I ran into my boss when I was complaining to my best friend about how he actively made the workplace hostile for me.

He fired off a barrage of questions, "Where's the annual report? Where's the script for the speech? I can't believe you have the gall to enjoy a meal when you have a mountain of work to do!"

That was it.

I slammed the table. "It's due tomorrow! What's the rush? Are you going to hold a funeral for yourself tomorrow?"

My boss stormed off in a huff. I asked for the bill, but the waiter came with two. My table came up to 60 dollars, but the other ran up to 3,750.

"Your boyfriend said you're paying for both. Cash or credit, miss?"

Shawn Goodall put that impossible bill on my tab and called himself my boyfriend? Unbelievable!

I called him, utterly incensed. Yet, he had the gall to say, "Get the receipt and claim it from finance."

Then, he hung up.

The waiter was going to call the cops if I didn't pay up, so I had no choice but to accept this bitter defeat.

I was trying to claim the money the next day, but the cops arrested me instead.

"Shawn Goodall died at midnight and was found in his house. You're his girlfriend and the last person he met. You're coming with us."

It's Impossible

The metallic cuffs chilled my wrists. Did I hear him right? Did my boss die right at midnight? I immediately blurted, "You're not arresting me just because I suggested he was holding his own funeral, are you?"

A frown creased the cop's forehead. "We take crimes seriously."

"You've got the wrong person!" I held up my wrists, struggling. "First of all, I'm not his girlfriend. Secondly, I was with my friend, Queenie, after I left the restaurant. She's working at the coffee shop downstairs! She can prove I'm telling the truth!"

I held up my hands and tried to call Queenie, but the cop saw the resignation letter under my receipt.

He picked it up and demanded, "How convenient. You're quitting your job right after your boss died? Are you trying to run away?"

I stomped my foot in frustration. "I was going to quit in the first place!"

The cop dragged me away, obviously not buying my story. We ran into Queenie after I was escorted out of the building.

Before I was taken into the police car, I said quickly, "Queenie can prove I was with her! I came to work straight from crashing at her place last night!"

Queenie was panicking and on the verge of tears.

She did her best to defend me, "Yes, we even cooked supper at 11 p.m. and watched a movie until 1 a.m. before going to bed! There are surveillance cameras around the neighborhood! They can prove she never left my place!"

The cop's captain ignored her. Instead, he stonily shoved me into the car and slammed the door shut. As the car drove off, I spun my head around only to see Queenie chasing after the car. She shouted hoarsely, "It'll be alright, Natasha! It's alright! I'm here!"

The car roared straight into the police station. Although the windows kept the noise from coming in, the noises in my heart refused to cease. My eyes were on the cuffs, my mind filled with my boss' hypocritical face.

The guy was shoving his power in my face the night before, making me pay for his bill. And now, he was dead.

I was taken into the interrogation room. Two cops sat across from me. One had sharp eyes, and his badge number showed proudly on his chest. Felix Chance, a captain in CID.

He played surveillance cam footage with his notebook. "We've taken footage from Shawn's apartment last night. The woman with the cap at the neighborhood's entrance and the one in the elevator wore the same clothes you did last night. Your build's similar, and even the length of your hair's the same."

Footage

"The time was 11:50 p.m. You came out of his apartment right at midnight and took the elevator. By our estimation, he died at midnight. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

I clenched my fists, my expression darkening. Then, Felix took out a photo of a bloodstained knife. "You stabbed the victim through the heart right after going into his apartment and fled from the scene of the crime.

"There are only your and his fingerprints on the knife. How do you explain this?"

Felix slammed the table, and I nearly jumped.

However, I took a second to calm down and met his eyes without fear. "Yes, that woman does look like me, but it's also true that I stayed at my friend's place for the night. Cinnamon Garden. There are cams in the front and back entrances. Look it up."

Felix called his men and gave his orders before turning his attention back to me. "We'll be the judge of that. Next question."

The gall! I quickly stopped him, "I've given you an alibi, Captain Chance. That proves I'm not a suspect. You should release me, not question me further!"

He put on a calm, cool smile. "You're the suspect as long as the footage isn't in our hands. Now, answer the question. Shawn was your boyfriend, but you denied it. Why?"

That question struck me like a lightning bolt. I clenched my teeth but eventually told the truth.

"We broke up a month ago. I didn't want to tell the truth because dating him is a stain on my life."

I wanted to break up with Shawn, but he was livid about it. So, he pinned me down and violated me again and again. He said he'd make me regret breaking up with him. The memory alone made my stomach churn.

"No office romance. Company policy, so we kept it a secret. How'd you find out?"

Felix took out a patrol record. "You got in a fight with Shawn at Southwind Avenue a month and a half ago. The fight turned physical, and a spectator called the cops. You both claimed it was a couple's quarrel, and that you two had made up."

The record made me chuckle dryly. "Yes, we did get in a fight. He tore my gown into pieces, and a female officer kindly lent me her clothes so I wouldn't go home naked."

"Every couple fights. Killing your boyfriend over that is a bit much."

"What do you mean, a bit much?"

Felix arched his eyebrow and slid a piece of printed chat history over to me. "We found out about Shawn's continued harassment after the breakup. He consistently sent you threats about kicking you out of the industry.

"He even made up sexual rumors about you and ruined the promotion you should've gotten last month."

The messages were vile, despicable, and hideous. Every word tore my heart apart.

I bit my lip as my throat squeezed up. "I got along with my colleagues better than he did. No one bought his story, so I never let that affect me."

Felix kept his eyes on me as though he could see through me. "You sneakily purchased pepper spray and tasers last month, and your search history included 'How to get away from a harassing ex' and 'Self-defense in extreme situations.' That's proof you planned this murder."

Released

My heart sank, but I quickly composed myself. "Any girl would do the same thing if they were in my place. That's not proof of motive."

The room's door creaked open. A cop came in and whispered something to him.

Felix scanned me closely and nodded.

"We've gotten the footage from Queenie's neighborhood. We also found that there are no signs of you going in or out around the time of the crime. You may leave, but you're still a suspect. We'll call you whenever we need your assistance."

They uncuffed me. I stood up and massaged my wrists before scrutinizing the cop who came in. "Did Queenie give you the footage?"

The cop shot me a suspicious look. "We got it ourselves. Couldn't get to Queenie."

I pressed no further and left the room.

Queenie was right outside the station, and she clasped my hand immediately. Her eyes were red-rimmed.

"Are you alright? Did they hurt you? I brought the footage from last night and all the recordings too. The guards can also prove you were home all night."

A grin curled my lips, and I linked my hands around Queenie's arm. "It's alright. The cops have gotten the footage. I'm fine now. Come on, I have a job to quit, and then we're celebrating! Shawn's dead!"

I got back to the company, but my colleagues avoided me like the plague. Some eyed me with doubt, some with fear, and some with glee.

Queenie didn't let go of my hand. "Ignore them. They're nothing more than strangers from now on."

"I know."

The company processed my resignation as fast as they could. I figured this was one of the perks of getting involved in a murder case. They even gave me my last salary and the money for Shawn's last dinner without raising a fuss.

We left the company, and I hugged Queenie happily. "You've always wanted to try out a 3-star Michelin place. Come on, it's my treat!"

…

I ordered the lobster Queenie always wanted, king crabs, and all the flashy but bland items.

We were halfway through our meal when my phone buzzed. Felix.

"There is a new discovery about the case. We'll need you here right now."

And there went my good mood.

Queenie consoled me gently, saying, "No one can punish you for things you didn't do. Go. I'll be waiting at home."

Felix took me to the interrogation room right after I arrived.

He presented a written testimonial. "Testimonial from the restaurant's waitress. She overheard you on the phone with Shawn. 'Someone's going to kill you first if I don't, you vile scum!' Did that happen? Who's the one who helped you?"

I let out a defeated laugh. "That's why you called me over in the dead of the night? He made me pay nearly 4,000 dollars when he knew I was broke! You'd want him dead after that, too!"

Felix grunted and put the testimonial aside before focusing his attention on me again. This time, he sounded more serious. "We found a backup phone at Shawn's place. There's a record of a call at 11:30 last night.

"It lasted for three minutes. He was talking to you, but you claimed to have no contact with him after leaving the restaurant. What about that, then?"

My mind buzzed as fury coursed through my veins.