"What is it?" Gabriel asked, gawking at Tiffany.
"I assume you have discovered her reality by now, but I guess you are not entirely convinced," Tiffany remarked, watching him closely in return.
"It appears that you still believe I am lying," Tiffany remarked after a keen observation regarding the couple.
Gabriel's eyes flickered at her words. It was unexpected that someone who enjoyed scheming behind people's backs would be speaking honestly to him.
"And why are you so intent on exposing Eveline in front of me?" Gabriel asked in return.
"Because I can see what's going on between you two. But as a good friend, I would like to warn you that she is playing you," Tiffany said, admitting that she was still thinking about Eveline.
"You know what, Tiffany? To start with, we are not pals. You only have me as a follower because you were friends with Eveline, and I detest people who malign others to paint them as villains."
Tiffany was surprised by Gabriel's unfiltered words.
"And how do you know that something is going on between us? Do you follow us around all the time?" he asked, shocking Tiffany right away.
Gabriel hated girls like Tiffany who cheated on their friends or took advantage of their kindness for their own evil plans.
"W-why would I do that?" Tiffany was caught off guard by Gabriel's claim that she stuttered in response.
This time it was Gabriel who was pleased to see the dreed marred on her face. All he wanted to do was give Tiffany a reality check, now that he was certain of her intentions toward him.
"Why wouldn't you? Have you not been doing it for a while?" He asked, shocking Tiffany.
Her throat went dry, and she answered, "I-I do not stalk you."
Gabriel had accused Tiffany directly of stalking them, which alarmed Tiffany.
'Does that imply that he had been monitoring their surroundings? If so, to what extent does he know that she has been after them?'
Gabriel sighed and took a step closer to her.
"After whatever you did with Eveline, I doubt whether your words are true. Who knows if you wind up molding them to fit your requirements?"
Tiffany swallowed as a set of icy eyes penetrated her spirit, causing her innermost being to tremble.
She was aware that Gabriel hated lies, and should he find out that she had been deceiving him, then it would be hard for her to win over his heart.
"See how you are at a loss for words? Therefore, I propose that you should take better care of yourself rather than forcing me to believe something that is not true. Because if I ever catch you doing the same thing you did yesterday, I will be the one to punish you," he threatened, turning to leave the terrified Tiffany to handle his warning before heading back to his classroom.
*****
[Cooperate Office]
Max made every effort to focus on his work, but his mind kept wandering to Ella and everything that had gone wrong the night before. His drinking was out of the ordinary, but he never imagined that he would wind up at Ella's house.
Ever since he came across the new man in her life, his heart hasn't been at ease.
After giving five years to their relationship, Max never once saw Ella that confident as she appeared to be before that man. Someone who had always been frigid started acting comfortable around a man.
Throughout their dating phase, Max could only manage to get a kiss, but now she was inviting that young boyfriend of hers to their house.
Observing her undergo such drastic changes, not to mention her stunning appearance, was unnerving.
Max had never witnessed Ella strutting her beauty, but last night, he could not resist going up to her when he saw her coming home.
To him, she was always that uninteresting girl who was solely focused on her work and had no experience with intimate relationships.
However, last night he was overcome with a sudden urge to kiss her and touch every part of her body, but he was disappointed to find that his desire was stifled when she kicked him.
Max never thought Ella would reject him in such a way, but then something unexpected happened—the boy kicked him, telling him to get out of her life.
"Scoff, do you really believe I will do it?" Max muttered, staring blankly at the wall in front of him.
Ella never knew that Max, a high-maintenance man, was cheating on her until the day she saw him flirting with a girl.
After seeing everything with her own eyes, he knew Ella would not believe him, so he decided to let her see the reality of their dwindling and dull love life, further breaking up with her.
Now, though, he felt bad about not getting her into his pants before throwing her out.
"Max, would you like to have lunch with me?" With a dazed expression, Max nodded to Pricilla when her voice interrupted his thoughts.
Pricilla and Max had been going out together after that night when Ella caught them together. She was one of the remarkable women in his office who just so happened to take a fancy to him.
Despite knowing he was taken, she still pursued him and now they were a couple.
Pricilla satisfied his needs and in return, all he did was fuck her. With a renowned position and a well-off job, he moved in with her as a couple after his breakup with Ella.
"Let us go," he said, and they quickly departed for lunch.
*****
Tiffany entered the classroom quietly and took her customary seat. As she absentmindedly began to take the books out of her bag, Gabriel's warning continued to nag at her mind.
"Un, what is this?" She quickly picked up a note that caught her attention on the floor and read it
"What is it like to move on with your life after destroying someone else's?"
Tiffany's fingers trembled and the note fell out of her hand, bringing on her worst fear of her life.