Lucian paused his steps before leaving.
Only after a while did he turn around. His eyes no longer looked at me as gently as they once did.
He rubbed between his brows, sounding a little irritated.
“Ciara, why do you always cause trouble without reason?”
“I told you already, Stella is still a newcomer. I only want to give her some support. Also, promotions must follow the company rules and process. It’s not like you become a partner whenever you want.”
I ignored his words and continued talking to myself. “It’s next week.”
“The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the partner promotion is already being prepared.”
Lucian quietly stared at me for a few seconds, then suddenly gave a cold laugh. “Ciara, how did I never notice before that your attitude is this bad?”
“Yes, I promised your mother, but you also need to understand my situation. The company is preparing to go public right now, and I cannot allow any problems. Can’t you try to understand a little?”
His accusing words came directly at me.
The past me probably would have become emotional after hearing only a few words from him, then immediately stepped back and stopped talking about the promotion anymore.
But now, I had already made up my mind to leave.
In his eyes, during the company’s public listing period, nothing could go wrong.
So he kept choosing to blame me again and again.
And Stella, whose job experience was much lower than mine, still received everything I never got.
Even while the company was preparing to go public, he still spent so much effort promoting her and even went with her on an island vacation.
I should have realized it much earlier.
When I lifted my head again, my heart was calm.
“I promised my mom that within three years, she would see me get promoted.”
“The three years are almost finished, Lucian. I don’t have any extra time to waste on you now.”
Lucian went silent, his face slowly becoming red. After holding back for a while, he unwillingly left behind one sentence, “Completely unreasonable.”
Then, he walked away.
This time, I did not follow him anymore. Instead, I turned around and returned to the bedroom, carefully placing the onboarding certificate into the bedside drawer.
The drawer contained every important document from those eight years.
It included the ID card and household register for marriage, even the prepared speech for the promotion event.
For eight whole years, I had waited for him every single day.
Yet what I received again and again was only “next time.”
Once I locked the drawer, I lay back on the bed.
The phone suddenly vibrated.
A message had arrived from the CEO of the rival company.
[Ms. Bernard, your work results are very impressive, and our company is sincerely looking forward to you joining us.]
[The legal team is already handling the process. When do you think it is suitable to officially share this news?]
After thinking about Lucian, my fingers paused for a second before typing:
[I will settle my private matters as quickly as possible.]
[I will officially join next week.]
The other side answered very fast. [The office has already been prepared based on your preferences. You can come by and check it anytime.]
I thanked him and switched off my phone.
While lying on the bed, I stared at the ceiling, but I did not feel the happiness or comfort I had imagined.
I wanted to give everything a proper ending with Lucian and with the company.
This was not simple.
Eight years, tied together for too long, buried deep inside my heart and soul.
Pulling myself away was bound to hurt badly.
But I knew I needed to leave.
I had already completed the resignation letter.
I planned to give it to Lucian the following day.
