Jessica had just finished scrolling through her phone when she suddenly dropped it onto the table with a sharp sigh.
“I still can’t believe it,” she said.
I looked up from my drink. “Believe what?”
She stared at me like I was personally responsible. “Harley.”
Sloane glanced between us. “Is this... about the guy who was here before me?”
“Yes,” Jessica said immediately. “And no offense, but you replaced amenace.”
I raised an eyebrow. “That’s dramatic.”
“No,” she insisted. “Do you know how many lunches I paid for him?”
Sloane blinked. “Uh...”
Jessica leaned forward, counting on her fingers. “Years. Years of me generously saying, ‘It’s on me, don’t worry,’ like I was some kind of philanthropist.”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed. “You’re the one who always insisted.”
“Exactly!” she snapped. “That’s the problem!”
She turned to Sloane. “I thought he was just... normal. Like the rest of us.”
Sloane nodded slowly, clearly confused. “Okay...?”
Jessica shot me a look. “And then—after he resigns—I find out who he actually is?”
I took a sip of my drink, unfazed. “From his last name alone, you really should’ve known.”
Jessica groaned, dropping her head onto the table. “I thought it was just a coincidence!” She lifted her head again, eyes wide with outrage. “Do you know how stupid I feel knowing I was treating him?”
Sloane hesitated. “So… he’s rich?”
Jessica let out a sharp, almost offended laugh. “Rich? Babe, he’s not just rich—he’s ridiculous. He could buy this entire restaurant without blinking.” She scoffed under her breath. “If I had known, I would’ve made him pay for every single thing.”
I smirked. “And yet… you didn’t.”
“Exactly!” she pointed at me. “That man could’ve been funding our lunches for years, Elena.”
“Oh, really?” I smirked.
Jessica slumped back in her chair. “This is betrayal. Financial betrayal.”
Sloane smiled awkwardly. “I feel like I joined at the wrong time.”
“You really did,” Jessica said, sighing. “You missed free lunches, funded by my ignorance.”
I laughed again, shaking my head.
Jessica looked at me, narrowing her eyes. “You knew from the beginning, didn’t you?”
I shrugged. “Of course.”
“You’re evil.”
“Maybe,” I said. “But at least now you know.”
