All Chapters of I Won't Accept Your Remorse: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

No one ironed Ashton's suit, picked out his ties, or shined his shoes.At 7:00 am, the master bedroom door swung open.Ashton stepped out in his pajamas, his hair a messy tangle. The moment he saw the empty dining table, his expression darkened. "Where's breakfast?"I finished the last sip of my milk and put the glass in the dishwasher. "I'm not hungry.""I asked about my breakfast." His tone was the exact one he used with his employees.Actually, no. He treated his employees with more courtesy than he ever showed me.I wiped the corner of my mouth and said nothing.Ashton stared at me for a few seconds, then slammed the bedroom door shut behind him.Ten minutes later, he came out fully dressed with a briefcase in hand. As he passed my way, he paused.He was probably waiting for me to rush over, straighten his tie, and slip a bottle of water into his bag just like I always did.Instead, I sat on the couch and scrolled through my phone without even glancing up.A quiet scoff

Ashton stood in the doorway. His shirt collar was unbuttoned, and his tie was crooked.After scanning the room, his gaze landed right on the clipboard I'd slapped against Eve's chest."Sylvia, what are you doing? Eve is a new intern, while you're a senior employee. Act like one when you're training someone, and keep your personal feelings out of the workplace."His voice wasn't loud, but every single word was a defense of Eve. And he said it in front of everyone outside the CEO's office.The old me would have lowered my head with tear-filled eyes and mumbled, "I'm sorry. I'll be more careful next time."But that day, I just nodded. "You're absolutely right, Mr. Clark. I clearly lack the ability to train an intern."I pulled a document from my bag and smacked it onto the desk in front of him. "This is my transfer request. Please sign it. I'm moving back to the investment analysis department."Ashton's expression shifted. As he looked down at the paper, his mouth twitched. "This i

Among the two items, one was a partnership invitation from Apex Corp's Elysian division. The other was my resignation letter.I looked at Ashton and said casually, "I'm leaving."It took him a long time to snap out of his daze. His Adam's apple bobbed."Apex Corp?" His voice sounded raspy. "A partner position at the Elysian division?"I nodded. "The headhunter reached out to me three times after the Lansford Group merger went through."Ashton ran his fingers along the edge of the resignation letter, his fingertips turning pale."I'm not approving this." He pushed the letter back across the desk and continued, "Sylvia, you need to calm down.""I am calm. This is the calmest I've been in eight years."He stared at me, an unfamiliar storm brewing in the depths of his eyes. "If you want to leave, fine, but only after a proper handover. You know the post-merger integration for Lansford Group better than anyone. Walking out right now is completely irresponsible."I smiled. "You can

I set a glass of water down in front of Aileen. "Mrs. Clark, I'm leaving because I want to leave. Not to negotiate terms with anyone."She let out a sharp laugh. "Alright. Cut the act. I've met plenty of young ladies like you from small towns."She pulled a check from her bag and slid it onto the coffee table. "Here's ten thousand dollars. Take the money, sign a non-disclosure agreement, and make a clean break. Don't run around talking about your history with Ashton. It's embarrassing."I looked down at the check. Ten thousand dollars to buy out eight years of my youth.I pushed the check right back toward Aileen. "Mrs. Clark, during my sixth year here, you made me sign an agreement. It explicitly stated that if my relationship with Ashton ended, I had no right to seek financial compensation from the Clark family. I signed it. So, I don't want your money."But there was a clause in that agreement you might have forgotten. It also stated that the Clark family shall not interfere wi

I froze when I heard that.Eve continued, "The night you brought Mr. Clark that chowder, I was the one who put the lunchbox the cleaning lady mentioned on his desk. But he didn't even look at it before telling me to take it away. I was frustrated, so I threw it in the trash."She lowered her head. "The cleaning lady assumed he had finished it and thrown it out, but it was never even opened."I stood there, a faint buzzing in my ears. "But you bragged about it in the office.""I did it on purpose."Eve looked up at me, her eyes brimming with tears. "Sylvia, I was just jealous of you. From my very first day at the company, everyone kept saying that Mr. Clark had a formidable woman by his side."They said you'd been with him for eight years, your work was flawless, and your position was completely unshakeable. I thought that if I could make you believe he liked me, you'd break down, make a mistake, and leave on your own."She sniffled. "But you never broke. You're so much stronger