Chapter 2

Dr. Jackson was surprised to see me. He frowned. "I remember you. The last time you came, you told me you didn't want to have the surgery overseas. Why would you…"

My expression froze as bitterness filled my heart. After Mindy left for a business trip a month ago, I found myself not feeling well, and after going for a checkup, I was diagnosed with bone cancer. I did not tell her about it right away as I did not want her to worry. I thought it would be better if I had my surgery in the country.

However, I did not expect Johnny to return. Mindy left me at the altar, and I became a laughingstock at our wedding. I was still wearing the groom's suit and looked particularly humiliated.

"I just came to my senses, that's all. Please help me with the arrangements."

Dr. Jackson sighed. "Alright. You need to make the flight at 8:00 am three days from now and leave with your accompanying medical personnel."

I nodded and returned to the ward. I checked my phone and found a chat group filled with new messages, with Johnny and Mindy added to the chain.

[Welcome home, Johnny! I knew you'd come full circle to return to Mindy.]

[This finally feels right! We were always supposed to be a gang!]

[Umm… Don't forget that Eric is in this chat group too.]

Everyone was suddenly silent, and I laughed self-depracatingly. This group had accepted me because of Mindy, but they had never treated me sincerely. The next second, a message popped up on my screen: [You have been removed from the group by the administrator 'Mindy Graham']

My lips turned pale from what I read, and I next received a message from Mindy. [Be good. I'll add you back to the group after a month.]

I stared at it for several seconds without replying. From that message onward, Mindy and I no longer had anything to do with each other.

My mother woke up the next day, and I returned to Graham Industries to hand in my resignation letter. I had just taken a seat on the floor where the CEO's office was when Johnny and Mindy walked out of the elevator.

Mindy was surprised to see me. "How's your mom's high blood pressure?"

I clenched my fists and replied sarcastically, "It's all thanks to you that she's doing well now."

Mindy frowned, feeling upset about my fiery tone. She was used to my always giving in to whatever she wanted. She looked away unhappily, but the moment her gaze fell on Johnny, the look in her eyes turned gentle and indulgent. "You can start by working as the CEO's executive secretary. Once you're familiar with the work, I'll arrange to transfer you to the Project Department."

Johnny glanced at me. "Alright. There's still a lot I don't know, Mindy. Maybe Eric can help mentor me along the way."

I looked up at him right away as I tried to suppress my anger. "I don't want to."

Johnny was unperturbed and did not show any anger. All he did was listen quietly to what Mindy had to say. The next second, Mindy's order exploded in my ears, and she was not taking no for an answer. "You don't have any right to reject this, Eric. The workplace isn't your house. Who are you to choose what you want or don't want to do?"

Mindy threw a cold glance at me as the look in my eyes turned dim. Then, she held Johnny's hand and pulled him into the office.

My limbs turned cold as the sunny sky suddenly started snowing. The freezing wind filled the room with cold air, and I could not help shuddering as I fell limply back into my seat. I could hear the taunting laughter coming from the others on the CEO's floor.

That afternoon, I had just finished drafting my resignation letter when Mindy called me into the office, looking quite upset. She flung a document at my feet. "Is drawing up a contract just a game to you, Eric?! How could you put down 300 million on a 30 million-dollar contract? Everyone is forced to clean up your mess now!"

I picked up the contract and froze when I read the contents. "This is impossible!"

The contract had gone through numerous reviews, and I had made extra effort to double-check the pricing. There was no way there could be a mistake. When my glance swept past Johnny, my eyes widened when I saw the victorious smile on his face. "It was you."

That was when I realized the reason behind his sudden yearning to learn this morning when he was arranged to shadow me. He had been sitting next to me the entire morning, and it was not difficult for him to peek at my computer's password.

"Eric!" Mindy's roar made me freeze. She was looking at me stoically. "How dare you blame someone else for your mistake?"

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying my best to stop my voice from trembling. "You can check the surveillance footage. Mr. Packer might not be aware of this, but that doll on my table is a hidden camera."