Just as I stepped out of the hospital, I saw a car parked by the entrance. Next to it stood Aiden, looking as cold and composed as ever. He looked at me and asked softly, “Can we talk?” I looked at his face—like nothing had happened—and irritation immediately surged through me. I turned away. “No need. There’s nothing for us to talk about.” “You haven’t shown up to work in a week. Have you forgotten that you’re still my secretary?” I almost laughed. “Secretary? A man like you, Mr. Aiden, has people lining up to work for him. Why cling to me of all people?” “For every hour you skip work, you forfeit a full day’s salary. You’ve missed fifty-six hours.” I cursed silently. This man really had no heart—he was seriously keeping track? “I quit. Satisfied?” I looked him in the eye and spoke coldly. “You can quit. But you’ll need to submit a three-thousand-word explanation and pay two years’ worth of penalty fees.” My temper flared. “Aiden, do you even realize how illegal that is? I could take you to court right now!” His face remained calm, completely unbothered. “I know. But I’ve got people in both the Labor Bureau and the police department. I also have the best legal team in all of Varken Prison. Your chances of winning? Slim.” I nearly laughed from how ridiculous and childish he sounded. “Aiden, I don’t get it. You’re the one who’s been hot and cold with me. Now you show up, clinging like this? What exactly do you want from me?” He took a deep breath. “I don’t want you to leave.” I froze. After everything—the arguments, the silence—was this him giving in? Where were you when I was breaking down, Aiden? Now you’re here, trying to patch it up? That sudden wave of bitterness and injustice tightened in my chest. “Don’t you think it’s a little late to be saying that now?”“I don’t think it’s too late.” I let out a laugh. “Fine. Not too late? Then tell me—if I wanted to be the new design director, would you fire Yvonne and give me the position?” He hesitated, then answered, “No.” My heart clenched. “Why not?” “If I replaced her now, people would talk. It would send the wrong message to the rest of the company and demoralize the new hires like Yvonne.” Disappointment hit me like a wave. There it was. Cold, calculating Aiden—true to form. Even now, this was what mattered to him? “Then we have nothing more to say.” I said it without hesitation. “What do you mean?” His brows lifted slightly, as if he didn’t understand. “I mean you need to take a good hard look at this. The issues between us aren’t as simple as you think.” I sniffled, forcing back the tears that were threatening to spill. “I’ll send my resignation letter to your inbox. Don’t forget to read it.” Aiden stared at me in silence. This time, he didn’t say another word. I shot one last glare at this emotionally bankrupt iceberg of a man and turned to leave. Soon after, I formally submitted my resignation and devoted myself to taking care of Adam. He was discharged from the hospital not long after. During that time, I dropped by Nora’s room, but she was asleep. Not wanting to disturb her, I left the cookies I baked with Mr. Ginger and asked him to give them to her later. “Raelyn, let’s go to the amusement park today! I haven’t been in forever!” Adam said excitedly the day he was discharged. I’d grown up fast, and amusement parks had lost their charm years ago. I turned him down flat. “I’m not going. You can go by yourself.” “Please? Just for a little while? I mean, come on—I got hurt because of you! You can’t seriously be so heartless you won’t even spend time with your savior…”Adam put on an exaggeratedly pitiful expression, his long-lashed eyes practically welling up with tears. He was using that incident to guilt-trip me again, and I gritted my teeth. “Then don’t save me next time!” He instantly backed down. “Sorry, don’t be mad. Of course I’d save you. I’d risk my life to save you, no matter what.” “Adam, you’ve been in showbiz for years. You’ve seen every kind of beautiful woman there is. Why are you still stuck on me?” It was something I truly didn’t understand. What made me so special to him? I wasn’t his fated mate. Why act like I was? He dropped the casual tone and got serious. “Love is about feelings. No matter how many gorgeous women I’ve seen in the industry, my heart only has room for you.” I rolled my eyes. That line was smooth—cringey, but it made some sense. In the end, I gave in to his endless nagging and followed him to the amusement park. “Last day of freedom before work starts again. We have to make it count! Let’s start with the roller coaster. It’s my favorite!” Adam stared up at the roaring coaster overhead, practically bouncing with excitement. “I’m afraid of heights.” I rejected him outright. He tugged on my sleeve, pouting. “Please? Just ride with me once?” “No. I’d rather die than get on that thing.” A kid passing by shot me a judgmental look. “Mom, that lady’s a coward. She’s scared of roller coasters!” “See? Even a little kid’s mocking you. Come on, ride it with me.” Adam added fuel to the fire perfectly. My cheeks burned instantly. In my entire life, I’d never been looked down on by a child. Fine. Let’s ride.