Wash 22

Clarisse strutted into the lobby of Cliff’s office building

like she owned the place, her thick, oversized sunglasses

sitting dramatically on her face.

The moment was fast-paced,

intense—like an action sequence,

except instead of weapons, she had CUPCAKES.

The security guard, the same one who had blocked

Teddy before, instinctively stepped forward to stop her.

"Ma’am, you can’t just—"

SPLAT.

A cupcake smacked him right in the face.

The guard stumbled back, stunned. "What the—HELL?!"

Before he could even wipe the frosting from his eyes,

two more guards rushed in to intercept her.

Bad idea.

SPLAT. SPLAT.

Both men took direct cupcake hits to the chest like they had

been struck by sugary grenades.

A nearby office clerk gasped and tried to grab Clarisse’s arm to stop her.

Without missing a beat, Clarisse spun around, whipped another cupcake from her purse,

and stuffed it into the poor woman’s open mouth.

"Shhh, swallow your feelings,"

Clarisse cooed before sauntering into the elevator as if nothing had happened.

She pressed the button for the penthouse.

Because, obviously, Cliff’s office had to be at the very top.

When the doors opened,

it was clear that someone had tipped off the staff.

More than ten office clerks stood shoulder to shoulder,

a human barricade determined to stop her.

Clarisse merely sighed and strolled forward.

Plop, plop, plop.

One by one, she expertly stuffed their mouths with cupcakes as she walked past,

their expressions shifting from outrage to confusion as they chewed.

Finally, she reached Cliff’s executive suite.

His secretary, a well-dressed woman with an air of self-importance,

who still thought that Teddy is her long lost nephew,

jumped in front of the door with her arms outstretched.

"OFF LIMITS!!!!"

Clarisse arched a brow behind her sunglasses. "Obviously for others, not for me"

SPLAT.

The cupcake exploded against the secretary’s face in a glorious burst of frosting.

She screamed.

And with one swift kick,

Clarisse sent the office doors flying open.

Inside, Cliff turned from his desk,

with his WTF face, eyebrow raised darted straight at Clarisse,

mid-conversation with four executives,

all of whom immediately panicked and

scrambled for the exit as Clarisse started

launching cupcakes at them like a madwoman.

The last one barely dodged a cupcake to the head

before slamming the door shut behind him.

Cliff, still standing behind his desk,

caught a cupcake effortlessly in one hand,

his expression unreadable.

"Easy, girl. Did you miss your anger management class again?"

Clarisse took a deep breath,

dramatically removing her sunglasses.

"I believe an introduction is necessary. I’m Clarisse, and I’m—"

"The cupcake girl?" Cliff interjected, licking a bit of frosting off his finger.

Clarisse’s eye twitched. "I’m Drew’s girlfriend."

Cliff folded his arms, leaning back against his desk. "And?"

"And let me get straight to the point—here’s

what I know: you love Teddy, and Teddy is fucking my boyfriend “hashtag”, period."

Cliff exhaled, rubbing his temple. "Not sure where you’re going with this."

Clarisse strutted over,

slapping her purse down on his desk.

"I’m offering a merger against Teddy. Interested?"

Cliff’s brows furrowed.

The last time someone had offered him a merger,

it ended with a merger on the lips on top of the conference table.

That someone was Teddy.

He stared at Clarisse.

What the fuck is wrong with this person?

On one hand, she was clearly insane with all her cupcake assaults.

On the other, she was confident—dangerously so.

And that bothered him.

Why—so—-cupcake confident?

Clarisse took another step forward,

eyes scanning the desk.

That’s when she SAW it.

A neatly stacked pile of sealed invitations.

Interesting.

She didn’t miss a beat.

"I was there that night you cried in Teddy’s apartment while

YOU watch him fuck my boyfriend.

Silly me, few minutes before that,

I rushed over at Teddy’s place,

armed with just cupcake jealousy,

thinking that…Drew was there,

only to find a broken man

holding crushed flowers in his hand."

Cliff’s jaw tightened,

he wants to scream right there-

right in front of Clarisse’s cupcake face.

He bowed down.

But his grip on the cupcake remained firm.

Fuck this cupcake.

He turned toward the massive glass windows,

avoiding her gaze.

In that split second, Clarisse SNATCHED one of the

sealed invitations and slid it into her purse.

Cliff turned back, his face cold and unreadable.

"What do you want, Clarisse? AND better,

what will buy your silence? I can cut the check right here,

right now.”

Clarisse smirked.

"To be cupcake honest, I don’t know what you saw in Teddy.

He’s just a stupid guy who can’t read and stuck everyday

bleaching those fucking laundry.

But here’s what’s puzzling me right now,

you’re protecting Teddy,

it seems you’re ok that you’re just Teddy’s second choice?

Look Cliff, I can be your friend.

Because I get you.

I went through all the hurt and turmoil you’re going through.

I’m offering you the once in a lifetime deal of

fucking Teddy, really hard.

By merging with me,

together we can launch a maximum impact,

to totally destroy Teddy.

Call it revenge. Call it desperation.

But I call it,

the shift forward for the shitty things that Teddy did to us.”

Cliff scoffed. "What are you talking about, why would I do that?"

Clarisse leaned in. "because, normal people will take the revenge route,

and not cry like a silly boy who lost his toy"

Cliff exhaled, running a hand through his hair.

"I love Teddy, Clarisse. He’s not just a toy that I play with, when I want to,

Why would I do anything to hurt him?"

Clarisse blinked.

She grab another cupcake from her purse which seems to have

an endless supply of those treats.

She had always known love was blind,

but this she’s witnessing right now is BIGGER than that, this is cluster blindness.

"You do realize you’ve already lost, right? Drew has him.

Let me spell it better for you so it digs deeper,

Drew, my royal hottie boyfriend is fucking Teddy"

Cliff scoffed, “So? I don’t care Clarisse, I don’t bloody-care.”

He tapped his phone, calling his assistant. "Call Security to escort Miss Clarisse out."

Seconds later, Clarisse took another bite as four men escorted

her out of Cliff’s executive suite.

As Clarisse was led to the elevator,

she raised a perfectly arched brow at Cliff’s executive assistant who gave her

the bitch snob.

Then, without hesitation, she stuffed a cupcake into her shocked mouth.

The guards pushed her straight to the elevator.

Clarisse smiled at them.

Her mind wandering on other stuffs.

But her smile lingered on the guards.

IT WAS VERY CREEPY.

Inside the elevator, Clarisse pulled out the stolen invitation.

She tore open the envelope and read the gold-embossed text.

WHAT THE FUCK

This is Cliff’s wedding.

The silly boy who lost his toy

is getting married.

Her eyes gleamed wickedly as she stepped outside the elevator

to the relief of the shocked guards.

Teddy had no idea.

This was going to be so much fun.

From outside the building she saw Cliff staring down at her.

She stood for a second a two and swallowed the entire cupcake

as she stared back at Cliff.

Game on, fucker.