Chapter 7
The one–year assignment ended before I even realized it.
My boss made a special trip just to see me.
With a gentle smile, she said, “When you switched jobs to join my team, I could already tell you were very capable. I’d actually been hoping to bring you over for a year so you could gain some experience and then go back to the United States to lead the branch office. But you always turned me down. What changed your mind this time?”
I gave a small smile. “Who hasn’t made a wrong choice before?”
She got the message and tapped her glass against mine.
Not long after, she left to handle some other business, and I sat alone in the high–end restaurant, looking out at the city lights that sparkled in the night.
My mind drifted back to seven years earlier.
It was the first birthday I spent with Kaiden.
We rode the Ferris wheel, made wishes when we reached the top, and looked down at the amusement park wrapped in glowing lights.
Back then, I said it looked amazing.
He raised his brows and asked, “You think that’s amazing? Want to see something even more impressive?”
I didn’t really get what he meant, but I followed him.
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He brought me to the peak of the city’s tallest skyscraper, where we could see the whole skyline.
I was so amazed I couldn’t speak. I asked, “Aren’t we not allowed up here?”
Kaiden gave a slight smile. “Don’t worry, I had a friend help me out.”
Perhaps it was Kaiden’s calm, composed tone that made it seem like nothing was wrong.
I believed him without question.
Looking back, I realize now that in this building, only a select few had permission to stand on that rooftop, a symbol of wealth, status, and
power.
And if I think about it more, it’s clear that Kaiden always had a way of staying composed, no matter if people praised him or doubted him.
Back then, I didn’t know any better and just thought he was emotionally mature, a good choice for a boyfriend.
It’s only now that I realize that kind of calmness came from years of being in a position of power, and it made him distant from everyday people.
When someone has everything, they stop noticing the small things.
I took a small sip of wine.
Over the past year, I rarely let myself think about him, or maybe I just kept pushing those thoughts away on purpose.
He never reached out to see me either.
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That’s expected.
The life he leads was always going to take us in different directions.
And he’s smart, too smart to let feelings get in the way. Once he made the choice to marry, I knew he wouldn’t act impulsively or drag things out between us.
Even so, there was a time we loved each other deeply.
To say I don’t feel any sadness now would be a lie.
I used to imagine that one day, Kaiden would show up out of nowhere, smiling as he told me he was ready to leave everything behind just to be with me.
After returning to the United States, as promised, my boss sent me to lead a new branch office.
At first, a few coworkers weren’t too happy about me suddenly being
their leader.
But I worked really hard from the beginning. After spending two months with everyone, they started to see what I could do and slowly accepted me.
Still, there was one person who kept making things difficult.
That person was Nicholas Truman, the youngest son of the boss.
Right after he graduated from the university, he worked at the main office for just three months before being transferred to get more experience.
He assumed he’d be running the branch as its top manager.
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But instead, he became my secretary.
When he showed up for his first day, he wore a fancy suit, styled his hair perfectly, and looked sharp, but ended up being outshined by me.
Nicholas believed I stole the job he deserved, which made him furious with me.
He looked down on me and caused problems every single day.
But after I caught him messing around twice, he finally started to calm down.
Even so, he still makes snarky comments.
Because he’s the boss‘ son, I don’t waste time fighting with him.
Besides, even though he’s moody, Nicholas is actually talented and quite useful.
Bang! Nicholas slammed a pile of papers onto my desk.
“I’ve been talking nonstop, but that guy still refuses to sign. He keeps saying he’ll only deal with you. What, are you two teaming up to mess
with me?”
I glanced at the files and said, “I don’t have time for this.”
Then I stood up and walked away.
He trailed right behind me.
Just as I reached the meeting room door, I spun around and told him, “Stay outside.”
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He frowned. “What for?”
I turned the handle and replied, “You’re not qualified to be in there.”
His face turned red with anger. “You!”
The rest of his words were cut off as I closed the door, leaving the meeting room strangely silent.
Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a warm glow on the tall, slender figure standing by them.
My chest tightened for a moment.
But I quickly calmed myself.
Hearing the noise, Kaiden turned and looked at me with serious eyes. “Fiona, it’s been a while,” he said softly.
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