Chapter 14
Gemma hadn’t even left the building before her Instagram updated again.
This time, she was even more unhinged:
[Girls! Progress report! Successfully delivered today! ( Celebration emojis p>
[BUT! I’m SO pressed! The manufacturer gave her an extra hundred boxes as a GIFT! I’m sick! Should’ve found a way to intercept those! They’re the limited caviar edition too–could’ve made thousands more! She’s definitely gonna pocket those for herself, lucky bitch p>
[But here’s the tea! I had the most insane luck today–ran into their CEO doing an inspection! Super young, super hot, total alpha energy! (Drooling emoji p>
[Most importantly! I think he’s into me! I could totally feel it! His eyes kept following me around! The way he looked at me was so intense! If there weren’t so many people around, he probably would’ve asked for my number p>
[Plus he seemed to really dislike my old classmate! Had this stern expression the whole time! Super harsh when talking to her! He’s probably already figured out she’s shady p>
Ryder leaned over to peek at my phone and immediately lost his shit:
“What the actual fuck! Is this chick brain–damaged? Which eye was supposedly ‘following her around‘? I was just trying to figure out which lunatic was plotting against my wife! And she’s actually delusional enough to think I was checking her out? She’s certifiably insane p>
He started pacing around my office, grabbed my water bottle and chugged half of it trying to calm down.
The comments section was absolutely wild–a mix of reality checks and enablers:
[Girl, you’re delusional! A public company CEO interested in some small–time chocolate vendor? Do you not own mirrors p>
[Haters gonna hate! Gemma’s gorgeous, why couldn’t it happen? Billionaire falls for regular girl–happens in movies all the time p>
IA CEO personally inspecting over some chocolate purchase? I bet he’s there to bust her p>
[For sure! Taking $500K in kickbacks on chocolates–imagine what else she’s been stealing! Big boss definitely got tipped off p>
[Babe, this is your moment! Add more fuel to the fire about her kickbacks! The CEO will fire her on the spot and might even notice you p>
[OMG I’m so jealous! Don’t forget us little people when you make it big p>
Gemma was eating up the attention and really leaning into the fantasy:
[I’m literally crying! If I hadn’t given up that good job back then, maybe it would be me standing next to him now! It’s all that shameless bitch’s fault! She cost me years with my soulmate p>
“ Pfft- ”
Ryder literally spit out his water and started coughing:
“This is–this is terminal delusion, right? Babe, were all your high school classmates this… uniquely unhinged p>
He looked like he’d seen a ghost.
I rubbed my temples in resignation.
Gemma was like this back in high school too–couldn’t walk past a cute guy without trying to flirt, caused drama with tons of girls over it.
Apparently, she’d gotten worse with age instead of growing out of it.
“It’s just her nature. ”
Chapter 5
I patted his back soothingly, though my expression turned cold:
“The higher she climbs with this fantasy, the harder she’ll fall p>
Gemma was in the comments section spinning elaborate daydreams about her future with her “destined one p>
I switched to my burner account and typed:
[But girl, didn’t you post photos of your husband and kid before? Would a CEO really want to be someone’s side piece p>
Gemma exploded:
You’re making shit up! What kid? That’s my nephew! I’m totally single p>
Then she quickly deleted both comments.
Too late though–I’d already screenshotted the exchange and sent it anonymously to her husband. Thɪs chapter is updated by.net
Since she was dead set on coming for me, I figured I’d let her deal with some home fires before lighting the main fuse.
air’s fair, right?
Sara Lili
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.