Chapter 4
592words
Against my fair skin, the red clover practically glowed in the sunlight.
When Liam dropped off last month's financial reports, his eyes immediately caught the sparkle at my wrist.
With a playful grin, he grabbed my hand, turning it this way and that to examine the bracelet.
"Damn, Sophie, that's one hell of a bracelet. Your boyfriend's got taste, huh?"
I nodded, trying to act modest but failing miserably. I've always been a bit of a show-off.
That's why everyone at work knows about my boyfriend, even though he's supposedly just another office drone.
"This must have set him back a pretty penny," Liam whistled, curiosity evident in his voice.
I smiled coyly. Hook, line, and sinker—exactly the reaction I was fishing for.
If only they knew it was just street vendor merchandise worth a couple hundred bucks.
I opened my mouth to respond when a voice like nails on chalkboard cut in from behind.
"Please. It's expensive all right, but that thing on her wrist is a knockoff. Worth a few hundred bucks."
Vanessa Prescott's vendetta against me seemed to intensify with each passing day.
She had a knack for materializing wherever I happened to be.
Like clockwork.
The moment she approached, the air quality dropped by about fifty percent.
The office suddenly reeked of whatever chemical cocktail she called perfume.
Yet she seemed blissfully unaware, making a show of checking her watch.
"Wow, that watch is blinding."
...
"Oh, this old thing?" Vanessa said with a practiced smile.
"Just a little ten-thousand-dollar trinket."
Her words triggered a wave of gasps around us.
For us corporate peons, ten grand was almost two years' paycheck.
"Sophie, darling, you really shouldn't parade fakes around the office. It's just... tacky."
She finished with a smirk that begged to be slapped off.
That smile made my blood boil.
"Maybe this bracelet isn't designer, but my boyfriend's love is authentic and priceless."
"Even if all he had was his last two hundred bucks, he'd spend every penny on me."
"Speaking of boyfriends, yours is loaded, right?"
I feigned admiration. She blinked, thrown by my sudden pivot.
But the mention of her sugar daddy had her preening like a peacock.
"Wasn't that him at Bistro Nouveau last week, getting handsy with that redhead?"
I watched with satisfaction as Vanessa's face cycled through several interesting colors.
The transformation was truly a sight to behold.
Vanessa's boyfriend was the poster child for rich playboys.
Loaded, lecherous, and perpetually on the prowl. Word was that Vanessa had practically set traps to catch him.
"At least my boyfriend can afford the real thing!" she hissed.
"Unlike your broke-ass boyfriend playing rich, buying knockoffs from street corners. That thing screams cheap!"
She'd struck a nerve, and I've never been one to back down.
I'm like a dog with a bone in arguments—I don't let go until I've won!
"So what if I like street vendors? You think it looks cheap?"
"Let's talk about freshman year, shall we?"
"Weren't you decked out in Forever 21 knockoffs from head to toe?"
The air practically sizzled between us!
Vanessa's manicured hands curled into shaking fists.
Her fury was like a shot of espresso to my soul.
And I, basking in her venomous glare...
Flipped my hair and strutted away, giving her a perfect view of my victorious exit.
What could she do but stare daggers at my back?
It's not like she'd risk breaking a nail in a physical fight.
Round one: Sophie. Knockout.
