"Carolyn''s warmth was hard to resist, so in the end, Allison epted the gift.

"Thank you, Ms. Witt."

Carolyn''s smile was stunning. "Ms. Witt? Come on, that''s way too formal. We''ve

been through so much together. Just call me Luna from now on, alright?"

Allison couldn''t help butugh.

That was sudden.

When Allison hesitated, Carolyn put on an exaggerated pout and huffed, "What,

you''re not calling me Luna because we''re love rivals?"

She looked nothing like the intimidating boss Allison was used to. That little huff

was weirdly cute-almost yful. The contrast was pretty striking.

But there was real sincerity in Carolyn''s eyes.

Allison gave it a try, a bit shy. "Luna."

Carolyn''s smile widened, her eyes lighting up. "Allison."

It felt strange, but also kind of nice. Who would''ve thought love rivals could get

along like this? It was actually... refreshing.

Allison grinned. "Thanks again for the gift. I really like it."

"Good! I was worried it wouldn''t be your thing," Luna replied, clearly relieved.

"I honestly thought you came to talk about the case," Allison admitted.

Luna waved it off. "There''s nothing left to say-I already said my piece. I believe

in you, Allison. You''ve got this."

"Thanks. I''ll do my best."

The truth was, ever since the whole Cindy incident, Allison had realized that

beneath Carolyn''s strong exterior, she was actually pretty genuine and even a

little na?ve sometimes. She gave her all to her friends, and ended up getting hurt

for it.

Allison felt bad for her, but knowing Carolyn''s pride, she kept those feelings to

herself. Someone like Carolyn would hate being pitied.

What she really didn''t expect was for Carolyn to reach out to her first.

"So, can we be friends?" Luna asked, looking at her with total sincerity.

Allison was caught off guard.

Luna dropped her gaze, suddenly looking a little dejected. "You don''t want to,

huh?"

"It''s not that," Allison said quickly,

reaching out to take her hand. "I was

just surprised, that''s all. Didn''t see it

"So that''s a yes?" Luna''s eyes brightened with hope.

Allison nodded.

Luna''s smile practically glowed. "Awesome!"

Allison found herself smiling too, her mood lifting just from Luna''s excitement.

"But there''s one thing I have to say,"

Luna added, suddenly serious. "We

might be friends now, but I''m not

giving up on Joshua. We can both

go for him may the best woma

win."

Allison snorted at how earnest she sounded. "I never even thought about

Luna shot her a mock re. "Oh, sure. They say the favored are fearless. You''re

totally rxed because he''s into you."

Allison''s smile faded, her gaze

dropping. She said quietly, "It''s not

like that I don''t have anything to be

fearless about. Joshua and 1 we''re

really over."

Seeing Allison''s sadness, Luna was surprised to feel a hint of regret for her.

Wait, what? Shouldn''t she be happy?

Why did she actually feel bad for Allison?

Luna shook her head, trying to get rid of that ridiculous thought.

Allison couldn''t helpughing at the sight. "What are you doing?"

"I must be going crazy," Lunaughed. "I actually just felt sorry for you and

Joshua."

Allison stared at her. "Yeah, you''re definitely crazy..."