Chapter 10

Alvin suddenly hugged me through my clothes. His hands trembled slightly.

“It’s not what you thought,” he said. “Jaqueline, no. Leaving you on the road was because the company had something urgent to attend to, and at that time, all the documents were in her car. On the day of the business trip, she bought a cake and invited everyone to join, which I didn’t even know about originally."

“It was me who drank too much. She took me to the hotel, and I didn’t know what was happening. By the time I woke up, something that shouldn’t have happened had already happened.”

“I didn’t mean to, Jaqueline.”

I watched him in a panic, struggling to break free from his grip. I looked at him as if I had never known him.

“Are you deceiving me or deceiving yourself?” I asked. “Didn’t you tacitly agree to it all? She’s never escorted you home before, so why did she choose to go to a hotel that day? Were you really so drunk that you didn’t know anything? You knew what she was thinking; you just let it happen naturally.”

“On the day we went to Steelhorn, was it really necessary for you to be absent from the company? Moreover, you never used to eat cake.”

“Are you really that busy? So busy that you dare not come to see me?”

Alvin’s face turned pale, inch by inch. I stopped looking at him and got out of the car. Alvin didn’t realize that he was gradually letting his guard down. It was him who made others approach him.

That evening, I dragged my suitcase and sought refuge with Eleanor. She didn’t ask me anything, just ordered a table full of hot pot.

Chapter 11

The pot was steaming, and the spicy aroma instantly healed me. Sure enough, if there was something that couldn’t be overcome, then go have a hot pot. And if that still didn’t work, then have two! That’s great. The hustle and bustle of the world faded away.

The news from the agency came earlier than from the hospital. Zayden knew that I was moving and offered to help. I refused. He seemed to still feel guilty about my fainting incident, even though it clearly wasn't his fault.

Alvin suddenly came back while I was packing my luggage. He probably didn’t expect to see me at home. Looking at me, his mouth opened and closed, and it took him a while to finally utter a word.

“I transferred her, and the new secretary is a man,” he said.

I interrupted him. “We broke up. If you really liked her, then…”

“I didn’t like it!” Alvin suddenly raised his voice. He stood there, desolate and helpless, with a stubble on his chin, exuding an indescribable sense of exhaustion and sadness.

I didn’t speak anymore. I efficiently tidied up the remaining things and said goodbye.

We all knew it was really over.

Zayden encouraged everyone in the group to come over to my new house and hang out. I wanted to have a chance to have some fun, so I called Eleanor, and we bought a bunch of food and drinks.

Chapter 12

Eleanor raised her glass and said to me, “I was happy being single.” Everyone instantly looked at me, and then, without asking any further questions, they tacitly understood.

Zayden sneaked up to me and cunningly swapped the alcohol in my hand with a beverage. Others saw it and raised their eyebrows at each other. Everyone laughed and played jokes on each other. The lively atmosphere made me happy, something I hadn’t felt for a long time.

They were so reluctant to leave that they lingered downstairs. They said “see you tomorrow” several times before turning around and going home.

Out of the corner of my eye, Alvin’s cold figure suddenly appeared. He did have a good appearance, even with a stubble.

After I glanced at him, I turned around and went home. No turning back.