"I think Reynold is right. Since you're leaving, then leave the same way you came!"
She lifted her head and stared at me, eyes unwavering.
Something inside me ached sharply.
I had tried so hard to leave with dignity, but with just one sentence from Metta, I was thrown into helplessness.
"Metta, don’t be ridiculous!" Benedict slammed the table with a loud bang.
I raised a hand to stop him. Then I removed my watch and shrugged off my suit jacket.
"Ferry, don’t listen to her nonsense!" Benedict quickly tried to intervene.
But I simply said, calmly, "It’s alright. I know very well who this debt should be settled with."
The implication was clear. This was a grudge between me and Reynold.
Reynold finally showed that same smug, twisted grin he wore when he first arrived. "Alright, alright, no need to strip down to your underwear. Just get lost already!"
He waved dismissively, then wrapped an arm around Metta and kissed her again and again.
Metta, however, looked guilty and avoided my eyes.
I took a deep breath.
I strode out, leaving behind the place that was once called home.
To my surprise, a swarm of reporters had gathered outside, mostly from financial and pharmaceutical media outlets.
Some of them had even interviewed me in the past.
But today, they all raised their cameras and mics, launching a relentless barrage of questions.
"Mr. Carver, is it true you postponed the wedding because the Lincoln Family heiress rejected you?"
"Mr. Carver, how does it feel to watch the woman you love be with someone else?"
"Judging by your current state, it looks like you’ve been kicked out with nothing. What are your plans now that you’ve left the Lincoln Group? Are you going to work in a factory screwing bolts?"
Laughter broke out among the crowd.
Their questions dripped with malice and I knew exactly who had arranged this spectacle.
I looked at them calmly, then reached out and grabbed a microphone.
"Here’s one thing I want to say to everyone waiting for me to fall. Time will prove everything."
No one cheered for me, only endless ridicule and mockery.
“Haha, seriously? Are you still pretending even after being abandoned by the Lincoln Family?”
“Do you think you’re still the chief advisor of the Lincoln Corporation? Without them, you’re nothing!”
“If you ask me, time will only prove how ridiculous you are!”
Amidst all their jeers, I held my head high and walked out.
They thought I had lost everything, but they didn’t know, it was me who willingly gave it all up.
Once I was out of everyone’s sight, a discreet red-flagged car pulled up in front of me.
“Dr. Lincoln, on behalf of the National Laboratory, I officially welcome you.”
An elderly man with graying hair stepped out of the car.
I smiled and shook his hand.
Even when I was at my lowest, standing there in nothing but underwear, those who truly saw my worth never cared about appearances.
“Thank you, Sir. I am willing to dedicate the rest of my life to the laboratory!”
