Chapter 188 A Supposed Friend

Chapter 188 A Supposed Friend
A few days later, Amber and Brie planned to meet at a café in town. Amber was running late. Brie had been waiting for nearly ten minutes when Amber finally rushed through the door, her designer handbag swinging from her shoulder, sunglasses perched on top of her head. She spotted Brie immediately and made her way over, sliding into the seat across from her with a dramatic sigh.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," Amber said, reaching across the table to squeeze Brie's hand. "Traffic was absolutely insane."

"It's fine," Brie assured her, managing a small smile. "I haven't been waiting long."

The café was tucked into a quiet corner of the city's business district, the kind of place where soft jazz played over hidden speakers and the scent of freshly ground coffee beans mingled with the sweet aroma of pastries. Brie sat by the window, watching people hurry past on the sidewalk outside, their lives continuing normally while hers had been turned completely upside down.

A server appeared to take their order. Both women ordered a cappuccino and a selection of pastries to share. Once the server departed, Amber leaned forward, her expression serious.

"For real though," she began, shaking her head slowly. "I honestly cannot believe I got played. I mean, of all the people in that office, I would never have thought that Jen was a backstabbing bitch."

Brie wrapped her hands around her teacup, seeking comfort in its warmth. "I know. I still can’t wrap my head around it. It’s still so shocking when I think about it. I thought she was nice. She was supposed to be a friend. Who would have thought the quiet, nerdy Jen was even more dubious?"

"It’s always the unassuming ones," Amber hissed bitterly. She was so angry for being deceived.

"So annoying," She continued, angrily. "And Brad? Has he reached out to you again?”

Brie rolled her eyes. “He’s so shameless. I didn’t know why I didn’t recognize this earlier. He keeps emphasizing his trying to help me out of a difficult situation, as a friend. He’s refusing to take accountability for the designs appearing among his company’s featured products.”

Amber nearly scoffed, "A friend indeed. What kind of person hurts their friend? That bastard launched the company's products and sent an offer to make you CTO at your email. That was basically setting you up heavily. Everyone would have seen you as a spy. Who knows what would have happened if not for Alex?"

She didn’t stop there. "That bastard," Amber hissed, her voice sharp with anger. "I knew Brad liked you. I was even trying to ship both of you. But I never expected such a terrible thing. Now that I think about it, if he was willing to ruin your reputation just to be close to you, what would have happened in a relationship with someone like that? He could ruin you completely. A man who would orchestrate something like this isn't someone who respects boundaries or understands the word 'no.'"

The server returned with their order, setting down the neatly arranged pastries. Brie and Amber dug into their pastries quietly. As soon as the server left, Amber leaned forward. "What about Jeff?"

Brie shrugged. She had not seen Jeff or heard from him. And frankly, she didn’t care. He had no place in her heart anymore.

"Not at all." Brie picked at the edge of her napkin, not meeting Amber's eyes.

They sat in silence for a long moment, sipping their coffee and picking at the pastries, each of them lost in their own world.

Amber suddenly straightened, as if remembering something. "Oh, I need to inquire about the café's pastry delivery service. I'm planning a little party for Shawn's grandfather—he's finally coming out of the hospital next week, and I want to do something nice for the family."

"That's sweet of you," Brie said warmly. "How is he doing?"

"Much better, thank goodness. The surgery went well, and his recovery has been ahead of schedule. Shawn's been so relieved—you know how close he is with his granddad." Amber stood, gathering her purse. "I'll just be a minute. The manager should be around here somewhere."

"Take your time," Brie assured her, waving her off.

As Amber made her way toward the counter, Brie pulled out her phone, scrolling absently through her emails. Most were work-related—her inbox had exploded since the truth came out, with colleagues reaching out to apologize for doubting her. There was a message from Alex. He wanted to check in on her.

She was so focused on her screen that she didn't notice someone approaching her table until they slid into the seat across from her—the seat Amber had just vacated.

"That was fast," Brie said without looking up, assuming Amber had finished her inquiry quickly.

But the voice that responded wasn't Amber's.

"Brie,"

Brie's head snapped up, her eyes widening in shock.

Brad?

"What are you doing here?"