Underground Girlfriend? Fine, You're Single Now

The company organizes a team hike. When it's time to split into groups, I look at Malcolm Ridgeway, the man I've been secretly dating for two years. I expect him to pick me. Instead, he turns to Savannah Leclair, his childhood friend who just got back from being abroad. "You tire out easily. Join my group, I'll look out for you." Savannah links her arm through his like it's the most natural thing in the world. Our coworkers eat it up. "Childhood sweethearts really are something else. Malcolm, you're still single, right? You two would be perfect together." Malcolm doesn't pull away. He just says, "Yeah, I don't have a girlfriend." I freeze. Just last night, he holds me and promises he'll tell everyone about us soon. But until the groups are set, he doesn't look at me once. I end up in the open group and sprain my ankle halfway up the trail. I text him, "Malcolm, I can't walk." He reads it and doesn't reply. I wait 40 minutes, and the only thing that comes through is a group photo from the summit. He has his arm around Savannah, grinning. The comments underneath are full of people gushing over them. Someone even tags me, "June, you fell behind? Don't hold us up." "Even Savannah made it and you couldn't?" "If you can't keep up, don't come." So, I walk down the mountain alone. At the base, Malcolm is calling a car for Savannah. He sees me limping and just frowns. "Didn't I tell you not to message me directly? If a coworker sees it, they'll get the wrong idea." It hits me all at once. A secret relationship is just a relationship he can deny whenever he wants. Well, he's getting his wish. He doesn't have a girlfriend anymore. Chapter 1 By the time I finished getting my ankle wrapped at the first aid station, Malcolm was already gone. The admin running the event handed me a bag of medication. "Mr. Ridgeway asked me to give this to you. He said once you're bandaged up, you can take a cab back to the office yourself." I asked quietly, "Where is he?" "Ms. Leclair's blood sugar dropped. He took her to the hospital." I looked down at my swollen, shiny ankle, and the last bit of hope I had left fizzled out. Back at the office, I'd barely lowered myself into my chair when Savannah posted in the group chat. "Thanks for staying with me during the checkup, Malcolm! I'm totally fine now. Don't miss tonight's dinner, everyone!" The replies came immediately. "Mr. Ridgeway personally went with her? Who wouldn't be jealous of that kind of treatment?" "Some people can't even finish a hike without falling behind, but Ms. Leclair pushed through to the summit even when she wasn't feeling well. Talk about night and day." I closed the chat, but my assistant walked over with a stack of files before I could even breathe. "June, Mr. Ridgeway wants the Stellara project draft revised by tonight." "Isn't tonight the dinner?" "He said you lost the afternoon, so you need to make up for it." The words barely left her mouth when the private elevator at the end of the hallway chimed. Malcolm stepped out with Savannah on his arm. She was wearing his jacket and cradling a deep blue ceramic mug. It was the mug we made together at a pottery class on our first date after we became official. Malcolm had carved a crooked little "J" into the bottom with his own hands. Last night, when he drove me home, I accidentally left it in the cupholder on the passenger side. Savannah noticed me staring and held it up with a smile. "Malcolm was worried my stomach might be upset after the hospital, so he made me some tea. Cute little mug, isn't it?" I gripped the edge of my desk and stood. "That's mine." The room went quiet. Malcolm looked at me, a flash of warning in his eyes. "It's just a generic mug from the pottery studio. Nothing important." Savannah laughed along. "Oh, it's just a freebie? If you like it that much, June, you can have it." She set it down on the desk, but her fingers slipped, and the mug hit the corner. A crack split from the rim all the way down to the base. "I'm so sorry." Savannah clutched her hand, her eyes already welling up. "I didn't mean to." Malcolm grabbed her fingers first to check. Once he was sure she wasn't hurt, he said flatly, "It's broken. Just toss it. It's a mug." The janitor swept the pieces into the trash. I stared at the shard with the letter still carved into it while my ankle throbbed in waves. A coworker called over, "June, when's that draft going to be done? Don't let your personal feelings hold up the whole team." I sat back down. "Before midnight." Everyone crowded around Savannah and headed toward the elevator, but Malcolm stayed behind. He glanced at my swollen ankle and slipped a key card into the stack of files. It was for the hotel we always went to. He lowered his voice. "Come find me when you're done. Don't throw a tantrum over this." I pushed the key card back across the desk. "Mr. Ridgeway, you don't have a girlfriend. It wouldn't be appropriate for us to meet alone." He grabbed my wrist. "I can explain what happened on the mountain. Savannah's health is fragile. I couldn't just leave her behind." "I couldn't walk either." "You made it down, didn't you?" He said it so naturally, as if the fact that I'd limped down a mountain alone meant I never needed him in the first place. Savannah's voice drifted from the doorway. "Malcolm, everyone's waiting for you at dinner." He let go of my wrist and flipped the file to the page that needed revising. "Focus on work first. We'll talk tonight." Then he turned and walked toward Savannah, leaving with the rest of them by the elevator. Chapter 2 At midnight on the dot, I sent the revised draft to the work group chat. Malcolm didn't reply. But a second later, my phone buzzed with a photo from Savannah. In it, she was leaning against Malcolm's shoulder, still wearing his jacket. He had his head tilted slightly toward her, listening to something she was saying, looking more patient than I'd seen him in a long time. Then came the follow-up message. "June, don't bother waiting. Malcolm isn't coming to see you tonight." I stared at the words and suddenly found the key card sitting on my desk laughable. The next morning, Malcolm pulled my draft up on the conference room screen. "The Stellara project will be led by Savannah. June will assist." My head snapped up. "I put that proposal together on my own." Savannah, seated to his right, gave me an apologetic smile. "I just got back and need a project to get up to speed on the market. Don't worry, execution will still follow your lead." I looked at Malcolm. "From the initial client meetings to the draft, I did all of it." "Which is why you're assisting her." Malcolm tapped the table. "She handles direction; you handle execution. Is there a problem?" "What about the credit?" A few people in the room snickered. "It's one project. Is it really worth fighting for credit in front of Mr. Ridgeway?" Malcolm's expression cooled. "June, the company isn't a place for you to compete for rankings." Two years ago, when he gave me my first project, he told me the thing he admired most about me was my ambition. Now that Savannah needed a foothold, my ambition had become a character flaw. I closed my laptop. "She can have the project, but my name stays on it." Malcolm's tone left no room for argument. "The roster's already been sent to the client. Don't be difficult." I picked up my laptop and headed for the door. Malcolm grabbed my wrist and pulled me back toward the table. My ankle knocked against the leg of a chair, and the color drained from my face. He loosened his grip instinctively but didn't let go. "You want to slam the door in front of everyone and make yourself a joke?" Savannah stood and reached for me too. "June, don't blame Malcolm. I can mention at the pitch meeting that you were involved." I stepped away from her hand, but she stumbled backward, bumped into the edge of the table, and knocked over a cup of coffee in the process. Malcolm immediately stepped in front of her. "June." Every pair of eyes in the room landed on me, but Savannah was quick to speak up. "It's not her fault. I just lost my footing." The more she defended me, the worse it made me look. "Ms. Leclair is way too nice." "Fighting over a project and shoving people around. She really thinks she runs this place." Malcolm took off his jacket and draped it over Savannah's shoulders, his voice cold. "Apologize." "I didn't push her." "Her first day back, you went after her over a mug. Now you're humiliating her in front of everyone. June, I've been lenient with you. That doesn't mean you get to act without limits." My nose stung. He said, "lenient". But in everyone else's eyes, he had never shown me an ounce of favoritism. "When have you ever been lenient with me, Mr. Ridgeway?" Malcolm said nothing. The late-night drives home, the hugs no one ever saw, the "I love you" that only ever existed inside hotel rooms and apartments, none of it could be laid out here. Savannah tugged at his sleeve. "Malcolm, don't scold her because of me." He pulled her behind him. "Last chance. Apologize." I looked at him for a few seconds. "I'm sorry, Ms. Leclair." Only then did the others seem satisfied enough to leave. But Malcolm's expression didn't ease. After the meeting, he cornered me in the file room. "Why didn't you come last night?" "I thought you didn't have a girlfriend." "There were too many people at the team event. I had to say that." His thumb pressed into my wrist. "The company's in the middle of a funding round. If the board finds out about an office relationship, it won't be good for either of us." I'd been hearing this exact line for two years. "So, when the funding closes, you'll go public?" "Yes." "When does it close?" He paused. "Don't push me for a deadline." I let out a short laugh. Every time I pressed, he said I was pushing him. He placed a necklace in my palm. "Last night was my fault. Take this, and stop being upset." It was the exact style I'd mentioned offhandedly six months ago. My heart softened for a foolish, fleeting second. Then Savannah walked in. She spotted the necklace and gasped, covering her mouth. "Malcolm, you actually found it? That's the one I lost when I was abroad." Malcolm took the necklace from my palm immediately. "I've been looking for it for you." He fastened it around Savannah's neck himself, then turned to me. "I was just having you take a look at it. Don't get the wrong idea." I let my hand drop. The clasp had left a red line pressed into my palm. Chapter 3 That afternoon, the Stellara client specifically requested me at the pitch meeting. The smile on Savannah's face dimmed slightly. "The client wants to meet the lead creative. That should be me." The account manager looked uncomfortable. "They've seen June's previous work and specifically asked for her to present." Malcolm glanced at me. "Then you'll both go." Savannah flipped through the files and asked softly, "I'll present, and June handles Q&A. Does that work?" Before I could answer, Malcolm had already agreed. "Fine." At the pitch meeting, Savannah got less than ten minutes into my draft before she mixed up the core data. The client cut her off on the spot. "Ms. Leclair, who built this user model?" The color drained from her face. I took the mic and walked them through the model again from the top. The furrow in the client's brow gradually smoothed out. "That's more like it. Going forward, Ms. Arden will be my point of contact on this." Savannah didn't say a word the entire ride back. Malcolm spoke first. "June, there was no need for you to jump in like that." "She got the data wrong." "You could have corrected her quietly instead of embarrassing her in front of everyone." I glanced at the rearview mirror. Savannah was sitting in the passenger seat, her eyes rimmed just the right shade of red. "So, I should have sat there and watched the company lose the project?" "The project wasn't going anywhere." Malcolm's tone dropped. "You just wanted to prove you're better than her." Savannah turned around. "Stop fighting, you two. It's my fault. June, I know you don't like me, but work is work. You don't have to bring your feelings into it." I almost laughed. "Why wouldn't I like you?" "Because of Malcolm, obviously." She said it like it was nothing. Malcolm cut in immediately. "Savannah." "Am I wrong?" She smiled. "She's been staring at you since the team hike. People are even saying she follows you home." I went completely still. People at the company had seen me going into Malcolm's apartment. Over the two years we'd been together, I stayed the night there sometimes. Malcolm kept his hands on the wheel, his voice flat. "She drops off documents occasionally. Don't read into it." Savannah let out a long, knowing "Oh." The car fell silent after that, and I didn't bother explaining. Back at the office, I realized the original files for the Stellara project were still at Malcolm's apartment. That evening, I went to pick them up, but the fingerprint lock rejected me. Malcolm didn't show up for another half hour. He opened the door but didn't let me inside. A moment later, he came back out carrying a cardboard box and set it down in front of me. "All your things are in here." "Why did you delete my fingerprint?" "Savannah isn't used to staying in hotels, so she's staying here for now." He kept his voice low. "If she knew you had the code, it'd make her overthink." The words had barely landed when Savannah walked out of the master bedroom wearing one of Malcolm's shirts. She feigned surprise. "June, what are you doing here?" I stared at Malcolm. "Why is she sleeping in the master bedroom?" He stepped into my line of sight. "The guest room AC is broken. Don't make a scene." Savannah leaned against the doorframe. "Malcolm, is she really just here to drop off documents?" I waited for him to answer. He was quiet for a few seconds, then pushed the box past the threshold toward me. "Yes." The door closed in my face. From inside, I heard Savannah's voice. "Does she have a thing for you?" Malcolm's reply was barely audible. "Ignore her." A second later, the lock beeped once, and I was shut out for good. The next day, Savannah unveiled the final version of the Stellara project proposal at the office. My name was gone completely. She cornered me in the locker room. "Did it bother you, seeing me in Malcolm's shirt last night?" I stepped around her. "Move." She grabbed my arm. "Malcolm told me you just dropped off documents a few times. But don't you think it's a bad look, chasing after a man who doesn't want you?" Chapter 4 I shook her hand off. Savannah stumbled back two steps, then slapped me across the face. My ear rang. She lowered her voice. "That's a reminder not to covet what isn't yours." I slapped her right back, but Malcolm pushed the door open just in time to see Savannah fall against the lockers. He crossed the room in two strides and seized my wrist. "June, what the hell are you doing?" Savannah held her face and cried. "Don't blame her. I told her you didn't like her, and she just couldn't handle it." Malcolm's grip tightened instantly. "Apologize to her." "She hit me first." "Enough." He shoved me back. My lower back slammed into the corner of a locker, and the pain doubled me over on the spot. Malcolm reached out to steady me, but the moment he saw coworkers flooding in, he pulled his hand back. Someone noticed the handprint on Savannah's cheek and immediately called HR. "June's been out of control lately. Stealing projects, pushing people, and now hitting someone." "This can't really be about Mr. Ridgeway, can it?" "She's been to his apartment. I always thought something was off." Savannah shook her head through her tears. "Please, everyone, stop. June probably just misunderstood my relationship with Malcolm." The HR manager looked at Malcolm. "Mr. Ridgeway, should we call the police?" "We'll handle it internally." His voice was cold. "June is suspended from all duties pending an investigation." I forced myself upright. "What about when she hit me?" Malcolm's gaze caught the finger marks on my face, and something flickered in his eyes. But Savannah beat him to it. "I didn't. Do you have proof?" The locker room camera had been broken since last week. Malcolm knew, because the repair request was one I'd handed to him to sign myself. I looked at him. "Who do you believe?" "Savannah wouldn't hit someone first." Just like that, every explanation I could have offered became pointless. That afternoon, an anonymous article appeared online accusing me of harassing a senior executive at the company long-term and leveraging a personal relationship to steal projects. It included photos of me coming and going from Malcolm's apartment. It didn't take long for the article to reach the client channels. Stellara demanded the company replace their point of contact immediately. Malcolm called me into the conference room, and a statement sat on the table. "Sign this. Admit that you harassed me due to a personal obsession, and the company will keep you on." I read every word. In the statement, I was the one who'd been stalking my boss, bullying my coworkers, and claiming credit for other people's work. "What if I don't sign?" "Termination." "Those photos are real." I looked at him. "You know exactly why I was at your apartment." Malcolm dropped his voice. "That's exactly why I'm trying to clean this up for you. If this blows up, the only thing people will say is that you slept your way to the top." "Then go public about us." "Going public now would only confirm the rumors." "Malcolm, you said you'd tell everyone soon." "June, don't be difficult about this. Not now." The hallway outside the conference room was packed with people waiting for the outcome. Savannah walked in and set a printout of an email on the table. "Stellara received a report claiming June stole my proposal. Malcolm, the company has to give the client an answer." The report included screenshots of project files. The timestamps had been cropped out, leaving only Savannah's name. Malcolm glanced at them. "June, just sign." "You watched me build that proposal with your own eyes." For the past three months, I'd been up late revising drafts at his apartment. Malcolm had made coffee for me, sat beside me, and listened to me walk through the entire concept. He knew the truth better than anyone. "The company's interests outweigh personal grievances." He pushed the pen toward me. "Take the fall for now. Once this blows over, I'll make it up to you." I didn't take it. HR, legal, and the project team filed into the conference room one by one. Someone demanded an answer in front of everyone. "June, what exactly is your relationship with Mr. Ridgeway? Have you been using it to pressure him this whole time?" I looked at Malcolm. "Mr. Ridgeway, were we ever together?" Malcolm's fingers went still. Savannah stood beside him and murmured, "Everyone's waiting for your answer." He wouldn't meet my eyes. "No." Two years of holding each other, of goodnights, of birthdays and anniversaries, and he wiped it all away in a single word. Laughter rippled through the room. I picked up the statement, and Malcolm's expression eased. "Sign it and go home for now. I'll handle the rest." I tore the statement in half, then tore it again, letting the pieces scatter across the table. "Since we were never together, let's keep this strictly professional." I placed my resignation letter and a copyright registration certificate in front of him. "The original copyright for the Stellara proposal belongs to me. The registration date is three months before the company even greenlit the project." Malcolm's expression shifted. Outside the conference room, the legal counsel's phone rang at the same time. He answered, listened for a few seconds, and looked at me sharply. "Mr. Ridgeway, Stellara has terminated the partnership." Before the words had even settled, two officials walked through the door. "We've received a formal complaint filed by Ms. Arden regarding intellectual property infringement and workplace defamation. We'll need your company's full cooperation with the investigation."