Chapter 193

Before dawn, I woke again. After a quick shower, I found a text from Hayden reminding me of the breakfast he'd left outside my door. He never questioned my skipping the last one, yet he continued to prepare it. I ate it this time, unwilling to waste his effort, and headed to work.

The office was empty; I was early. I sketched out my day's plan, reviewed everyone's recent work, and found I had some time to spare before the official start. I opened social media—a time-waster, I know, but I don't have many friends these days. It was a way to keep tabs on their lives, even if we rarely spoke. It was oddly comforting.

Steve posted about a billiards tournament. Lena, the superstar OB-GYN, announced delivering another baby—she meticulously tracks each one. Her total? 5,566. I doubt she'd remember without her posts. I liked her post, added a thumbs-up emoji, and continued scrolling. Then I saw his post. Jace.

He'd written: "[For the rest of my life, I will take care of you both]," accompanied by a cartoon of a mother and baby. My chest tightened. I understood immediately. He'd accepted Tanya. Posted in the middle of the night, it already had countless likes and comments. People unaware of our breakup congratulated us, as if we were still together.

I chuckled bitterly and commented: "[Congrats, wishing you guys all the best.]" I immediately closed the app, tossing my phone aside. I stared blankly at my computer screen, my mind strangely empty. It wasn't pain, exactly, more like a heavy, sinking feeling I couldn't articulate.

My phone rang, jolting me. Ron's name appeared. He wasn't in his office yet. "Mr. Shane?" I answered.

"Hey, Ms. Kay, don't come in for the next couple of days," he said, his voice thick with sleep. He likely hadn't even gotten out of bed.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"Don't overthink it. Nothing unusual. I just think you've been working too hard lately, so I'm giving you a couple of paid days off," Ron explained.

Working too hard? Lately, I'd taken more days off than I'd worked. Was he hinting at something?

"Mr. Shane, I'll try to take fewer days off," I said, wanting to avoid misinterpretations.

He interrupted, "You're overthinking this. I'm not hinting at anything. It's a genuine break. We like to take care of our best employees—especially someone like you."

Right. I wasn't a naive girl falling for cheap lines. Remembering past experiences, I cut to the chase. "Is this another order from the big boss?"

Ron sputtered, coughing before replying, "You think the big boss has that kind of time?"

He denied it, but the unexpected time off still felt suspicious.

"Ms. Kay, this is an official notice. You're on leave. Refusal means defying orders and a pay cut," Ron stated, playing the boss card.

In all my years, this was a first—a "break" like this. Having already completed my daily tasks, two days off wouldn't disrupt anything. "Alright," I said.

After hanging up, I briefed the department supervisor, outlined my plans, highlighted key points, and instructed him to maintain progress. Then I left.

Once in my car, I texted Steve: "[Hey, can you dig up some info on the owner of OceanixCorp? It's the company I work for.]"