In the underground parking lot, there was a guy holding a kid.
Right in front of him was a woman, and that woman was Jessica.
Vivian was about to dash over when I quickly stopped her.
Vivian had come looking for me just as I was getting busy with Jessica in the underground parking lot.
And she made a noise. If Jessica caught wind of it, she might figure out what went down between Vivian and me.
Jessica and I worked in the same department, so she must've known Vivian hadn't been around the office lately for any collaboration talks.
If those two crossed paths, Vivian's fib would be busted for sure.
That would up the ante on our secret getting out.
Cheating wasn't exactly a badge of honor, so I had to do all I could to keep it under wraps and lower the odds of getting busted.
Vivian was yanked into my arms before she could understand my intention. She wriggled free, saying, "Hey! What's up? My hubby's right there, I gotta go to him."
I whispered in her ear, "No, the lady in front of your man is the head of our PR department. If you go over there and spill about discussing collaboration, the jig is up. If your man catches wind, we're done for!"
"So, what's the play then? My child is sick!" Vivian sounded on edge, clearly fretting about her child.
"Don't sweat it, I've got a plan." I gave her hand a reassuring pat.
My tone was cool, which helped calm Vivian down and made her tune in to me.
I instructed, "Later, stroll down from the company lobby, hop on the elevator, act like you just wrapped up a collaboration chat, but don't mention anything about the PR department."
Vivian asked me, "Which department is that?"
"Just say..." I paused, thought of a few departments in the company, "say it's the HR department."
Vivian frowned, feeling this excuse unreasonable. "But what kind of collaboration could we have with HR?"
Indeed, what kind of deal was that?
That department handled hiring for our company. I couldn't spill we were teaming up to recruit for a convenience store.
But HR was the only department I knew well in the company, and I could get them to help us keep this hush-hush.
Helpless, I told her, "Listen to me, say it's HR looking to partner with you, wanting to advertise through convenience stores to help them post job openings."
After mulling it over, this plan seemed more legit.
Vivian nodded and looked at me. "Alright, I'll go with that, but what about you later?"
I smiled at her, "Don't sweat it, I've got it covered. You gotta hustle, or your kid might really be in a pickle."
We still didn't know if the kid was actually sick. If he was, we couldn't drag our feet. Moreover, if the illness got worse due to not getting prompt care, I'd feel real guilty.
Vivian nodded at me, "Okay, thanks in advance."
I watched Vivian dash off, feeling a tad sour.
I thought I'd found the perfect woman, but turns out she was already hitched and had a kid.
Moving forward, we'd have to be extra cautious about when and where we got busy, in case her hubby caught on.
Otherwise, I'd be in deep trouble, and so would she.
I made up my mind to head to the underground parking lot to eavesdrop on Jessica and Vivian's husband's chat.
The parking lot wasn't far off. It was just a stone's throw away.
The key was that there were still a good number of cars parked there, so even if I strolled boldly into the underground lot, they wouldn't spot me.
I just ducked behind a nearby car to keep an eye on them.
The underground parking lot was pretty spacious, and voices tended to carry.
So, I could catch their convo crystal clear.
"You work here?" The man's voice was deep and rugged.
But from their chat's vibe, it seemed like they knew each other.
"Yeah, but why the sudden visit here, by chance?" Jessica asked.
The man hesitated for a moment. "Yeah. Just happened to swing by to see my wife. She's here today for some collab talks with your company."
Jessica mumbled, her eyes landing on the baby in the man's arms, "You've already married? And even had a kid?"
The man introduced, "Yeah, the little one's over three months old. Look, ain't he a cutie?"
After saying that, the man proudly held the baby in front of Jessica to show off.
The baby seemed to take a liking to Jessica, letting out a happy giggle upon seeing her.
The laughter echoed in the empty underground parking lot, sending shivers down my spine. I even got goosebumps.
Jessica just glanced briefly and then looked away swiftly.
"He's adorable, looks a lot like your wife," Jessica praised.
The man's eyes revealed a hint of gentleness. "Yeah, everyone says our son's a spitting image of his mom. Initially, I didn't buy it, but now I see it. He really does resemble her, especially those bright eyes, like stars in the sky."
Jessica suddenly smiled, "That's nice. Seems like you've been doing well since we split."
The man nodded, "Yeah, it was rough at first post-breakup, but when I met my wife, I let go of the past. Once our bond solidified, I proposed to her, and now we have our little one. We're happy."
"Glad to hear you're happy. I had waited for your proposal for years, but it never happened." Jessica couldn't help but sigh, her tone tinged with a hint of resignation.
The man said apologetically, "My bad for that, I messed up back then."
"It's all water under the bridge. I wish you all the happiness. I gotta go back home," Jessica waved and said.
After that, Jessica hopped into her car, and soon the engine revved up. I quickly hid behind another car nearby.
With my view blocked, Jessica's car drove off.
Vivian also hurried off to her child.
I wasn't all that intrigued by their chat anymore.
What could a young couple and a kid talk about? Probably all about the child's well-being and schooling, and that didn't pique my interest.
But what caught me off guard was Jessica.
I'd just heard a few days back that she had an ex, and turns out, this ex was Vivian's hubby.
The world was really full of coincidents.
But from Jessica's demeanor as she left, it seemed like she wasn't quite able to digest this news.
I had initially intended to tail her, even just a little bit of comfort I could offer her.