Chapter 17

Sweet and Sour Grapes

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Allen hadn't contacted Eric for four whole days...

And Eric had to admit, it was entirely his fault.

His last conversation with Allen had been a total disaster. There had been misunderstandings, including an accidental "confession" Eric hadn't meant to make, and enough awkwardness to make him feel like a complete idiot.

Since then...Eric had been so restless in a way he couldn't quite describe, even if he wanted to.

But to be fair, Eric did try. He went out of his way to initiate simple conversations, such as saying hello and sending smiley faces, even tossing in a few subtle hints that he genuinely felt bad about being insensitive to Allen's feelings, as he really hadn't meant to offend the guy in the first place. But it was like trying to get the attention of a particularly stubborn cat.

Nothing. No reply. Not even a "seen" notification.

And Eric couldn't help but stew over it.

"Why am I suddenly acting like some girl sulking because her boyfriend didn't text back?!" he exclaimed. Realizing his own behavior, he threw his phone onto the desk with a dramatic bang. Then he slumped back in his chair with a frustrated face. "Is this seriously what real relationships feel like?"

If the answer is yes, then he would rather be an old bachelor for the rest of his life than deal with this kind of frustration all the time.

"This is so annoying!" he groaned. "Even the fake boyfriend I hired seems to be taking sides with my father and fiancée to make my life much more miserable!"

Eric buried his face in the pile of papers on his desk, just like he always did when frustration hit him hard. He didn't really understand the feeling. He knew he shouldn't be affected if Allen didn't talk to him. After all, Allen was just his fake lover, hired to help him escape marrying Lady Annette.

What confused him even more was why he felt so upset just because Allen wasn't talking to him, as if he'd been left hanging for no good reason. And every time he thought about it, he felt like he could burst into tears from sheer annoyance, something Eric absolutely couldn't accept in himself.

Luckily, in the middle of Eric's self-pitying moment, his phone rang. He immediately assumed it was Allen and snatched it up, only to see the name of one of the assistants from the acting school he attended previously, when he still had the time.

The problem was that Eric didn't want to answer it because he didn't feel like talking to anyone. Still, apparently, the universe had other plans, so he forced himself to answer the call.

"Hello? Mr. Green?"

"Yes? How may I help you?" he muttered, reluctantly.

Outside of Eric's own chaotic world, where he was free to be just Eric, he went by the name Oliver Green, an aspiring actor who loves acting. Though acting didn't exactly love him back, he still loved acting. He was always willing to throw himself into every performance, even if his part was small or he was relegated to blending into the backdrop like scenery.

"Hello, sir! How are you?" the female assistant chirped cheerfully, brimming with the kind of energy Eric desperately wished he had.

"Good...I think?" Eric hedged. "Sorry, I've been so busy with work and...life...I haven't been able to attend workshops or practice sessions."

"That's perfectly fine, Mr. Green! Actually, I'm calling because I have some good news for you, and I'm pretty sure you'll like it."

Eric's ears perked up. "Good news? For me?"

"Well," she continued, "our studio is holding a 'Play for a Cause' event next week. We need extras for the performance. Are you interested?"

"Really?!" Eric blinked, then he suddenly got excited, as if he'd just downed a glass of energy drink. Eric was even more excited the moment he heard he was being considered for the play, all his exhaustion magically disappeared. Back when he still managed to attend acting workshops, his acting was so notoriously bad that he usually received tiny roles...or ones where he wasn't allowed to speak at all. "Wait, when does the practice start?"

"Tomorrow, sir! Is that alr—"

"Yes!" Eric blurted out before the assistant could even finish. He yanked his planner open and scanned his schedule, already deciding which commitments he could toss out the window to make room for practice. "I'm free all week!" he excitedly declared—at least to himself. He'd already made up his mind: nothing was going to stop him. Not office work, and definitely not his dad, who didn't even know he was doing this in the first place.

Additionally, it served as a perfect distraction. The acting offer was good timing, a blessing in disguise, because it would give Eric an ideal excuse to stop obsessing over Allen's nonexistent replies, whenever those would come, if they would ever come at all.

However, the good news didn't last even a minute, as another problem emerged. Eric's secretary burst into his office, pale and terrified, like she'd just seen a ghost tap-dancing in the hallway.

"Sir Eric!" she cried. "Sir, we have a problem!"

Eric's once-cheerful expression instantly twisted into a frown, so sour it could curdle milk.

"What's the problem?" he asked.

The secretary didn't explain the problem entirely. Instead, she insisted on dragging his boss to the stock room where the 201 files and other archived documents were kept. From a distance, Eric saw a group of employees crowded around the doorway, clearly panicking over something, and that something became horribly clear when he rushed in. That's where he saw the stacks of documents, shriveled and torn, as if a tiny demon had hosted a buffet.

"What happened here?!" he asked as he looked at the damaged documents and shredded papers scattered across the floor. Many of the documents were already damaged, and it was clear to see the torn pieces of paper and dirt on the floor.

"Rats, sir..." his secretary replied in horror. "There were so many of them. When I opened the room, almost all the documents were gnawed and destroyed."

Eric took a deep, tired breath. Of course. Of course, most of these documents would be business plans, proposals, and even contracts. Why not? Why shouldn't his life get worse today?

Okay, Eric. Think of a solution. Quickly!

"Have you called pest control yet?" he asked.

"Actually, sir...I already called an expert. A rat exterminator, sir."

Eric wanted to cry again when he got back to his office, but he had to keep it together. He was the boss, unfortunately, and part of his job was to give orders and ensure that everything was in place.

"Alright. Get the exterminator here immediately. And let everyone know the office will close for half a day so we can get rid of these pests."

"Understood, sir."

Eric's day wasn't even halfway over, yet he already felt exhausted enough to pack up and go home forever. But it looked like he'd be stuck there until later, supervising the stockroom repairs after the exterminator finished evicting the rats occupying their stockroom.

A few moments later, his secretary called again to report that the exterminator from the agency was on his way up.

"Okay, let him in. I'll talk to him first," Eric said, rubbing his temples. He tried pinching the bridge of his nose, praying he wouldn't get another migraine on top of the rat apocalypse they had in the office.

A few minutes later, a knock sounded at the door.

Knock! Knock!

"Please, come in!" Eric called, still hunched over his desk. He didn't even bother looking up as the door creaked open.

"Where are the rats I'm supposed to kill?" a voice asked.

That voice...?

Eric froze. His fingers, that was in mid-pinch on the bridge of his nose, all of a sudden stiffened like they'd been super-glued to his face. Then he slowly lifted his head, already bracing himself for whatever fresh surprise the universe had decided to throw at him next.

And there he was.

It was Allen.

He was standing in his office's doorway, wearing an exterminator's gear while holding some tools meant for rat murder, and looking way too good for someone about to go to war with rodents.

"A–Allen?!" Eric squeaked. He was entirely caught off guard.

"Hi," Allen replied, so casually that it seemed he didn't have any emotions at all, not even a hint of surprise.

And just like that, Eric realized his karma had finally caught up with him. Only this time, it walked straight into his office dressed as an exterminator.