We Couldn't Make It Till the End のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 21 - チャプター 30

There was a noticeable pause on the other end. Then Ethan scoffed dismissively."What? Now that you've realized things have gotten out of control, you're trying to pull strings? Cornered like a desperate dog, so you're bringing up the Starlight Group to pressure me? Hannah, who do you think you are? It's far too late."Ignoring his bluster, Hannah continued in the same calm, measured tone."Counting the days, today should be the final deadline for the Starlight Group to review your second-year design proposal. I imagine they'll be formally notifying you very soon that the partnership has been canceled.""What did you say?"A faint trace of panic slipped into Ethan's voice, though he quickly forced himself to recover, as if he'd just heard an absurd fantasy."Cancel the partnership? Are you insane? That's nothing but wishful thinking. A multinational corporation on Starlight's scale is going to listen to an employee I've fired? Don't flatter yourself."Sara immediately joined in,

The atmosphere in the room plummeted instantly, turning so cold that even the blast from the air conditioner seemed unnecessary.Seeing how badly things were going, Ethan hurriedly bowed his head and apologized, trying to explain while frantically signaling Sara to apologize as well.Unfortunately, Sara was still too stunned to react. That made sense, though. On a typical workday, she spent her time either flirting with Ethan in his office or sitting at her desk playing video games.Forget negotiating with clients, cultivating business relationships, or understanding contract terms. She couldn't even handle basic Word or Excel functions.At work, she relied entirely on her relationship with Ethan, ordering other employees around and having them do the job for her.Faced with a crisis of this magnitude, she was utterly useless. All she could do was stand there with her eyes wide, turning herself into an object of whispered ridicule.Just as the standoff dragged on, Hannah's voice

Hannah furrowed her brow, expecting him to launch into another hysterical tirade of insults.Instead, Ethan took a deep breath and spoke in a shockingly humble tone. "Hannah... I was wrong."His voice was suddenly soft and affectionate, as though they had never broken up. Hannah was caught off guard, briefly wondering whether she had heard him correctly.Ethan Turner, the man who was always high and mighty, barking orders at everyone around him, was actually backing down and offering her an olive branch.But then again, it made perfect sense. With the Starlight Group, his biggest lifeline, on the verge of terminating their contract, what choice did he have besides begging Hannah to come back and clean up the mess he'd created?Even so, watching him go from an arrogant bully to a groveling beggar was so absurd that Hannah burst out laughing."There's no need to put on that sickly sweet voice," she said. "We broke up a long time ago, remember? Save your breath. I'm not coming back

"What?"Ethan's voice shot up into a shrill screech, like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on."Have you lost your mind? 50 percent? Why don't you just rob a bank? Do you really think this company can't survive without you?"Hearing his hysterical shouting, Hannah merely shook her head.It seemed he'd truly forgotten. Forgotten every promise he'd made when they first started the company. Forgotten everything he'd once said while holding her hand and swearing that they would build the business together.But Hannah still remembered those early days.Only a few months after the company was founded, they had already run out of money because they lacked a clear understanding of the market and had no viable business model.The corporate account was empty, and the company was on the verge of bankruptcy. It was Hannah who sold her parents' house, the property she had intended to rely on in her later years, and poured every penny into the company.She used the money to pay dozens

The moment Ethan saw Hannah, his eyes lit up. He jogged over to her side and caught her hand."Hannah, why did you block and delete me? And ever since you left, I've been posting photos with Sara on social media every day. I posted so many photos of us together. Why weren't you jealous at all?"You used to hate seeing Sara and me get close. Back then, I merely shared a cup of coffee with her and used the same straw, and you were so furious that you flipped the table. Why aren't you reacting now?"Hannah looked at him in confusion. "Yes, I flipped the table. But didn't you accuse me of being possessive, having a dirty mind, and seeing something filthy in everything?"Didn't you insist that you and Sara were strictly boss and employee and tell me to stop overthinking? Didn't you always want me to be more open-minded and generous? Now that I'm finally giving you exactly what you wanted, you should be happy."Seeing how completely unfazed she was, Ethan tightened his grip on her hand.