Chapter 2

I stared right into Julian's eyes and demanded, "But what if I insist on becoming the vice president? Will you make it happen?"

Whenever he stared at someone with a stoic expression, he looked intimidating. After years in the business world, he was no longer the naive young man in his 20s—nor the one who swore to build a future with me.

I looked away and let out a self-deprecating smile.

Julian lit a cigarette with a soft snap of his lighter, the knot between his brows resembling someone dealing with a tough client. As he puffed on his cigarette, his patience seemed to be running thin.

"Noelle, don't make this difficult for me," he ground out.

I froze and gawked at him. "Julian, you're one to talk. I'm already 30 this year, and we've been together for ten years. You know the vice president position isn't the issue here."

Ten years ago, Julian was nothing but a penniless young man.

My parents strongly disapproved of our relationship, but back then, we were too inseparable to be torn apart. The more they tried to keep us apart, the more defiant we became.

Left with no choice, Dad gave Julian 300,000 dollars to start his business. He and Mom promised they would no longer interfere with our relationship if Julian still treated me the same after becoming successful.

But he was given only ten years. If he failed or showed even the slightest change of heart after ten years, I'd have to obey my parents and marry someone else.

Julian blew out a stream of smoke and stubbed out the cigarette.

"Noelle, we're like family now," he said flatly. "There's no need to cling to a piece of paper. As for your parents—they'll come around eventually.

"But Zoey's different. She needs this position. So stop making a fuss and behave. That's final."

With that, he strode out, clearly frustrated by our exchange.

His steps faltered for a moment at the door. After hesitating for a few seconds, he said, "By the way, Zoey needs an office, so you have to move out.

"You should also prepare for her welcome party. As the company's vice president, she deserves a proper ceremony. Don't let anyone look down on her. You've been around for years, so the others will definitely accept your invitation.

"Noelle, I trust you to separate work and personal matters. You know what to do, right?"

The office door slammed shut.

As I slumped into my chair, my gaze fell on the photo frame on the desk.

It was a picture of Julian and me. He was beaming at the camera, his appearance miles away from the cold, heartless man he was now.

I reached out and turned the photo frame face down. Then I got up and headed to the HR department.

The HR manager, Winnie Lane, gaped at me.

"Ms. Jones, are you resigning?"

I nodded.

"Um… Ms. Jones, your resignation has to be approved by Mr. Grant. H-he mentioned it when he came by earlier," Winnie stammered.

I was stunned. Well, after ten years together, he clearly knew me well enough—I was never a tolerant woman.

Getting my resignation approved wouldn't be easy, and sure enough, my first attempt was rejected.

As soon as I stepped out of the elevator, I noticed a crowd gathered outside my office. They were all Julian's assistants and secretaries.

The moment they saw me, they immediately parted to let me through.

My office was a complete mess.

Zoey was lounging comfortably in my chair, casually directing the janitors as they sifted through my belongings.

"Throw away that photo frame and those books on the shelf.

"Actually, forget it. I hate everything here. Just toss it all out, and make sure there's not a speck of dust left. It smells awful now."

She wrinkled her nose in disgust and waved a hand in front of her face, as if there really was some unbearable stench. Then she glanced toward the door and spotted me.

"Ms. Jones, you're back!" she exclaimed, springing to her feet. "I was just having the office cleaned up for you.

"I figured there wasn't anything important, so I didn't leave anything behind. Thoughtful of me, right?

"Oh, and Ms. Jones, I might need your help with work from now on. I'm still young, so I need to focus on more important things. If anything goes wrong, I'll be counting on you!"