Chapter 6
The banquet was lively.
The Jones and Smith families had been acquainted for years, and this dinner was more of a
eiled push for marriage than a casual gathering
Every time I tried to tell them that Benjamin and I had broken up, Benjamin would cut me
off
By the end, I was boiling with anger.
Benjamin pulled me aside on purpose. “We’re just taking some time to cool off. I never said I wanted to break up.”
I laughed bitterly. “You’re too embarrassed to admit it? How about I say it for you? Or are you planning to keep me as a backup? Who gave you the audacity?”
Toward the end of the dinner, Mrs. Smith pulled both of us aside. Noticing our tense expressions, she joked about us being a bickering couple. She didn’t press further and simply reminded Benjamin to take good care of me before leaving.
The dinner dragged on for three hours.
I had a bit of wine, while Benjamin stayed sober. Naturally, he drove us back.
Halfway down the mountain, he received a call.
He put it on speaker, and Zara’s voice, tearful, came through:
“Benjamin, there’s a drunk man banging on my door. I’m so scared. Can you come over?”
The sound of pounding echoed through the phone, proving she wasn’t lying.
Benjamin slammed on the brakes, making my head hit the seat in front of me.
He got out, opened the passenger door, and pulled me out. “I need to go to Zara’s. It’s out of
Chapter 6
the way, and you don’t like seeing her. Why don’t you call a cab from here?”
Here?
hou
Still groggy from the wine, it took me a moment to process his words. Before I could react. he was already driving off.
As I crouched on the ground, realization hit me: that car was mine.
kou idiot!”
I laughed bitterly, tears spilling over as I crouched there. Pulling out my phone, I tried to
hail a cab.
But when things go wrong, they really go wrong.
I spent half an hour waiting, and no car showed up. Instead, it started to rain.
My dress was soaked, leaving me cold, exhausted, and overwhelmed by all the emotions I’d been suppressing. Finally, I broke down, burying my face in my knees and crying.
I didn’t know how long I had been crying when a car stopped in front of me.
I looked up, and all I saw was a pair of sneakers. Before I could react, a jacket smelling faintly of citrus was draped over my head.
Edwin’s voice, tinged with exasperation, came from above me.
“Why is it that every time I see you, you’re in such a mess?”
He picked me up, placed me in the car, and drove off.
I was too drained to think. My mind was a foggy blur.
Edwin took me to his apartment but didn’t leave.
After taking a hot shower, I came out with wet hair, water dripping everywhere.
Edwin grabbed a towel, draped it over me, and pulled me into his arms.
Chapter 6
“It’s okay, baby. I’m here.”
“If that lousy man doesn’t care about you, I do. I’ve always cared about you.”
His tone was so familiar, as though we’d known each other forever.
In my dazed state, I vaguely caught him mentioning something about an orphanage before. I drifted off to sleep.
His embrace was warm.
I was done with Benjamin.
I contacted a lawyer, had my shares in the company assessed, and sold them to Mrs. Smith at 15% below market value.
Mrs. Smith, who had watched me grow up, was stunned when she heard the news.
“You…”
“Auntie, I don’t want to hide it from you. Benjamin cheated on me. We’re over,” I said. calmly. “I’m not someone who settles for less, so I decided to sell my shares to you instead.”
If I were truly ruthless, I could have sold my shares to Benjamin’s rivals. But I didn’t.
Mrs. Smith understood, made a call to Benjamin’s father, and agreed to my proposal.
Before I left, she held my hand and said with a trace of heartache,
“You’re a good child. It’s Benjamin who doesn’t deserve you.”
That same day, I went back to the office to resign.
I handed Zara the paperwork for Benjamin to sign.
Zara was eager to see me leave, so she took the forms to Benjamin during a busy moment. When Benjamin asked about it, she downplayed it as just another employee resignation.
Without much thought, he signed the papers.
Chapter
Zara returned, looking slightly guilty. “Sophia, he didn’t even read it properly before” signing. Don’t be mad.”
I accepted the papers, laughing softly. That’s even better.”
Along with me, I took a few loyal subordinates I had mentored. Their resignations were much easier to process, as I approved them myself.
I also took many of my key clients and began planning to start my own business.
The biggest challenge now was finding a suitable office space.
Most nearby buildings were either overpriced or unsuitable. As I was hesitating, the door to my apartment opened.
Edwin walked in with groceries.
“Baby, since you weren’t home, I came to cook for you.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “When did
you add
your fingerprint to my lock?”
Feigning innocence, he replied,
“You forced me to, remember? But it’s convenient. Now I can cook for you anytime.”
Chapter 7
