Chapter 16: Coffee Stains

I’d been in this world for over two months, and from what I’d seen, James Donovan truly loved his late wife.

No wonder every strategist before me had failed.

My own progress was abysmal.

Maybe the live-chat saw how hopeless I was—now, they barely even bothered to scold me.

My existence felt like it was tainting the love between James and his late wife.

I had no past, and seemingly no future.

Should I keep going with this hopeless mission?

Lost in thought, my arms full of books, I didn’t notice when the stack bumped into a beautiful woman in a white pantsuit, holding a Starbucks cup.

Most of the coffee spilled onto the books—and all over her white collar.

I bowed my head, frantically trying to wipe the books and apologizing.

The woman’s voice was sharp as she grabbed my arm: “Who let you in here?”

I explained I was from the bookstore downstairs.

She rolled her eyes and said, “Seriously? Since when do we outsource to whatever hole-in-the-wall is downstairs?”

The scent of espresso and burnt sugar clung to the pages. My hands shook as I blotted at the stains, mumbling apologies. The woman’s stiletto heels tapped impatiently, drawing attention from everyone nearby. I could feel eyes on me—judging, amused, waiting for a show.