The Annual Report Chapter 2

The next day, Mark left the house at his usual time.

Six months ago, he lost a promotion opportunity because of a minor fender bender that made him late for a crucial meeting.

Since then, he started leaving thirty minutes early to account for any unexpected traffic.

It seemed like a logical, responsible change. But now, I sensed something off.

Mark loved to sleep in. Would he really sacrifice thirty minutes of sleep every single day just because of one incident?

Other people might. But Mark, with his ego, probably wouldn't.

He had quickly regained that lost promotion opportunity anyway. Within six months, he climbed even higher than he had originally planned.

I called out to him just as he reached the garage.

I smiled. "I forgot to get gas yesterday. Can you drop me off at my office today?"

His expression went blank for a split second, but he recovered quickly. "Sure."

Before getting in, I held out my hand. "Give me your phone to order coffee. Mine is buried in my bag. We can pick it up on the way."

This time, he hesitated visibly.

I blinked. "What's wrong? You don't want coffee today? Then I'll just order for myself."

He finally spoke. "No, I actually just ordered. There was a BOGO deal, so I got two. Check if there's anything else you want."

His "Pick Up" order showed two Americanos already ready.

I quickly scrolled through his order history. He had deleted even this order from the history log.

When a man wants to cheat, his attention to detail is terrifying.

I never do anything without a reason. This order proved that either in the car or near his office, these two people were going to meet.

Otherwise, the thirty-minute time gap and the extra coffee didn't make sense.

Halfway there, I asked him to stop so I could buy a bagel.

I spent the whole ride scrolling through Twitter on his phone. Mark was visibly anxious.

And I was waiting for the phone call that was destined to come.