Chapter 4

Declan's POV

Jasper looked a little uncomfortable. "Declan, are you upset about the demotion? Promotions and demotions are the boss' call. There's nothing I can do about her decisions."

My expression didn't change. "I'm not upset. Ms. Sheffield's staffing decisions have nothing to do with someone at my level."

Jasper's face went pale at my flat tone. "You say you're not upset, but you won't even take the coffee. That's obviously you being angry."

The coworkers nearby saw how hurt Jasper looked and jumped in to defend him.

"Are you seriously jealous that Jasper got promoted, Declan?"

"After the meeting, he bought coffee for the whole team. That cup was the one he set aside just for you, and you can't even be grateful."

"Jasper, honestly, just forget about him. He clearly wasn't cut out for the position. Why else would Ms. Sheffield have blocked his promotion for three years?"

"And that whole thing three years ago when he was throwing himself at Ms. Sheffield? She probably couldn't stand him even back then, and he still hung around at the company for another three years anyway."

The scorn hit me from every direction. I took a deep breath to steady myself.

"I didn't take the coffee because I'm allergic to caffeine. And not once, from start to finish, did I say a single word about being unhappy with your promotion."

Jasper's hand froze in midair, still holding the cup. "I'm sorry, Declan. I didn't know you were allergic."

The coworkers saw the embarrassment on Jasper's face and turned on me even harder.

"What's with that attitude, Declan? You couldn't just say you're allergic like a normal person?"

"And for all we know, you are jealous of Jasper—jealous that Ms. Sheffield favors him and that she's buying wedding rings for him."

I couldn't hold it back anymore. I held up my hand and showed them the plain band on my finger. "Lana's my girlfriend. Why would I be jealous of him?"

The room went dead silent for a second. Then someone laughed.

"He actually thinks he's Ms. Sheffield's boyfriend?"

"This is borderline harassment at this point. Did he buy himself a ring and everything?"

I turned around, furious, ready to find Lana and make her tell them the truth. But she was already stepping out of her office.

I looked her straight in the eyes. "Lana, you tell them. What are we to each other?"

She was quiet for a moment.

The coworkers nearby started whispering. "She's not denying it. Is Declan actually her boyfriend?"

"Then what was all that with Jasper?"

Hearing those whispers, Lana's expression hardened, and her voice went cold. "What are we to each other? We're superior and subordinate. That's it.

"Declan Monroe, you're spreading false claims about a superior and refusing to respect your team lead's authority. That's a seven-day suspension, effective immediately."

At the sight of the icy look on her face, whatever was left inside my chest went completely cold.

I forced the corners of my mouth up, pulled the ring off my finger, and said, "Lana, we're done."

Her fingers twitched, but she held herself back and didn't come after me.

The coworkers heard what I said, and their contempt only deepened. "The boss literally denied it to his face, and he's still going with 'we're done'?"

A few of them mimicked my expression, sneering. "If she were actually dating anyone, it'd be someone like Jasper. The second Jasper gets treated unfairly, Ms. Sheffield steps in to protect him."

"Next time you want to be someone's little lapdog, Declan, pick someone in your league."

They all burst out laughing.

I didn't respond to any of it. I just packed up my things in silence.

Seven days wasn't going to be long enough. We were never going to see each other again.

…

Third-Person POV

Lana watched from the upper floor as Declan walked out of the building. She typed out a text to explain, deleted it, typed it again, and deleted it yet again. By the time the workday ended, she still hadn't sent it.

When she got home and found that Declan wasn't there, she frowned and tried to message him, only to realize he'd blocked her.

When Jasper found out, he looked a little hurt. "Is Declan mad about what happened today? But you already announced the engagement. Did he really have to be so aggressive about it?"

Lana frowned, remembering the look on Declan's face as he left her office. An unsettling feeling flickered through her, but she forced it down.

"He's throwing a tantrum over the demotion. When he comes back, I'll give him the promotion."

But seven days passed, and Declan never showed up.

Lana told Phil to reach out to Declan. Hearing that, he said, "Promote Declan Monroe? But he's already resigned."