In the Arms of Another

"You did an excellent job."

The moment Laurel appeared, Ross's gaze was glued to her.

The two of them were so engrossed in their own little world while exchanging playful, intimate remarks, oblivious to the crowd.

Laurel shot me a challenging glance, her eyes practically daring me to react.

She was marking her territory, showing off her supposed victory.

But I wasn't interested in competing for a man's attention. My value had never been about pleasing men.

Laurel's little display of dominance felt more like a childish tantrum to me.

I wouldn't let such petty behavior get to me. I never did before, and I surely wouldn't now.

Ross was too busy talking to the shareholders with Laurel at his side, both of them the center of attention.

Laurel stayed close, making it look like they were a pair.

Watching it all with cold detachment, I finished my drink before quietly slipping out of the staged event.

I took advantage of the moment and gathered all my personal belongings from the office, packing them into a box.

When I got home, my phone buzzed with a video from Laurel.

The video showed a drunk Ross holding onto her as they entangled. Laurel smiled at the camera, smug and provocative.

I glanced at the video and chuckled lightly. It didn't stir up any emotion in me—not a single ripple.

I calmly opened my laptop, sent my resignation letter to HR, and then posted a statement about leaving the company on Twitter.

Within moments, the entire industry was buzzing.

Colleagues and clients I had worked with reached out, asking what had happened.

The most anxious were the investors—those who had been considering putting money into our projects. They urgently contacted me, trying to verify if what they'd heard was true.

Anyone who knew the company knew that I had been the lead on our most important project.

We had just held a major project presentation, and now that I was leaving, potential investors needed to reassess the risks.

Those who had previously shown interest in investing quickly started to back off, uncertain of what would happen next.

Without investment, the company would stall, and the previous efforts could all go to waste.

Ross realized this immediately, and panic set in.

He called me, but I ignored it, so he rushed out of the event and headed straight to my place to confront me.

When he saw my suitcase already packed, he froze for a moment, but it didn't stop him.

He stormed in and shot me a glare.

"Jennifer, are you out of your mind? Why would you release that statement at such a critical moment? Don't you realize you've just undone everything we've worked for these past six months?"

I barely glanced at him, too tired to even look him in the eye.

"Once you're done, please leave my room," I said coolly. "I've already submitted my resignation. And by the way, your assistant claimed responsibility for this project during the presentation. If there's a problem now, you should be talking to her, not me."

I shoved him toward the door, then turned back to finish packing.

I had a flight to Euchoth already booked, and I was ready to leave.

Ross stood there, banging on the door in a fit of rage, but it didn't last long.

I thought maybe he had finally realized there was no point in wasting his time on me anymore.

That was when the company assistant called.

"Jennifer, I have some bad news. The office is in chaos—the boss's precious assistant is about to commit suicide!"