C1 A Failed Love

Click! Clock! Click! Clock!

A woman's heels clicked rhythmically against the shiny marble floor of the office hallway. She grasped the doorknob and, with a swift turn, pushed the door open.

It creaked as it swung into the room, revealing a spacious office decorated with ornate furniture and expensive art. The woman stepped inside, her heels echoing off the walls, announcing her arrival.

Muah! M-muah!

The smooching of lips and the sound of giggles filled the air as two lovebirds shared a private moment in the corner of the office, their backs turned to the door.

Unbeknownst to them, a third person had entered the room, catching the romantic scene in full view.

The woman stood rooted to the spot, frozen in disbelief as she watched the lovebirds continue to smooch, oblivious to her presence. Or perhaps they were aware of her, but they simply didn't care.

"Ya! Michael!" the woman yelled, her petite but powerful voice carrying across the room.

Even as the woman raised her voice, the couple didn't seem fazed. In fact, they seemed completely unfazed by the interruption, as if it were merely a minor inconvenience. The woman was stunned.

Without warning, the woman lunged forward and grabbed the other woman by the arm, yanking her away from the man. "How dare you!" she hissed, her face flushed with anger. "You cheap tramp!"

With a forceful motion, she slapped the other woman across the face, the sound echoing in the room. The woman recoiled in shock, a hand flying to her stinging cheek.

Michael shot up from where he had been sitting and stalked towards the girl who had hit his companion.

"Bora, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" he demanded, his voice filled with rage. "You had no right to put your hands on her!"

"What do you mean?" Bora asked, her voice shaking with emotion. "What do you think of me, then? Am I just another woman that you can cheat on?"

She wasn't calm and collected at this time, she was furious and ferocious.

As Michael attempted to act nonchalant, the smile on his face seemed forced and disingenuous. He turned to the girl behind him and leaned in to kiss her on the cheek.

Turning to face Bora again, he spoke slyly. “Bora, look at yourself.” He gazed at her from head to toe in disdain. “You are forcing yourself on me even after I rejected you not once, not twice but three times.”

Michael turned back to Bora, his voice dripping with condescension. "Look at yourself, Bora. Do you really think I could ever be interested in someone like you?"

He looked her up and down, his eyes filled with disgust. "You're not my type, and you never will be. I've told you that countless times, but you just keep clinging to me. It's pathetic, really."

Bora's breath caught in her throat, her heart pounding in her chest. She knew what he was doing, but it still hurt.

With a smug grin, Michael went on. "If you can't find love in New York City, maybe you should just go back to Asia. That's where you belong, isn't it? With people who look like you?" He sneered, his eyes narrowing. "You'll never fit in here. You'll always be an outsider."

Bora's eyes welled up with tears. She knew he was trying to hurt her, to make her feel small and insignificant. But she refused to let him win.

"Ya!" She yelled, her voice shaking with rage. She jabbed a finger in Michael's direction, her eyes blazing with fury.

Michael let out a cruel, mocking laugh. The woman behind him joined in, her voice dripping with scorn. "Yeah, who do you think you are?" she sneered. "Some kind of rich Chinese princess? You're nothing but a spoiled little girl playing at being an adult. Get over yourself."

The hurt that Bora felt was all too familiar. She had experienced humiliation like this before, at the hands of people like Michael and his flings.

Bora's voice took on a pleading tone. "Michael, please. Let's forget about all of this. We don't have to fight. We can just put our differences aside and be together again. Doesn't that sound nice?"

This was a familiar pattern, one that had played out time and time again. Each time they argued, Bora would end up begging for Michael's love, and he would eventually relent. But as soon as the next argument came along, the cycle would repeat itself.

Michael let out a long, exasperated sigh. "You're being ridiculous, Bora. I've made it clear that I don't want to be with you anymore, and yet you keep coming back. It's like you're a leech, just sucking the life out of me. I need you to understand that it's over. Can't you just accept that?"

"I'll give you my shares if you stay with me," Bora said, her voice wavering. She hated to think of it as a bargaining chip, but she couldn't bear the thought of losing him. She didn't want to add another failed relationship to her list. "Please, Michael. I know we can make this work."

"Please just leave, Bora," Michael said, his tone gentler now. He didn't want to upset her, but he also knew that this was the only way. "I don't want to hurt you, but I can't keep doing this. It's not fair to either of us."

Desperate, Bora blurted out, "I'll make your favorite ramen, and I'll even watch that Star Wars film you keep talking about. You know I hate sci-fi films, but I'll watch it for you."

Michael's eyes softened a bit, but he remained firm. "That's not the point, Bora. I appreciate the offer, but it's not about the ramen or the movie. It's about us. And we don't work."

“Fine. I would let you have your way with me tonight, Michael. You'd like that right?” Bora said, smiling with the mindset that Michael would want this.

Michael sighed. “Bora you are so fragile and lean that sometimes I get scared to touch. I love wild girls and not easygoing ones.”

Michael had bruised her heart, like all the men who came before him. It was clear that he didn't want her, and she had to respect that. She had to respect herself. She knew it was time to go.

Barely able to keep her balance in her heels, Bora walked out of the office. Just as she reached the hallway, in front of the eyes of several employees, she twisted her ankle and fell to the ground, the shoes making her more prone to a tumble.

This was the most humiliating day of her life.

Bora had always hated wearing heels, but she had worn them today because she thought Michael liked women who wore them. She had tried to be someone she wasn't, just to please him. And now, she had paid the price for it.

She struggled to her feet, her ankle throbbing. She limped to the elevator and punched the button, hoping no one would see her like this.

When the doors opened, she slipped inside and leaned against the wall, tears streaming down her face. “Maybe I am the issue here.”

But it wasn't just men in the United States and England who had broken her heart. Even back home in China, every single one of her six boyfriends had done the same.

Maybe love just wasn't meant for her. Perhaps her destiny lay elsewhere, in the success of her company. She had just been offered a partnership with a renowned French company, and it was a huge opportunity.

If not that, the CEO of that company died and the new one doesn't quite fancy working with Asians and stuff.

But still, her riches couldn't get her love so what was the need of bragging and having such wealth.

Bora's phone suddenly started ringing, jolting her out of her thoughts. She looked up to realize she was already out of the building and on the street. She let out a sigh of relief. She could have been seriously hurt if she hadn't snapped out of her daze.

"Thank goodness," she said aloud. "That could have been a lot worse."

Bora's brow furrowed as she saw the caller ID. It was her mother, calling from China.

"Sorry, ma," she said, feeling a pang of guilt. "I haven't been in the mood to talk recently, and I still don't feel up to it." But she pressed the end call button anyway, unable to face her mother's disapproval.

"Send money to Mama, Chang, and Kai," Bora repeated three times, as she always did when she felt guilty about not calling her family.

It was a mantra that helped her feel like she was still connected to them, even if she couldn't bring herself to talk to them right now.

As the weight of guilt and shame began to lift, Bora pulled her phone out of her pocket and put it back inside. Then she bent down to take off her heels, revealing a pair of long, smooth legs. She stood back up, her posture straight and confident.

“Bora!” She heard a loud familiar voice call her from the front. She stood upright and looked beyond the main road.

"Kristy!" Bora cried out, her voice filled with joy and relief. It had been so long since she had seen her best friend, and now here she was, right in front of her. Kristy was just the person Bora needed to help her through this tough time.

Bora dashed across the street, her heels dangling from her fingers. A car honked loudly, nearly colliding with her.

"Oops! Sorry!" she called out in Mandarin, continuing to run across the street. She was so excited to see Kristy, she didn't even care about the angry driver behind her.

"Be careful, Bora!" Kristy warned, her voice light but serious. "This isn't China, and the drivers here are a lot more reckless. You could get hurt!"

"Haha!" Bora exclaimed, squeezing Kristy tightly.

The embrace was just what she needed, a moment of comfort and support from a familiar face.

“It's okay. Comport yourself, You're the CEO of ‘40 Winks & Méng’, you shouldn't be careless.”

"Kristy," Bora began, her voice wavering slightly. "Michael broke up with me." She pouted, feeling suddenly childish and vulnerable. She had really thought Michael was the one, and now it was all over.

Kristy let out a long sigh, her eyes rolling in exasperation. "Ugh, this is the fourth time he's broken up with you, isn't it? Are you going to go back to him again?" she asked, not bothering to hide her sarcasm.

Bora glared at her, her jaw set. "No, I'm not! I've had enough of Michael's games," she replied, her voice firm.

"That's good," Kristy replied, her tone gentle. "We'll go out for a girls' night, just the three of us. I've already called Jenna and Matty, and they're both on their way."

She smiled, her eyes full of warmth and understanding. "Let's make tonight all about you. No men allowed!"

“Owh?”