Chapter 5 Chris's Nostalgia

Amber got caught off guard when she bumped into Chris, and she was so surprised she threw her hands over her face, pretending to be invisible.

Jessica was nearby, acting like a madwoman and grabbing Amber's hand, whispering excitedly about Van Sant wearing a suit and his perfect proportion. Amber tried to break free, grunting, "Don't rip my hand off," but Jessica held on tighter.

Jessica squealed, "Amber, Amber, look!" and Amber turned around to see Chris coming toward her with those long, strong legs. She panicked and tried to bolt away, but Chris caught up to her with ease. He blocked her path, and his voice was as cold as a dead fish when he asked, "So, how do you like the new digs?"

Amber pointed to herself, cocking her head and asked, "You talking to me?"

"Who else?" Chris replied casually, reaching out to tuck a stray strand of her hair behind her ear with a gentle touch. "If you're not feeling it, just say so."

Amber froze the moment he touched her hair. She felt like this version of Chris was a bit unsettling. Chris said coldly, "If you don't want to talk about it now, we can chat when we get home," then turned and left as if he only came to say hello.

Those few words, "when we get home," set her colleagues' imaginations into overdrive. As soon as Chris was out of sight, Jessica pestered her, "Come on, Amber! Spill it, what's your deal with Van Sant?" Amber wished she could crawl into a hole and disappear forever.

Feeling rattled, Amber called her mom, and Jenny didn't even hesitate to admit, "Yeah, I pulled some strings to get Ryan to hook you up with this job. You're not happy with it? It's a big, fancy company."

Amber felt like dying. If she had known Chris had a hand in this, she would've rather slept in a ditch than take the job.

She had made two terrible decisions that day without thinking, and now she was stuck. She had signed a labor contract and a lease agreement, and if she tried to bolt, the losses would be more than she could handle.

Just then, her phone pinged with a new text message: "Dear Amber Madison, this is a friendly reminder that your loan repayment will be due…"

After reading that message, Amber's mind cleared. She was flatly broke and didn't have any choices left. She needed to get some cash and fill her stomach. She'd figure out the rest later.

Finally, lunchtime rolled around, and Amber was happy to feel her meal card in her pocket. She could finally chow down on something good. The company provided lunch for only ten bucks, and it was delicious. It solidified her desire to stick around.

During lunch, she snuck a peek at her meal card balance and saw that she still had a thousand bucks left. Amber was over the moon and decided she'd rather die than leave this company before making some real dough. She thought to herself that as long as she didn't talk about Chris, this company was her dream company. And as for Chris, she was protected by contracts for both her job and housing. He couldn't touch her.

During her lunch break, Amber lay down at her workstation and dozed off in seconds, leaving Jessica with no juicy gossip to spread. But as soon as she woke up, Jessica cornered her and started prying about her relationship with Chris.

Amber had to fib, "Our families are neighbors, so when he said 'when we get home,' he meant we'd go back to our respective homes."

"Really?" Jessica was skeptical. "Amber, are you Chris Van Sant's secret squeeze or something?"

"Hehe..." Amber forced a laugh.

Thinking about being Chris's ex-girlfriend, she felt oddly confident and lifted her head, asking Jessica, "Do I look like it?"

"Not really," Jessica didn't give her any credit and shook her head. "Our department is packed with gorgeous babes, but none of them have caught his eye. You're not really his type."

Their convo wasn't too loud or too quiet, but Amber felt like all eyes were on them. She looked up and saw that many people were eyeing their workstation, including a few knockouts...

"What's the deal?" She weakly lowered her head and tugged on Jessica's sleeve.

"You don't know? All the single ladies in this company are Van Sant's groupies. The top two stunners are the most likely candidates to become Mrs. Van Sant."

Jessica lowered her voice and pulled out her phone to show Amber three photos of gorgeous women.

"The first one, Linda, studied abroad and is our department's star. She's still here in this company just for Van Sant."

"The second one, Sophie, went to Ivy and comes from a wealthy family. She's willing to work here just for Van Sant."

"The third one, Kitty, is Van Sant's secretary. Rumor has it she's got some kind of unusual relationship with Van Sant..."

Amber scanned the photos and finally settled on Kitty. But was her relationship with Chris really unusual? For some reason, Amber suddenly felt a pang in her heart, and her face fell. All three women had their own unique qualities.

Linda was a real mature hottie with curves in all the right places. She dressed like a boss lady.

Sophie was more of a cute type, and the designer logos on her clothes screamed bougie. She was just as stunning as Linda.

Kitty was pure and seductive, with a delicate face and a sweet smile that made people feel close to her.

"Amber, who do you think has the best shot at becoming Mrs. Van Sant?"

"Hmm, let me think..." Amber tried to remember her past interactions with Chris. He seemed to have a thing for big breasts and would always leave marks on her chest. Amber looked down at her own impressive cleavage and pointed to Linda, saying, "I'd say it's her. I remember Chris's ex-girlfriend had some serious knockers."

"Damn! You've even met Van Sant's ex-girlfriend!" Jessica exclaimed. "So, how big are they really?"

Amber hesitated for a moment and said, "...they're alright, I guess."

Jessica persisted, "What cup size do you think she is?"

"...C cup?" Amber answered weakly, as she covered up her own chest. She was also a C.