Chapter 6
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Victor stood motionless for untold minutes until a phone rang.
His shaking hands fumbled to answer, peripheral vision catching how he nearly dropped the device.
The call went on speaker instantly, flooding the room with Deborah’s grating voice.
“Victor, where are you?
My chest feels tight-I miss you terribly!”
I shut my eyes tight.
“I-”
“Take it outside!”
My shout startled Victor into hanging up. Whether shocked by my first-ever fury or desperate to see Deborah, he left without closing the door.
Fortunately, he’d rented the whole floor; no one would come up unnecessarily.
Time crawled by until I awoke to darkness.
Eyes watched me in the gloom.
I lay limp on the bed,
staring vacantly into nothingness.
A muscular arm suddenly reached before me.
“Hurt?”
I turned my face away.
“Why agree to this?”
He looked puzzled. “What?”
I met his gaze without answering.
“Oh, that? I need money.”
He shrugged with a careless smile.
Voice low, I rose from the messy bed.
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“Yesterday… was my first time.”
His words halted me.
“My grandma’s sick. Really sick. But my parents won’t pay for treatment. She raised me-others can give up on her, but I can’t!”
His choked voice made my back stiffen.
I remembered my own grandmother’s torn final piece-she’d raised me too, and everything about her mattered.
Lowering my eyes, I demanded, “Give me your phone.”
“Adding me?”
He brightened, handing it over eagerly.
His lock screen showed SpongeBob. After a glance, I added his contact and transferred funds.
“Enough for your grandma?
Don’t do this again. Get dressed and leave.”
When I returned from washing up, the bed was empty.
As I prepared to go, a note on the table caught my eye:
“I’m Keith. Thank you.”
I meant to crumple it, yet held it like a scorching fireball in my palm.
Stuffing it into my pocket, I left the hospital room.
I didn’t go home, nor did I intend to return to that so-called home.
I spent the morning renting an apartment elsewhere and arrived at the office before my afternoon shift.
The moment I stepped out of the elevator, my assistant stiffened upon seeing me, his expression strained as if holding back words.
Truthfully, I came to serve Victor Ramirez divorce papers.
The divorce agreement had been printed at lightning speed.
“V-Vice President Jessica… Why are you back? Aren’t you injured? Shouldn’t you rest longer? Don’t worry about the Fortune project-I won’t mess up. Please, go home and recover!”
His mention of Fortune made me uneasy. It was a project I’d taken over just before my father’s accident. Mr. Li from Fortune trusted me enough to partner with Timothy Torres, yet I’d neglected it for days, only giving verbal and online instructions to my assistant.
I thanked him but insisted on heading to my office.
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“Brief me first.”
His face darkened further, hesitation sparking my suspicion.
I stood firm, stern. “What’s wrong?”
He stared at me, eyes flickering with something resembling pity.
A resigned sigh escaped him. “Victor handed the project to Vice President Deborah…”
I froze. “Vice President Deborah?”
“Yes. The moment Victor returned, he promoted Attorney Deborah to VP. Besides Fortune, all your ongoing projects have been reassigned to her…”
He watched my reaction.
Surprisingly calm, I replied, “Understood.”
“Vice President Jessica, forgive my bluntness-Deborah couldn’t handle legal work, let alone VP duties. She knows nothing about these projects yet keeps forcing decisions. At this rate, the company will-”
His words died as Victor appeared.
My assistant’s flushed face looked more aggrieved than mine.
“Honey, why leave the hospital so soon? Don’t stress about work. Deborah’s helping me.”
Victor reached for my hand, oozing false tenderness.
I scoffed, stepping back. “Am I unwelcome? Had I not come today, I wouldn’t know you’d dethroned me.”
He forced a laugh, pulling me into the office. “Deborah just needs experience. Give her a chance. She’s younger— guide her.”
When the door opened, I saw everything I’d designed shattered and replaced.
The new decor screamed Deborah’s taste-everything I despised.
Rows of collectible figurines worth millions lined the space near the desk.
My meticulously nurtured plants had vanished.
“What happened to my plants?”
My glare pinned Victor.
Victor held my arm. “Deborah says those plants are stealing oxygen here, so the bathroom’s the best spot for them. I figured they’re just ordinary plants anyway, so I let her have her way.”
“If you like them, I’ll get you some nicer ones.”
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I stared at him furiously.
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He sighed. “Alright, alright. I’ll have someone move them back from the bathroom right now. But they can’t stay here. Deborah says she still has lots to learn and needs your guidance. Honey, do this for me-be her assistant temporarily and show her the ropes?”
I never imagined Victor could make such an outrageous demand.
A bitter laugh escaped me. Deborah had returned unnoticed, standing smugly in what was now her office. “Jessica, you’re back!”
Victor left for a meeting, leaving just the two of us.
Deborah dropped all pretense, settling into my handpicked leather sofa. “Jessica, given the situation, when are you getting lost?”
“Can’t you see whether Victor still cares for you? If he truly did, would he trick your father into signing that settle- ment? Would he give me the keys to your marital home for my parents to live in?”
“Jessica, get a divorce. He doesn’t love you anymore!”
My clenched fist suddenly relaxed. I placed the divorce papers on the desk. She stared at them, then snapped, “What’s this supposed to mean?”
“You know better than anyone whether Victor will actually divorce me, don’t you? Otherwise you wouldn’t be pro- voking me into filing first.”
“Your chance is right here. If you’ve got what it takes to make him sign these papers, I’ll vanish somewhere he’ll nev- er find me.”
Deborah’s eyes burned with urgency, yet suspicion lingered.
I turned to leave.
She called after me suddenly. “You’d really divorce Victor? You’d give him up? Abandon all that fortune that’s practi- cally yours for the taking?”
I stood silently, my mind never been clearer.
“You’ve got the tools. Succeed or fail-that’s on you.”
I didn’t answer. Just walked away.
