already completed my resignation. From now on, the company is yours alone.”
There was a brief silence on the other end of the line.
“Eric, let’s meet,” she said. “After all, divorce is a big deal. We can’t just settle it over the phone,
can we?”
I instinctively resisted. Honestly, now that our marriage had reached this point, I didn’t want to see her anymore. Still, she
insisted, and I had no choice but to agree to meet her that evening to formally sign the divorce papers.
That evening, I sat in a restaurant, watching the pouring rain outside. My thoughts wandered.
We first met during a heavy rainstorm, and now it seemed fitting that we were ending things in the same weather though I no longer saw it as some kind of fateful connection.
I waited for a long time. The pot of tea before me grew cold and was nearly empty. Still, there was no sign of Allison.
Just as I was about to call her to check what was happening, I received a message from Aaron.
“Sorry, Eric. I accidentally burned my hand earlier, and Allison is busy taking care of me right now.”
The accompanying photo showed Allison, dressed in casual home clothes, carefully applying a bandage to Aaron’s hand. The background was none other than the little apartment where we had lived together for three years.
I chuckled lightly. Once again, I had been foolishly sentimental.
I called the waiter, ordered dinner, and quietly finished the meal alone. I left the restaurant just as it was closing for the night.
On my way home, I blocked both Allison and Aaron’s contacts without hesitation. From now on, there would be no more ties
between us.
Before long, I started receiving job offers from several companies. These weren’t just regular openings; they were direct
1/2
Chapter 6
+15 Bonus
invitations from the chairpersons. The benefits and salaries were far better than what I had received at Allison’s company,
several times over.
However, I turned them all down. I just wanted to take a break for a while. I wasn’t ready to jump back into work so quickly.
During casual chats with these connections, I also heard about the current state of Allison’s company.
After Aaron was promoted to marketing director, he introduced new rules to the department and carried out mass layoffs, under the guise of not keeping idle staff. Several senior employees left one after another because they were unable to bear the pressure. Some even reached out to me, hoping to work together again.
“Eric, you wouldn’t believe it. Aaron struts around the company like he owns the place. Just because he studied abroad, he ignores everyone’s opinions. The entire department is miserable.”
“And those colleagues who used to have a good relationship with us? Aaron is targeting them too, forcing them to resign. I can’t take it anymore.”
Listening to this made me uncomfortable.
In the beginning, we were all focused on building something great, dreaming of expanding the company. However, after Aaron arrived, the team became fragmented, with everyone scheming against each other, afraid their most trusted peers would betray
them.
When a team’s spirit was broken, its future would be bleak, especially for the core marketing department. But what could I say?
“Eric, what’s next for you? Wherever you go, we’ll follow you!”
I forced a bitter smile. “I haven’t decided yet. I just want to rest for now.”
Just as I finished speaking, the doorbell rang.
