just after one lunch together," Jade said with a stern face. Well, it's a good thing I'm not most guys." Kaelan leaned his head forward.

The gap between them tightened as he took a step closer. The air around them was filled with anticipation. Kaelan brought his lips closer causing Jade's heart to thump faster as silence filled the atmosphere.

"Tell me to leave," Kaelan said. "And I'll leave". The cold voice and his cute lips lost Jade in the memories of that night.

Suddenly the door opened and Darian walked out, "Wrong timing" Kaelan cleared his throat. "I'll hit you up when I get home, Bye!" Kaelan entered his car and drove off.

"Wow, so you got a new man" Darian gave a fake smile. Thinking about it made Darian clench his fingers in jealousy.

"Darian, he's just a friend," Jade said and entered inside. "If you say so" he mumbled. Jade went into her room and locked her door.

"Oh my God, I'm doomed" she fell flat on her bed. "What am I to do now? I think I'll have to end this pregnancy" she said to herself "because I'm not ready to be a single mother".

(phone buzz)

Message from an unknown contact "Hi, it's Kaelan. You can save my number". Jade rolled her eyes and dropped the phone aside.

To distract herself, Jade decided to head to the kitchen and make dinner. There, she found Darian's mom, Olivia, busy with some vegetables. "Mrs. Olivia, can I help you?" Jade asked. "Of course, dear! I could use an extra pair of hands," Olivia replied with a warm smile.

Jade helped Olivia get dinner ready, and when it was served, Olivia's husband commented, "This looks delicious!" Olivia smiled and replied, "All thanks to Jade."

After enjoying a happy meal together, everyone went to bed. The next morning, Jade woke up early, got dressed for work, and prepared to leave. Olivia called out, "Jade, come and eat something before you go!"

"Sorry ma, I'm running late already. I need to get to work soon. My time off is over," Jade said as she hurriedly put on her shoes. Darian approached her and handed her a bag saying, "Here, you can eat this when you get to work." "Thanks!" Jade replied, and then she quickly left.

Jade took a taxi to work, moving as fast as she could. When she got to the elevator, she realized it had just gone up. "Oh no!" Jade thought, feeling stressed as she looked at her phone. Just then, she heard her colleague's voice calling her name. Turning around, Jade saw Emma and asked, "Hi, Emma! How have you been?"

Emma responded, "I'm doing well." "I hope you're not worrying too much about things," she said. "No, I'm fine," Jade replied, smiling. When the elevator came, they both got in. As they headed to their department, Jade asked, "Emma, is there anything new I should know?" She was aware that things could change while she was on her month-long wedding leave.

"Well, there's something important," Emma said, looking a bit sad. "Our manager has been replaced." Jade noticed Emma's serious expression and asked, "Why do you look like that?" She was both curious and puzzled. "The new manager is really difficult, much worse than you might think," Emma whispered. "He's so mean and arrogant," she added.

"Oh, I hope I don't run into him," Jade said. When the elevator doors opened, they both made their way to their department.

"Good morning, everyone," Jade called out as she sat down at her desk. The room hummed with whispers, and her co-workers crowded together, sharing gossip. "She called off the wedding. Just like that. No wedding, even after all those payments," one co-worker said.

"I can't say I blame her. If I found out my fiancé was cheating with someone else..." the second co-worker chimed in. "Not just anyone; her cousin!" the third one interjected. Jade could hear their conversation clearly and turned around to lock eyes with the third co-worker. "You have more details, right?" The chatter in the office quieted down.

"Since we are all so interested. Yes, I dumped him. It was messy, I agree. Do I regret? No, I don't. Anything more you need to know?" Jade addressed the issue boldly and loudly. "Damn she did dodge a bullet" a coworker muttered.

Jade's true friend at work was Emma, the rest were just mere hypocrites, they smiled at her but behind her they stabbed her. Her rapid promotion to this current office made them more envious of her.

"Great" Emma whispered to Jade with a thumbs-up. Jade smiled and replied " I had to teach them a quick lesson; some women don't crumble. They just burn the whole thing down and walk away, without looking back."

The door swung open, and a tall young man stepped inside. He scanned the room until his eyes landed on Jade's desk. "Jade," he said with a firm and commanding voice. The other employees quickly turned their attention back to their screens, sharing nervous glances. "That's the manager, Mr. Reeves," Emma whispered to Jade.

His authoritarian attitude made every feared and never want to fall on his bad side. Without showing any confusion, Jade looked up. "My office, now," Mr Reeves said without blinking. He then turned and walked away, leaving the room in an uneasy silence.

Jade followed him into his office and said, "I'm here, sir." He stared at her with a serious expression. "Alright, why haven't you been coming to work lately?" he asked.

"I've been on leave," she responded.

"Leave, you say? Wasn't your leave supposed to end two days ago? So, you just decided to take some extra time off? Jade, this is a workplace. You can't just come and go as you please," Mr. Reeves' tone became more serious.

"I'm sorry sir, it won't happen again sir," Jade said with a slight bow. "I hope so. You can leave," Mr. Reeves said.

Jade left his office heading back to the department. Immediately she opened the door and noticed all eyes were on her, as though they were expecting an explanation from her.