“Ms. Raelynn, hello. I’m Geraldine—we graduated from the same university. I suppose I should call you my senior.” Geraldine was poised and polished, her smile soft and radiant, the kind that made her easy to like. But because of that face, I just couldn’t bring myself to like her at all. “What is it you want to learn? I’m not that experienced myself. I might not have much to teach you.” Geraldine looked surprised. “Back when I was in school, your stories were already all over campus. Even though you graduated two years earlier, people still talk about you to this day.” It was an obvious bit of flattery. I didn’t bother reacting. I simply smiled and led her to a desk. “Raelynn, can I call you that?” I nodded. “Of course. Since I’m mentoring you, if anything’s unclear, just let me know.” “Thank you. I actually do have a question right now.” “What is it?” “Could you buy me a coffee? I’m new here and don’t know where the shops are.” That… wasn’t a question. That was a command. I frowned slightly and pointed to the coffee machine nearby. “That machine is free. You can make your own. Or there’s instant coffee next to it…” “I don’t really like the coffee here. If you don’t mind, I’d really like a Velvet Latte from Moonbucks. You’re so nice—I’m sure you wouldn’t say no, right?” Her smile was harmless and sweet. I couldn’t tell if she genuinely wanted help or was deliberately testing me. “You could just order delivery,” I said. Geraldine shook her head seriously. “Delivery isn’t sanitary. I feel safer watching it being made in person.” Why don’t you go, then? That sentence kept circling in my head, but I swallowed it.As if she sensed what I was thinking, Geraldine offered a slightly awkward smile. Fine. Just this once. I was the mentor, after all. I’d play along. I smiled. “Give me a minute. I’ll go grab it for you.” Geraldine’s face lit up. “Thanks.” I grabbed my bag and headed out. Just as I stepped through the door, Aiden came rushing back into the building, looking like he was in a hurry. He didn’t even glance at me as he passed. I watched him walk straight to Geraldine’s desk, bend down, say something to her—and Geraldine immediately covered her mouth with her hand and giggled softly. Maybe I was reading too much into it. I shook my head and drove to the nearest Moonbucks. It was peak traffic hour. After I got the coffee, I got stuck in a massive jam. Time ticked by on my phone, and a strange sense of anxiety began to gnaw at me. Suddenly, my phone rang. I answered. Aiden’s voice was low and stern. “Raelynn, where are you?” “I’m out buying coffee,” I answered truthfully. “It’s working hours. The office has coffee. You could’ve ordered delivery. You didn’t need to go out personally.” He was trying to keep his tone controlled, but I still heard the criticism underneath. My mood plummeted. I opened my mouth to explain, but his next sentence shut me up. “The company meeting starts in five minutes. The notice went out over an hour ago. Didn’t you get it?” I froze. Meeting? “I didn’t know.” “Then next time, check your messages.” He sighed. “Raelynn, you’ve always been thorough. What’s gotten into you today?” Before I could respond, he hung up, saying he needed to get to the meeting. I checked my phone. Sure enough, a message I’d never seen was marked as read, quietly sitting in the notifications list.I looked at the cup in the passenger seat. I didn’t know what to say. My chest ached. A tangled mess of emotions stirred in silence. Half an hour later, the jam finally eased up, but just as I got to the company, it started pouring rain. I opened the door, only to realize I hadn’t brought an umbrella. I tried calling Aiden. No answer. Gritting my teeth, I grabbed the coffee and ran. By the time I made it back, the paper bag was soaked, and so was I. I handed the cup to Geraldine. “Here’s your coffee.” Geraldine frowned, looking confused. “What coffee?” “Didn’t you ask for this?” Geraldine’s tone held genuine surprise. “When did I ever ask you to get me coffee?”