Chapter 7

“Adrian, you need to swallow this reality right now!”

Markus slammed the financial report folder onto the glass desk in Adrian’s office. His voice cracked, trembling with barely contained rage. “This company is on the brink of bankruptcy! The only way out is to find Rosemary.”

Adrian, slouched in his chair with hollow eyes and a weary face, straightened immediately. “Stop saying her name in front of me!” he barked, his voice hoarse but still dripping with pride.

Markus stared at him sharply, unflinching. “I don’t care about your ego. You can hate her for the rest of your life, but the truth is crystal clear: without Rosemary, Adrian Corp is dead. Every investor has said the same thing.”

Adrian stood, dragging his heavy steps toward the wide window. His gaze was empty as he looked out at the city below. “I can hire another designer. The world is full of talent.”

Markus let out a harsh scoff. “If that’s true, then why hasn’t a single investor believed in those other designers? Why do they instantly walk away every time her name isn’t on the table? They only trust one person—Rosemary.”

Silence. Only the ticking of the wall clock filled the room, as if counting down the company’s demise.

Adrian clenched his fists. “Damn it…” he muttered under his breath, almost to himself.

Markus stepped closer, his tone icy but firm. “I’m giving you an ultimatum, Adrian. Meet Rosemary. Convince her to come back. Or get ready to watch everything you built collapse within a month.”

Adrian turned to him, his eyes blazing with both anger and despair. “Do you think she’ll even want to? After everything that happened?”

“If you don’t try, the answer is already no,” Markus shot back. He grabbed his jacket, then walked out without looking back.

---

Adrian stared at his phone for a long time. On the screen, Rosemary’s name was already typed in the recipient line. His hand trembled as he wrote:

> “We need to talk. For the sake of Adrian Corp.”

He stared at the words, then deleted them. Typed again:

> “Please, just give me a few minutes. Only ten.”

Cold sweat slicked his palms. He took a deep breath, then finally hit send.

Seconds crawled by. No reply.

He tried calling. The ringtone buzzed once, twice… then went straight to voicemail.

“Rosemary, listen to me…” Adrian’s breath hitched, his voice unsteady. “I know you hate me. But this is important. Can we meet, just for a moment?”

Click. The call ended.

Adrian buried his face in his hands. His chest felt as though it were being crushed.

---

The office door opened, the sharp sound of high heels echoing against the floor. Cassandra entered, her body wrapped in a striking red dress, her smile brimming with confidence.

“Darling…” her voice was playful, but it faded the moment she saw Adrian’s defeated expression. “What’s wrong? You look like you just lost a war.”

Adrian didn’t answer. He simply rubbed his face, exhausted.

Cassandra walked closer, looping her arm around his. “Tell me. Don’t keep secrets from me.”

Finally, Adrian pulled away and looked at her with cold eyes. “I tried reaching out to Rosemary.”

Cassandra froze. Her smile vanished. Her eyes widened, then narrowed sharply. “What did you just say?”

“I don’t have a choice,” Adrian replied heavily. “The investors trust no one but her.”

Cassandra recoiled, her face stiff. “No choice? So all the time, money, and effort I’ve poured into you—you’re throwing it away for that woman?”

“This isn’t about her or you!” Adrian snapped, his tone hard and suffocating. “This is about the company!”

Cassandra’s eyes glistened, but her voice was laced with bitterness. “The company? Or your heart? Don’t tell me you still—”

“Enough!” Adrian cut her off sharply. “I don’t want to discuss this.”

Cassandra stood frozen, her chest rising and falling with restrained fury. “Don’t you see, Adrian? Every time her name comes up, you lose control. You always look… fragile.”

Adrian lowered his gaze, his face shadowed. “I don’t care what you think. If this is the only way to save Adrian Corp, then I’ll do it.”

Cassandra laughed bitterly, though tears welled in her eyes. “And if she rejects you again? You’ll look like a pathetic man, kneeling before the woman you once discarded.”

“Better pathetic than losing everything,” Adrian shot back, his voice cutting.

Silence. Cassandra clenched her jaw, then shoved his arm away violently. “Fine. Go to her if that’s what you want. But don’t expect me to still be here when she destroys you all over again.”

With that, she stormed out, the door slamming hard behind her.

---

Adrian sank back into his chair, staring at the pile of meaningless documents on his desk. Rosemary’s words from the past echoed in his mind:

> “I built these designs with my whole heart, Adrian. Never take that lightly.”

He shut his eyes, his breath unsteady. Every path was a dead end. Everyone was leaving. And only one name kept being forced into the light.

“Rosemary…” he whispered faintly.

He stood, grabbing his car keys.

Markus was right. Cassandra could rage all she wanted. His pride could crumble into dust. But without Rosemary, Adrian Corp was nothing more than an empty building waiting to fall.

Adrian caught his reflection in the wall mirror. Red-rimmed eyes, a face twisted with anger and desperation.

“I’ll see her,” he muttered. “Even if she rejects me. Even if she humiliates me. I have to try.”