Chapter 3

The next day, at the company's promotion banquet, Beatrice walked onto the stage in a custom gown Frederick had given her.

At the same time, the giant screen behind lit up with wedding photos of her and Frederick.

The employees below instantly erupted, applauding and offering their congratulations.

Frederick held Beatrice's hand and slowly stepped forward. "I now announce that Beatrice Sutton is officially the department manager."

Frederick intertwined his fingers with hers, raising them above their heads. The dazzling rings gleamed even brighter under the flashing lights.

"There is another piece of good news. Beatrice and I are getting married," he added.

The crowd below began cheering loudly.

"No wonder Mr. Scott waited until now to announce the promotion. Turns out he wanted to give us double the good news."

"Mr. Scott and Beatrice are such a perfect match, unlike certain people who only know how to cling to him."

It didn't take much thought to know that the "certain people" they were talking about was me.

Sitting in the front row, I could feel my colleagues' scornful glances. Beatrice's smug expression on stage was also impossible to miss.

I clapped without expression and sent out my resignation letter.

After the banquet ended, I headed to the stairwell. I found an unmarked number at the bottom of my contact list and dialed it.

"I've thought through what you said last time. I'll bring the core technology with me," I said.

The moment I hung up, a tall figure pulled me into his arms.

Frederick brushed his lips against my cheek. I tried to pull away, but his grip only tightened.

"Ellie, I know you're upset, but I hope you can understand me."

His voice came from above my head. "Beatrice's younger brother had always wanted me to marry her. I had no choice but to go along with it. You know the one I truly love has always been you."

Seeing that I didn't respond, Frederick continued, "I'll take you to the beach tomorrow and make it up to you properly."

It didn't really matter whether we went to the beach or not. I had three days before my flight, and I wanted to use this time to say a proper goodbye to the past.

…

The next morning, Frederick came to pick me up. As I opened the passenger door, Beatrice smiled at me from inside. "Ellie, Mr. Scott saved the passenger seat for me because he was worried that I might get carsick. You don't mind, do you?"

I replied, "Of course not. It's only right for you to take the passenger seat since your body is weak."

As soon as I finished speaking, I sensibly opened the back door.

On the way, Frederick made sure to explain himself to me. "Ellie, Beatrice has never been to the beach since she was a child. I thought this would be the perfect chance to show her."

I simply nodded without a word.

Through the rearview mirror, I saw Frederick's brow furrow, his fingers whitening slightly as he gripped the steering wheel.

"Aren't you angry?" Frederick asked with confusion in his voice.

"I know you're doing all this for her brother. Why would I be angry about that?" I replied.

Even though a trace of unease lingered in Frederick's heart, he didn't ask any more questions and kept driving.

When we arrived at the beach, Beatrice claimed that her heels made it difficult to walk, so she clung to Frederick at every step. The two of them chatted and laughed, completely leaving me out of the moment.

Frederick offered to take pictures of me using my own phone. Just as he pressed the shutter button, a notification about my plane ticket suddenly popped up on the screen. The moment he saw it, his expression darkened.

He pointed at the notification on my phone and demanded, "Ellie, what's this plane ticket about? Are you leaving the country?"

"It's just a short trip to clear my head. It's nothing serious," I said.

Frederick looked doubtful, and just as he was about to press further, Beatrice's sharp scream cut him off.

"Fred, a crab caught my hand. It hurts so badly!"

After a brief hesitation, Frederick returned my phone and went over to check on Beatrice's hand.