Chapter 67
Late at night, Zachary stood quietly by her bedside, gazing down at Jessica. His gentle fingertips traced the tear stains at the corner of her eyes.
Was she crying for Derrick?
A sour pang of jealousy filled his chest.
“Jessica, we have all the time in the world,” he murmured.
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The next morning, Jessica woke to the shrill ring of her alarm. Whether it was because of the jet lag or the tears she had shed the night before, her eyes were swollen and sore.
She glanced around the room, but Zachary was nowhere to be found. Even the warmth he had
left behind had faded.
Sitting up, she noticed the clothes still clinging to her body, and the memories of last night came rushing back. Heat rose to her cheeks. How was she ever supposed to face him again?
After washing up, she slung her bag over her shoulder and headed downstairs for breakfast.
“Mary, when did he leave?” she asked.
She hadn’t called him by name, not even “Honey“. She only referred to Zahcary as “he“.
Mary, who was preparing breakfast, looked up politely and replied, “I didn’t see Mr. Jones this morning.”
Jessica froze. Did that mean he had gone out last night?
She unlocked her phone and opened his contact, which was still saved as “Honey.” There were no messages. For several minutes, Jessica just sat staring at the empty screen.
She took a sip of milk but couldn’t bring herself to eat anything else. After a brief word to Mary, she grabbed her things and stepped out the door.
”
“Jess, did you get filler under your eyes? They’re so puffy that you’ve even got triple eyelids showing,” Lilian teased as she leaned close to her.
Jessica flashed a distracted smile and said nothing.
“Guess what? Two new department managers just got promoted. One’s from PR and the other’s from our division. Both are real heavy hitters,” Lilian said as she pulled Jessica into a coworker group chat called Payroll Legends, the one that left out the company’s top
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executives.
“So?” Jessica asked. She rarely read group chats unless it was an important one that mentioned her directly.
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“I thought that if Mr. Jakerman got a promotion, then maybe you’d get one too. That way, I’d finally have a backer in this place,” Lilian said with a grin.
“That’s not something you should be betting on, Lilian,” Jessica replied.
She then picked up a small mirror and studied her swollen eyes. She set it down, and before she realized it, her gaze drifted back to her phone. There were still no messages.
“You’ve only been at work for an hour and have already checked your phone 28 times. You’ve stared in the mirror for at least ten. Spill it, Jess–are you in love?” Lilian teased, seizing the chance to poke fun.
“Did you find love in Sylvaria?” she pressed.
Jessica froze, then turned her head to glance at her.
“You look like someone in love,” Lilian said playfully.
Jessica realized that Zachary had been on her mind all morning. For the past week, she had gotten used to waking up in his arms and falling asleep the same way. Without even realizing it, it had become a habit. Now that he was suddenly gone, her heart felt hollow.
However, she didn’t dare to send him a message. After his rejection last night, her emotions were tangled and difficult to put into words. If she texted him now, would he ignore her the same way?
Jessica slapped her cheeks lightly and forced herself to focus. She opened her laptop and began sorting through the reports on Sylvaria Fashion Week.
By the time lunch break came, she went to the cafeteria, grabbed a tray, and sat alone by the window. She ate absentmindedly, barely tasting the food.
Just then, two more trays landed on the table with a sharp click. They belonged to Joshua and Zachary,
Jessica’s eyes widened at the sight of them, as if a ghost had just crawled out of the cafeteria line. However, the gloom pressing on her chest eased the moment he appeared before her.
“Good morning,” Jessica whispered.
Zachary’s eyes lingered on her face. “Didn’t sleep well, did you?” he asked, noticing the puffiness around her eyes.
He had been gone all day yesterday, and this was the first thing he chose to say. The words
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stung sharper than she expected.
“Good morning? That’s it?” Joshua chuckled, leaning back with a teasing smirk.
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