Chapter 3: Frenemies and Fake Diaries

“Boss, your nemesis has been zoning out for two hours.”

In the oversized conference room, Jamie and I sat slouched in a corner, yawning.

Jamie scrolled his phone, not even pretending to care. I counted ceiling tiles for the fifth time, fighting the urge to go haunt someone else for fun.

To keep Grant Miller from pulling another death-defying act, I had to keep him under 24/7 surveillance.

The sales director nervously called out for the eighth time: “Mr. Miller, Mr. Miller, do you approve or not?”

Grant snapped out of his daze, face blank. “Of course.”

Everyone: “Huh?”

Grant stood up. “Lunch break. That’s it for today.”

Lunch break?

Since when did he ever take a lunch break?

The whole office froze, jaws dropping. Grant Miller skipping out early? Must be the end times. The last time he left before six, there was a city-wide blackout.

I followed him back to the lounge, only to see someone already waiting there.

My best friend, Lauren Chen.

When I was alive, she’d whisper all sorts of nasty things about Grant in my ear.

After I died, she became his number one cheerleader.

She was all over him before my funeral was even over.

But whatever. The dead don’t hold grudges against the living—otherwise, it’s easy to become a vengeful ghost.

Grant completely ignored Lauren’s puppy-dog eyes.

As they passed, Lauren suddenly grabbed Grant’s wrist, looking pitiful:

“Mr. Miller, I have something Natalie left behind.”

Grant stiffened. “What is it?”

Lauren bit her lip. “Can we sit and talk for a bit?”

Grant relented.

Lauren took a diary out of her purse. “Grant, I just... I owe you an apology for Natalie. She never meant to hurt you, I swear.”

Curious, I leaned over, and when I saw the handwriting, I nearly blew a gasket.

This snake even faked my handwriting to set me up!

Right there in the diary, it said: “Today Grant Miller held an umbrella for me. So gross.”

“A nobody who clawed his way up—how dare he talk to me?”

“If he touches me, I feel sick.”

Jamie and I stood on either side, frowning at the diary, sighing.

“Boss, if I didn’t know you, I’d think you were Regina George in a past life.”

I shot Jamie a glare.

He stiffened his neck. “I’m just saying, Grant started from scratch, worked his butt off. He’s a good guy.”

The ‘good guy’ himself stared at the diary, eyes dark as a frozen lake.

No emotion at all.

Lauren bit her lip. “I’ve been friends with Natalie for so many years, I think… she really let you down—”

“Let me down?”

Grant suddenly looked up, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“You mean, because you were her friend, you didn’t dare get close to me, but actually, you feel sorry for me?”

Lauren blushed. “Since you know, how about—”

“How about you get lost.”

Grant sneered. “You and Natalie—peas in a pod, huh?”

I gaped. “Wait, how does this involve me?!”

Grant’s fake-spotting skills are legendary, but don’t go dragging me down!

Lauren’s face went from red to white, and after a moment, she covered her face and ran out.

I wanted to chase after her, to let her know just how good I’d gotten at haunting. But for once, I let it go. Grant, for all his coldness, had a way of cutting right to the bone.