Resign with Grace, Return with Fire のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 21 - チャプター 30

Meanwhile, David gave Lester the beating of a lifetime and pulled his investment again. He cursed the latter as a useless disappointment and kicked him out of the house.It was only then that everyone learned that Lester was an illegitimate child. He'd done all of this just to prove himself and make his father take him seriously, but it had all backfired.Lester tried to go back to Sandra, but she didn't want him, either. She fired him.When I heard all this, I could only think that this was what they deserved. They were reaping what they had sown.I thought it was all over; I didn't expect Sandra to have the nerve to show up at my company.…That day, I had just gotten off work when I saw Sandra waiting for me at the company's entrance. Her eyes lit up when she saw me come out, and she moved to pull me toward her car."You're off work, Fred? I'll drive you home."I glanced at the big bobblehead doll placed on the passenger seat. It was Lester's usual trick—he would give Sandra

Sandra had always been rational and objective. I understood the theory behind her words, but I was a sentimental person. If a stray cat were starving right in front of me, I couldn't just watch and do nothing. I didn't have it in me to be that cold.Looking back, I realized that when two people didn't share the same values, they should never have gotten together in the first place.Ariana couldn't stand seeing the stray cat suffer and said she wanted to adopt it."Fred, I want to adopt this cat, but I'm allergic to cat hair. Can I keep it at your place? Don't worry. I won't be a freeloader. I'll cover the food and daily expenses."I nodded. "Works for me. I like cats, too. I don't mind keeping it at my place, but let's split the costs 50-50. We can be like its co-parents."After a half-hour walk, we were heading back with the cat when I heard a familiar click of high heels behind us. I turned and saw Sandra, whom I hadn't seen in days. Her eyes were red-rimmed as she stared at Ari

I'd felt bad for Sandra, so I'd lied and said that I liked milk. During the movie, I'd pretended I couldn't finish mine and didn't want to waste it, then I'd hand more than half my drink to her.I'd loved her, so I'd remembered every one of her preferences clearly. She, on the other hand, had been with me for so many years and still didn't know that I was lactose intolerant.I pushed the milk away and said coolly, "I'm lactose intolerant. I can't drink it."Sandra's hand froze in mid-air, and a flicker of embarrassment crossed her face. After a moment of silence, she suddenly looked toward Ariana beside me and asked, "Hi, could we switch seats? I want to sit with Fred."Just as I was marveling at her shamelessness and about to clap back, Ariana slipped her arm through mine and chirped, "Sorry, no can do. I want to sit next to my boyfriend!"Her words stunned both Sandra and me.I glanced at Ariana in surprise and understood what she was doing when I caught her playful look. I kne

"I'm fine, but you… That has to hurt, right?" Ariana asked.I smiled. "I'm thick-skinned. It's no big deal. It's a good thing your face didn't get hurt. I'd feel awful if you ended up disfigured."Ariana blushed; even her ears became a suspicious shade of red.An ugly look crept onto Sandra's face. She'd been completely left out while Ariana and I chatted and laughed. She snapped, "Your tenderness belongs to me, Fred. I won't let you be gentle to other women!"With that, she rushed over again, trying to pull us apart.Her repeated outbursts finally enraged the other moviegoers around us. They had watched the whole thing, and her voice had been interrupting them. At this point, they'd had enough and started complaining."Seriously? Can you knock it off? The guy already has a girlfriend, so let go. Why cling to him like that?""Yeah, you're acting like a crazy person! You can't compare to his current girlfriend at all, and you're slandering her, making her out to be some horrible

The onlookers immediately turned on Sandra as they watched the drama unfold."How do you screw up the ring size for a proposal?""No wonder the guy said no. I wouldn't accept it, either! Who could, when she's so careless?"I took off the diamond ring and tossed it to Sandra. "This is in Lester's size, right? It looks like he needs it more than I do. Give it to him."Sandra ran after me frantically. "Fred, wait! I'm sorry. I made a mistake! I can have a new one custom-made for you! Don't go, please! I'll do anything as long as you'll forgive me!"I stopped and looked at her coldly. "Is that so? Then do me a favor and stop clinging to me. Please disappear from my world!"Sandra shook her head, tears welling in her eyes again. "Don't be so cruel to me, please. That's the one thing I can't do…"She stepped toward me while sobbing.I'd had enough. I pulled out my phone, ready to call the cops. "These past few days, your relentless pestering has seriously affected my life. I'm callin