“That’s enough! Stop causing a fuss!” Vernon covered my mouth before dragging me outside the office. He pressed his hand against my mouth and nose so hard, as if he were trying to suffocate me.
I heard Peggy chuckling with my colleagues in the office. She remarked, “Since I found my necklace, I didn’t end up losing anything.
“Avril and I are colleagues, so I’ve decided to let it slide. I’ll buy afternoon tea for everyone later. Thank you for cooperating with our search!”
Vernon seemed terrified that I would expose my relationship with him in front of everyone. So, he led me to the pantry.
“Tell me! What are you actually up to? No matter how angry you are, you shouldn’t go overboard.” Vernon said while pinching his temples. He seemed extremely troubled by the incident.
I was gasping for air. There were dark bruises on my face where he had gripped hard.
“When did you become like this? You’re lucky that Peggy was generous enough to forgive you. I want you to apologize to her immediately!”
“I won’t apologize to her. If I didn’t steal her necklace, why should I take the blame?” I glared at Vernon.
He asked when I had changed. Well, I wanted to know when he became someone I no longer knew.
Peggy entered the pantry. She filled a paper cup with some hot water and handed it to me.
“Avril, have some water and calm down. I know you’re holding a grudge against me now, but you shouldn’t be so rash next time.”
I didn’t accept the cup of water. However, Peggy got burned by the hot water in the cup and ended up splashing the water onto my arm.
“Oh! It burns…” The hot water scalded Peggy’s finger. Vernon hurriedly led her to the tap and placed her finger under the running water.
As for me, I was dressed lightly. The hot water had soaked through my chiffon top, scalding my arm instantly.
I went to the restroom to handle the burn on my own. Very quickly, red blisters began forming on my left wrist.
Despite the pain, I returned to my workstation to pack my things. Suddenly, Vernon appeared and grabbed my wrist, causing me to hiss in pain.
