My coworker found out my boyfriend was a trust fund kid and crawled into his bed. Two months later, she sauntered over to my desk, nose in the air. "I'm pregnant with your boyfriend's baby. You should back off now, before things get ugly." Whose baby? I froze. The "rich boyfriend" she was talking about… is a woman. So whose baby was it? 1 The moment I walked into the office, my coworker, Amber, slid up to me with a sly grin. "Mia," she purred, "who was that dropping you off downstairs?" I played along. "My boyfriend, of course." Her voice dripped with a sour mix of envy and teasing. "Well, well, keeping a secret boyfriend from us, are we? I saw the car. It was gorgeous." She nudged me. "So, when do we all get to go out for dinner and meet this mystery man?" My best friend, Alex, is tall, has an androgynous look, and recently chopped her hair short. So, half-jokingly, I call her my boyfriend. She’d let me crash at her place last night and gave me a lift to work this morning. I never thought anyone would see. But Amber had taken the bait, hook, line, and sinker. Now she wanted a double date. I couldn't help but smile, brushing it off. "Maybe some other time." Her face instantly soured. She rolled her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean? You think just because your boyfriend has money, you can hide him away? So much for being 'besties'." The passive-aggressive tone was grating. She wasn't done. "Are you afraid we'll steal him away? Worried you don't quite measure up to his status?" she sneered. "Don't get too comfortable. Rich guys like him stick to their own kind. You'll probably be dumped before you know it." That was it. "My relationship is none of your business." I was about to swing my Chanel bag right at her smug face. Jessica, who shared our office space, saw the storm brewing and quickly stepped between us. "Mia, calm down. Amber's just having a bad day." Our other colleague, Gita, moved to hold Amber back, who looked ready to lunge. "Alright, Amber, that's enough." I lowered my bag, a cold smile on my face. "Apologize. Right now. Or I swear I'll rip that gossiping mouth right off your face." Amber knew she'd crossed a line, and with both coworkers telling her to back down, her eyes welled up with tears. "I wasn't wrong! Why are you all taking her side?" With that, she shoved Gita aside and stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind her. Jessica gave me an awkward smile. "Mia, don't mind her. Amber's fresh out of college, she doesn't have a filter. Just... maybe be careful she doesn't get too close to your boyfriend." I didn't say anything, just sat down and buried myself in my work. My best friend is a woman, and she's very, very straight. Amber would need to sprout some new anatomy to have a chance. 2 After that day, Amber started watching me. Secretly. Sometimes, I’d feel her presence and find her standing right behind my desk, trying to read my phone over my shoulder. Just then, a message from Mr. Evans, one of the general managers, popped up. Mr. Evans: Ms. Kim, The Grand Astoria is doing a new buffet brunch. Would you care to join me? Mr. Evans must have figured out who I am. Ever since I started this internship at one of my family's subsidiary companies, he’d been engineering "chance encounters" and asking me out. I was typing out a polite refusal when I felt that prickling sensation on the back of my neck. I whipped my head around. Amber. Peeking at my screen again. I instantly locked my phone and stared her down. She just picked up her water bottle and walked away as if nothing had happened. Once she was gone, I texted Mr. Evans back, telling him to focus on his work. Then I replied to a message from Alex. As luck would have it, a friend from college was having a birthday party at an event space right next to The Grand Astoria. She'd invited both me and Alex. Alex was texting to coordinate a time to pick me up. Before leaving work, I touched up my makeup. Gita winked at me. "Getting all dolled up for a hot date?" she teased. "Guess we won't be seeing you tomorrow morning, huh?" As I applied my lipstick, I realized we might be out late, maybe even hit an after-party. I nodded. "I might be late tomorrow. Could you do me a huge favor and clock in for me?" "You got it." The second the clock hit five, I was downstairs, sliding into the passenger seat of Alex's Aston Martin. From her electric scooter, Gita watched us go, sighing wistfully. "A rich, handsome boyfriend. Some girls have all the luck." A few feet away, Amber watched us pull away, a thoughtful expression on her face. Then she hopped on her own scooter and pulled up a map on her phone. We partied until almost 11 PM before a few of us decided to hit up a karaoke bar. As Alex went to get the car, I glanced across the street and saw a familiar figure emerging from The Grand Astoria. It was Amber. Was she having dinner there? Alex pulled up to the curb, and the thought vanished. I got in the car, and we drove off. 3 The next day, Amber was back to her old self. The constant staring stopped. Without her eyes boring into the back of my head, I could finally breathe—and use my phone—in peace. But something else had changed. Amber's makeup and outfits grew more elaborate by the day. Rumors started flying around the office that she must have snagged a boyfriend. One morning, she walked in swinging a Louis Vuitton tote, casually flashing a new Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet on her wrist. Jessica gasped. "Amber! You look amazing! And that bag... spill! Your new boyfriend bought it for you, didn't he?" Gita leaned in, her eyes wide. "That bracelet looks super expensive, too. Is it real?" Amber lifted her chin, basking in the attention. "You like it? It's Van Cleef. Cost over three thousand," she said, feigning nonchalance. "My boyfriend knows I love nice things. He saw it and just bought it for me, no questions asked." Jessica and Gita fawned over her, admiring her new trinkets. I glanced over once and lost interest. You could spot the cheap knockoffs from a mile away. Suddenly, Amber was standing in front of my desk, reaching into her bag. Just then, Mr. Evans appeared at the office door. His eyes darted to me for a second, then settled on Amber. He scanned her new bag and bracelet, his expression darkening. "Amber," he said, his voice flat. "My office. Now." Amber’s voice went sugary sweet. "Okay, Mark!" She shot me a triumphant smirk before sashaying out. I watched the bizarre little performance, shrugged, and went back to my work. I never could have predicted what would happen when she returned. She slapped a piece of paper down on my desk—a lab report. Then she stood over me, looking down her nose with an air of absolute victory. My eyes snagged on the bold letters at the top. 【PREGNANCY: CONFIRMED】. "I'm pregnant," she announced. I blinked, stunned. "Uh..." was all I could manage, before blurting out, "It's not mine." The whole office went silent. Everyone was staring. My response threw her off for a second, but she quickly recovered, her smugness returning. "Sorry to break it to you, but your boyfriend fell for me the moment he saw me." Her voice turned sharp. "I'm pregnant with his child. You need to back off now, before things get really ugly." Jessica and Gita were frozen, their mouths hanging open in shock. "I told you you'd get dumped, didn't I?" Amber continued, her hand drifting possessively to her bracelet. "And look at you now. I'm carrying his baby. It won't be long before I quit this dead-end job and become a trophy wife." 4 A trophy wife? Unwed, pregnant by another woman's man, and scheming to marry into wealth? No family with real money would ever let a woman like that through the front door. And she kept saying it. My boyfriend. Good Lord, I was single! What boyfriend? I frowned, mentally rewinding through my entire life. No "boyfriend" to be found. "Just to be clear," I asked carefully, "which one of my boyfriends are we talking about?" Gita let out an audible snort. Amber's brow furrowed, taking me completely seriously. She actually started defending my non-existent man. "Wow. So you're a cheater, too. A woman like you has no right to compete with me." She was on a roll now, lost in her own fantasy. "Once I have his son, his family's entire fortune will belong to us." Her voice was a giddy, nonstop stream of delusion. "Remember The Grand Astoria, two months ago? I knew I was destined to marry rich. It only took one time." The Grand Astoria? My mind flashed back to my college friend's birthday party. But my "boyfriend" is a woman. And we never even set foot in the hotel. So whose baby was it? She'd been watching me, spying on my phone for weeks. Could she have… gone to the wrong room? Mistaken someone else for my "boyfriend"? This was a disaster, but a pregnancy was no small thing. I couldn't let my stupid joke ruin her life. "Look, that baby definitely isn't—" She cut me off. "Don't you dare try to talk me out of this! I am not getting rid of this baby. You need to break up with Mark, now. If you don't, I'll tell him what a cheater you are!" I almost laughed out loud. Then I saw the bracelet and bag again. If this "Mark" had bought her things, they were obviously still in contact. He had to know about the baby. Why was I trying to be the hero here? She'd made her bed. So I played along. "If he wants to be heartless, then so can I. I'm blocking him right now." I put on a show of furious tapping on my phone. "And I hope you have a whole litter of boys for him!" She smirked. "Glad you know when you're beaten." With the swagger of a conquering hero, she strutted back to her desk. Across the room, Jessica and Gita exchanged a look and quietly went back to their work. 5 Once the pregnancy was out in the open, Amber began acting like the office princess. She was constantly ordering people around, even pawning off her work on others. "Gita, sweetie, could you get me some water? The break room is so crowded, I'm afraid someone will bump into my tummy." "Jessica, could you print this for me? The printer is so far, and my legs are aching." She started wearing oversized maternity clothes, even though she wasn't showing. She'd wander the office, one hand protectively on her flat stomach, sighing dramatically. "Oh, everyone was right, pregnancy is so hard. Being a mother is the toughest job in the world. I'm barely a few weeks along, and I just feel so… delicate." Then, she turned her attention to me. "Mia, I'm not an unreasonable person. I know you and my boyfriend had a past, but that's over now." She paused, then snapped her fingers. "I'm craving one of those gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches from that place downtown. Go get one for me." She patted her stomach. "And make sure it has extra bacon. For the baby." I was already swamped with work, and now this? The incessant chatter was one thing, but treating me like her personal assistant was another. I ignored her, pretending I couldn't hear over the clatter of my own keyboard. She marched right up to my desk and shoved my keyboard aside. It slammed into my water glass, sending a wave of water across my desk, soaking a stack of documents. "Are you deaf?! I'm talking to you! I want a grilled cheese!" Pregnancy had turned her into a monster. Ordering Jessica and Gita around was their business, but did she really think she could push me around? Frantically, I righted the glass, my face darkening with fury. "You want one? Go get it yourself! Are you looking for a fight, you idiot?" Her face contorted. "How dare you talk to me like that?" I picked up the half-empty glass, ready to douse her with the rest of the water. Gita rushed over and grabbed my arm. "Mia, stop! Think about it! If something happens to her, it'll be a nightmare for you. It's not worth it." Fuming, I slammed the glass down, shot Amber a death glare, and went to reprint my ruined files. 6 When I got back, Amber was waiting, her eyes fixed on my empty hands. "Where's my sandwich?" she demanded. I ignored her. And so, the drama continued. "I'm so hungry," she whined to the room at large. "I just asked for one little sandwich, and she couldn't even do that. How did I end up with such a useless, uncaring coworker during my pregnancy?" I slapped the fresh stack of papers onto my desk. "If I'm so 'uncaring,' then quit. Find a new job with a new set of maids—I mean, coworkers—who will wait on you hand and foot." I smiled sweetly. "All I've got for you here is a slap. You hungry for that?" Humiliated and sandwich-less, Amber shrieked, "You can't talk to me like that! I'll have Mark fire you right now, you see if I don't!" I raised an eyebrow. My name is Mia Kim. My father is the founder of this corporation. The office I was "interning" in was just one of our many branches. Who the hell was this "Mark" that he thought he could fire me? The King of England? "Please do," I said, leaning back in my chair. "Go find your Mark. Tell him to fire me immediately. I'd love nothing more." "You just wait! Don't come crying to me when you're out on the street!" She stormed out, slamming the door again. A little while later, she came back, looking as if nothing had happened, though she couldn't quite meet my eye. I crossed my arms. "So? When am I getting fired? Did your Mark give you a date?" Her confidence was gone, but she tried to bluff. "Mark is a very busy man! He doesn't have time for petty things like you! You should be grateful! The second he has a free moment, you're done!" I watched her performance with amusement. "Good. I'll be waiting." It was becoming clear her boyfriend was probably some middle-manager in this branch. All it would take was a quick search for Amber to find out who I really was, but she hadn't bothered to do her homework. She was so blinded by her fantasy of marrying rich that she thought her "Mark" was more powerful than me. It was pathetic, really. Unwed and pregnant, trying to leverage a baby to climb a social ladder that didn't even exist. But still, I was curious. Who exactly was this "Mark"? Then I remembered her snooping on my phone, and a name flashed in my mind. Oh. I think I knew. 7 My birthday was approaching, but Alex had been dragged out of town by her father for a business deal. Worried she wouldn't make it back in time, and knowing I was stuck at the office all day, she had my birthday present delivered directly to me, cash on delivery. I carried the box back to my desk. The sender's name read: "To Mia, from your loving husband." Alex, you goof. I smiled and tore open the package. Gita, who had been peering over my shoulder, let out a low whistle. "Wow, Mia, what is that? It's beautiful! I want one!" Inside the exquisite box lay a watch with a white face and an 18k rose gold case. A Patek Philippe. The receipt was still inside. Gita glanced at the price and gave a weak laugh. "Never mind. A good knockoff will have to do." Hearing Gita's comment, Amber hurried over. "A corporate drone like you could never afford a watch like that," she muttered under her breath. Then her eyes fell on the shipping label. Her face changed in an instant. She snatched the box from the desk and ripped the watch from my hands. Gita instinctively tried to shield it. "Amber, what are you doing? That's Mia's! It's incredibly expensive, be careful!" My face hardened. "I don't remember telling you to touch my things. Give it back." Amber inspected the watch, a satisfied smile spreading across her face. Then she glared at me, her voice rising to a shout. "Your things? Mia Kim, you have no shame! Did you even read who sent this?!" "You swore to me you'd break up with Mark, and now you're seducing him into buying you gifts? What is wrong with you?!" Jessica and Gita were stunned. They scrambled to pick up the discarded shipping label. Jessica looked at me, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Mia," she whispered, "it says it's from your 'loving husband'... You didn't actually..." I sighed. "Seriously? It's from my loving best friend husband." I put heavy emphasis on the words "best friend." Jessica nodded in understanding. She had a friend like that, too; they were so close they joked about being a couple all the time. I reached for the watch. Having this idiot's hands all over my gift from Alex was making my skin crawl. I was not being gentle. When she realized she couldn't win the tug-of-war, Amber let go and burst into loud, theatrical sobs. Someone walking past the office heard the commotion and poked their head in to see what was happening. Seeing an audience, Amber seemed to have an idea. She ran out into the main office area, her wails attracting a crowd of coworkers. "Mia Kim is sleeping with my husband!" she shrieked. "She gets him to buy her designer bags! I'm pregnant with his child, and I begged her, I begged her to leave our family alone!" She pointed a trembling finger back at me. "And today, he sent her a watch worth tens of thousands of dollars! I confronted her, and she denied everything!" She held up the shipping label like a trophy. "But the proof is right here! It says it's from my husband!" Tears streamed down her face. "I'm pregnant! What am I supposed to do?" Most of the people out here were junior employees who had no idea who I was. Seeing Amber's pathetic, tear-streaked performance, they immediately took her side. A few of the older women, trapped in their own unhappy marriages, looked at me with daggers in their eyes. "So that's the kind of person Mia is. A homewrecker! She deserves to die alone!" "Shameless. Stealing a coworker's husband." "I always thought she came from a good family. Turns out all her nice things came from being a mistress."
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