Graham paused, looking at me earnestly.
"Don't worry, I'll introduce you properly this time. I won't let Chloe cause any more trouble."
I looked up and met his gaze calmly. I knew very well this was his pathetic attempt to make up for last night.
It suited me just fine. Terminating the collaboration with Vanguard Holdings would take a few days to process anyway.
Announcing it at the press conference would be perfect.
That evening, as usual, I arrived at the restaurant early to wait for him.
After ten years together, it had become a habit.
While waiting, I received a long-distance call.
It was Liam Donovan, a senior from my university who was now a partner at Apex Designs.
Liam's voice was light as he asked with a laugh, "Juliana, have you given any more thought to my offer to have you join Apex Designs? Sterling Designs is too small for a talent like yours."
This was the third time he had tried to poach me.
The first time was seven years ago, when I turned down a high-paying job at a top-tier firm to join Graham's small, one-office company.
Out of my meager salary, I had to use half of it to pay the rent for the apartment Graham and I shared.
Liam had pleaded with me back then, but nothing could change my mind.
The second time was a few days ago at the bidding presentation for the Aethelgard Tower project. My proposal had outmaneuvered his team so thoroughly they were left scrambling.
When it was over, he told me, half admiringly, half nervously, "Juliana, I heard you only make ten thousand dollars a month at Sterling Designs. Come work for me. Don't waste your talent on people who don't deserve it."
I had smiled and refused. How could my talent be wasted?
It was Graham's company. It was the empire we had spent seven years building together.
Now, he was trying for a third time.
I hesitated for all of three seconds before signaling the waiter for a bottle of red wine and accepting his offer without a second thought.
"Send me the address. I'll start next Tuesday."
Liam was stunned for two seconds, then burst into an excited laugh.
Afraid I would change my mind, he quickly said, "That's great!" and hung up.
I was smiling, about to put down my phone, when a notification popped up.
It was from Graham.
[Hey, change of plans. Chloe was dying to go, so we grabbed the earliest flight. You're on your own for dinner. I'll bring you back something nice.]
A moment later, Chloe posted an update on social media visible only to me.
[Thanks to my Prince Charming for making my dream come true. I'm going to reward him well tomorrow!]
The photo showed Chloe holding Graham's arm as they stood in front of an infinity pool in Big Sur.
Their pose was the exact same as the one in the photo Graham and I had taken seven years ago.
I stared at the picture for two seconds, then calmly opened my chat with Liam.
[I'll bring a gift when I start. How would you like the five-hundred-million-dollar Aethelgard Tower?]
My phone was silent for a moment. A second later, it began to vibrate incessantly.
[YES! YES! YES! You're a lifesaver! And hey, yesterday was your birthday, right? The gift I sent should have arrived. Don't forget to grab it!]
I paused, then a soft chuckle escaped me, growing louder and louder.
Right. Yesterday was my birthday.
When Graham watched me, surrounded by gardenias and on the verge of suffocating, did he remember what day it was?
While I was lying alone in a hospital bed, did he think of me? While he was getting a new tattoo with Chloe, did it even cross his mind to buy a birthday gift for his wife of five years?
Probably not.
But it didn't matter anymore. We were getting a divorce.
Who would want a birthday gift from Graham?
After dinner, I didn't rest. I poured all my energy into finalizing the transfer of the design plans for Aethelgard Tower.
