hapter 22
+25 Bonus
“I’m not begging you for anything—this relationship isn’t yours alone, and I don’t agree to a breakup. I’ll give you a couple of days to calm down and think clearly about what you want. Then, I’ll come to take you home.” Jared outright refused to accept Yvonne’s decision to break up.
To him, all relationships needed to go through a process of intense emotional breakdown before they ended. Yvonne loved him deeply and viewed their relationship with such importance. How could she call it quits just like that?
Her resignation and this demand for a breakup were just things she’d done in a moment of rashness.
Yvonne found his self–centered words funny. She said, “You’re the one who needs to calm down.”
With that, she left through another door that didn’t require getting past Jared. Now that the jewelry exhibition was over, she headed straight to Jean’s home. This was the day Jean officially took her on as an apprentice; she needed to prepare for that.
Jared had a sleepless night. He never imagined he would one day be dumped so abruptly.
The atmosphere at the meeting he attended the following day was heavy. Everyone tread lightly around him, afraid of pissing him off when they saw how upset he
looked.
At that moment, the projects department reported on the jewelry exhibition’s success. Jared stared into space as he thought about how outstanding Yvonne had looked on stage. Yet, she was also the one who’d asked him for a breakup.
That irritated him. He stormed out of the meeting and returned to his office. As he walked past a desk in the secretarial department, he was reminded of Yvonne, who used to sit there.
When he’d first taken over the company, many things hadn’t gone as expected. Yvonne had stayed by his side and burned the midnight oil with him, helping him to tidy piles and piles of documents. Ultimately, they’d scored the deal they’d been aiming for. But now, his office was messy with unorganized documents.
The sight grated on Jared’s nerves. He remembered Yvonne often reminding him to rest his eyes by looking at the plants on the windowsill more often. He glanced at them to see that they’d already wilted. He barked, “Shirley!”
This was Shirley’s first time being summoned into Jared’s office with a shout.
Jared snapped, “You’ve already been here for a month–what have you been doing every day? The plants aren’t watered, and these documents aren’t organized. I hired you as a secretary! Aren’t you even capable of doing these things?”
He sounded more severe than he’d ever been with her. Shirley choked up and said, “I’m compiling the documents that require your signature by this afternoon, Mr. Ford. There are too many things to do that I can’t keep up. I’m already doing my best and working until 8:00 pm every day…”
Her voice seemed to fade away as Jared remembered Yvonne. He didn’t remember her complaining that there was too much work or that she couldn’t cope. She’d given him all her time, whether at work or at home. He was used to enjoying success that was based on her unwavering support.
Now that she was gone, his life had descended into chaos. How could she leave? Why had she left?
Jared suddenly bolted out of his office and headed to the projects department on the 17th floor. He barked, “Where is Yvonne Jamison’s desk? Who approved her resignation?”
Wayne had never seen Jared so out of control. He answered nervously, “Ms. Jamison tendered her resignation on her first day in the department.”
Jared íroze. He stood before Yvonne’s desk and looked it over. It was neat, and notes were stuck to each item, indicating who she wanted to give it to. A flourishing plant was among them.
He checked the drawers to find her staff badge and business cards, which she’d left behind. She used to be Yvonne Jamison of the secretarial and projects departments, but she’d shed those identities. Now, she was nothing more than just Yvonne Jamison.
Suddenly, Jared felt like he couldn’t breathe. It turned out last night was the last time he’d see her at the company. He hadn’t realized that everything he’d taken for granted would ever leave him!
Was Yvonne serious about breaking up with him?
She couldn’t be! She had to just be doing this to upset him!
