Chapter 4

Ross stared at the resignation letter on his desk, his face darkening at once.

“You’re resigning?”

His voice was low and cold.

“Izzy, what are you trying to pull this time?”

Before I could speak, Samora gave a soft laugh, as if she were helping me out.

“Ross, don’t be so harsh. She was in an accident a few days ago. She probably hasn’t recovered yet, so it’s normal for her to be emotional.”

Then she turned to me, polite and gentle.

“Izzy, don’t be impulsive. You’ve been at Stockdale for so many years. Leaving like this won’t be good for the company either. Ross is only worried about you.”

I looked at her.

“What does my resignation have to do with you?”

Samora’s smile paused for half a second before settling back into that forgiving expression. Standing beside Ross, she looked and sounded like the rightful woman of the room.

Ross gave a cold laugh.

“Don’t mind her, Samora. She’s just used to doing things like this to get my attention.”

His gaze returned to me, sharp and oppressive.

“Izzy, I let you into Stockdale because I knew you grew up alone and had no one to rely on. Don’t mistake that for importance. Without me, would you be standing here? Would you have met those clients? Would you have entered this circle at all?”

I looked at him quietly.

He had not used the word orphan, but what he said cut deeper.

I used to think he mentioned my past because he pitied how alone I had been. Only now did I understand that his care had always come with condescension.

I forced the emotion down and kept my voice steady.

“Mr. Stockdale, I’m here to submit my resignation, not to be insulted. Under my contract, I have the right to leave.”

At that form of address, something shifted in Ross’s eyes. For a moment, he seemed about to say something, but he quickly pushed the feeling down and shoved the resignation letter back across the desk.

“Enough. If you’re unwell, go home and rest for a few days. Don’t embarrass yourself here.”

I did not take the letter.

“Mr. Stockdale, my decision is final.”

Ross finally lost patience.

“What exactly do you want? A title? I would have given it to you sooner or later. But Samora is the right person to become general manager now. She has Leone resources and new investors willing to work with Stockdale.”

His voice cooled further.

“What do you have to compete with that?”

The office outside went quiet. I could feel the stares falling on me through the glass.

So in his eyes, the proposals, clients, contracts, and negotiations I had handled over the years were worth less than Samora’s surname.

My work had not been contribution. It had been an opportunity he believed he had granted to a woman with no one behind her.

I almost found it funny.

“You’re right.”

I looked at him and said slowly, “I can’t compete with her.”

Ross’s brows moved, as if he finally sensed something was wrong, but I had already picked up the resignation letter and placed it back on his desk.

“So I resign.”

Then I reached for the thin chain at my neck and took off the silver ring hanging beneath my collar.

It was the ring I had designed for us years ago. Ross had once asked to wear his openly, but when the company began to grow, he said it was better not to let people know about us yet. So I kept mine hidden against my heart and told myself secrecy was also a kind of protection.

Now even that felt absurd.

In front of him, I placed the ring on the desk.

“Your promise, returned.”

Ross’s face finally changed.

“Izzy—”

Before he could continue, Samora gently pressed a hand to his arm.

“Ross, let it go. If she insists, give her a few days to calm down.”

This time, Ross did not look at her.

He pushed her hand away and followed me out.

I had just stepped into the elevator hall when he caught my wrist.

“Izzy, come with me.”

I tried to pull free, but he had already led me out through the side entrance of the building. There was a small café across the street where we used to sit during Stockdale’s hardest days, when one coffee between us was all we could afford after paying the staff.

Now he pulled me inside, chose the booth farthest from the window, and sat across from me with a strained expression.

“What happened upstairs was just for show,” he said. “Samora’s position, the engagement, the way I introduced her—all of it was temporary.”

I looked at him without speaking.

Ross lowered his voice.

“Stockdale needs the Leone cooperation. You know how important this is. If the Leone family invests, we can stabilize the company completely. I’ve worked too hard to lose this chance.”

“So for money, you can let her take my position?”

“It isn’t about money.”

“Then for investment.”

His jaw tightened.

“Izzy, don’t twist my words.”

I looked at him calmly.

“You let her stand beside you as your fiancée. You let her call me your secretary. You let everyone laugh at me, question my background, and say I had no right to compare with her. Was that also part of the act?”

Ross looked away for a second.

“I couldn’t correct her in front of everyone. If I embarrassed her, the Leone cooperation would be over before it even began.”

“So our relationship can be sacrificed for cooperation?”

His brows drew together.

“I never said that.”

“You didn’t have to.” My voice stayed quiet. “You already did it.”

Ross leaned forward, his tone softening.

“I love you. That has never changed.”

The words sounded familiar. I had believed them too many times.

He reached across the table, trying to take my hand.

“You know what Stockdale means to me. I’m doing this for our future. Once the cooperation is secured, I’ll explain everything to Samora, and I’ll give you what you want. A title. A public relationship. Whatever you want.”

I moved my hand away.

“So I should stand there while she steps on me, because one day you might give me back what was mine?”

His face stiffened.

“That’s not fair.”

“What is fair, Ross? That I spent seven years hidden behind you? That I helped build your company, only to be told I was lucky you pitied me? That your so-called act needed me to be humiliated in front of everyone?”

“I was angry,” he said. “You suddenly resigned. You refused to greet her. You made the situation difficult.”

I looked at him for a long moment.

Even now, he still thought the problem was my reaction, not what he had done.

I stood up.

Ross followed my movement with his eyes.

“Izzy, don’t walk away from me over this.”

I picked up my bag.

“You’re right about one thing. Stockdale needs her more than it needs me.”

His expression shifted.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

I walked out of the café.

This time, Ross did not follow.

By the time I reached the corner, my phone vibrated.

His message appeared on the screen.

Think about it carefully. No matter what I do, the person I love is you.

I looked at the message once, then turned off the screen.