Back in Hachester, I hurried to the office. The moment I walked in, I saw someone blatantly occupying my seat.
Jared had dark circles under his eyes, clearly sleep-deprived. He lounged in my chair with a brooding vibe, almost creepy, like he’d been waiting here just for me.
“Here to hand in your resignation?” Jared rasped, fiddling with a little figurine on my desk.
I shook my head. “No, I’m here to work.”
“Does Mrs. Sterling really still need this job?” Jared smirked, his voice thick with mockery.
I kept my voice steady. “If you think I’m not up to the job, Mr. Holcomb, and want to let me go, I’ll accept the company’s decision.”
Seeing my serious expression, Jared lost his playful edge. He stood up, carefully put the figurine back in place, and walked over to me. “Victoria, I know I can’t interfere with your choices. Maybe marrying Edward is good for Yvonne too. It gives her a fresh start.”
“You never could interfere with me,” I said, lowering my gaze.
“Right.” Jared’s face darkened, as if he’d been slapped. “So, are you and Edward planning to have more kids? Will Yvonne get pushed aside?”
I chuckled lightly. “Why are you so worried about that? You should focus on being a good father to her.”
“If you end up having a son, will your daughter even matter to you anymore?” Jared just couldn’t let it go, always circling back to the idea of me having more kids.
“Jared, no matter how many children I have, I’ll do my best to treat them all the same. Don’t make me out to be some kind of villain.” With that, I sat down at my desk and turned on my computer.
Jared stood there in a daze for a moment, then turned to look at me. After a long pause, he gave a self-deprecating laugh. “I must be out of my mind, thinking that if I changed, I’d be your first choice."
I looked up and fixed my gaze on him. “Oh? So all this time, you were just pretending to be good?”
“Of course not.” Jared sounded frustrated, like he’d just been slapped. “I wasn’t faking it. I really was trying to make things right with you.”
“You’re off the hook. You can go now,” I said, eyes still on my computer, my tone flat.
Jared let out a bitter laugh. “I heard Nathan’s hair has gotten even grayer lately. Guess he’s having a harder time than I am.”
My fingers suddenly froze on the keyboard, and I stared up at him.
‘Does he really have to bring up Nathan every time he’s hurting?’ I thought.
Seeing the change in my expression, Jared muttered, “Looks like you still care about him.”
“Enough. Just go–I can’t deal with this right now.” I shot him a cold look, knowing he was just trying to get under my skin.
Jared slipped out the door, but my mind was a mess. For a while, I just couldn’t get myself to focus on work at all.
That evening, Nathan was hosting yet another small celebration. They’d just rolled out a new chip that was a real crowd-pleaser, and the board had all agreed it deserved a party.
I received a formal invitation. When I opened it, it was addressed to “Ms. Victoria Murphy“-a sincere, cordial invite.
My heart gave a faint sting, like an ant’s bite–just a little ache.
Nathan was quietly fading out of my life, doing it all with such courtesy and restraint.
I lowered my head and let out a soft laugh, thinking, ‘It’s probably for the best.’
I was tempted to come up with an excuse to skip tonight’s celebration–I just didn’t feel like dealing with all the networking and small talk.
But if I skipped it, it’d look even more suspicious. So I had no choice but to show up. The party was held at a five-star hotel, with Nathan and his business partner playing host at the entrance, greeting all the big names from the industry.
Jared wanted me to ride with him, but I turned him down.
I drove myself there.
My heels made no sound as they pressed into the thick carpet.