Chapter 17
“I hope she and that jerk have a long and lousy life together!”
That day, Zara packed up her things at the office and brought everything home. It caused quite the scene. It could not be hidden from her roommate, Cecil.
Under Cecil’s relentless probing, Zara spilled the beans about everything that had gone down.
Cecil went on a rant, blasting Yosef and Beatrice for a solid 30 minutes. The more she ranted, the angrier she got. Finally, she slammed down a bottle of cold beer in frustration.
She spun
around to Zara and asked, “So you just quit, just like that?”
Zara, who was rubbing ointment on her injured leg, replied without much fuss, “Didn’t you always want me to dump Yosef? Now that I’ve quit, you think I’m being rash?”
“Rash? Heck no! I’m thrilled you’re out of there! It’s just that those two got off way too easy!”
After her tirade, Cecil bit her lip and asked in an unpleasant tone, “So what did that jerk Yosef do when you
told him you were quitting?”
“I told him I was done and left without waiting for an answer.”
Cecil tried to ask, “He didn’t come after you?”
“Nope,” Zara answered.
Since her leg was injured, she moved slowly. It was a struggle just to reach the hospital doors. Just as she was about to hail a taxi, she saw Yosef’s car speed right past her. Beatrice was even riding shotgun.
Cecil was frustrated and even sounded aggrieved on behalf of Zara. “I mean, I was rooting for you to dump him, but now that you have and he didn’t even bat an eye, it just doesn’t sit right with me!”
Zara cracked a small smile, understanding where Cecil was coming from. It felt all wrong. Three years together and all that heartache, all for her to walk away just like that? He didn’t even care! It left her feeling powerless and slighted.
She had hoped to see him full of regret, aching for her. She wanted him to try every means to win her back, maybe even beg.
다는
Most people might react that way, but Yosef was not like most people. He had everything he could possibly want. He was rich, handsome, and capable. He was never short on admirers, and there was always someone ready to kiss the ground he walked on.
To him, Zara was just a drop in the ocean.
1/2
+15 BONUS
Zara switched the topic, trying to cheer Cecil up. “Look on the bright side. Even though I’ve quit, I’m getting a whole month’s pay without lifting a finger. That sounds like a pretty good deal, right?”
Cecil’s mood instantly lifted. “And that’s not all. You can ‘blackmail‘ him and get a good sum of money for work injury compensation. I’m so stoked just thinking about it!”
Zara laughed. “Blackmail? If I do that, it’ll make it seem as if I got hurt on purpose. Plus, it’s the social security that’s footing the bill for this. Azure Cloud just needs to make sure I get my paycheck.”
“Don’t worry about anything else. You did a great job dealing with him today. Take this month to relax and recover. Then, go get an awesome new gig!”
Cecil
I was about to suggest finding a company that was a thousand times better than Azure Cloud, but she stopped herself. That might be a tall order.
They were talking about Azure Cloud here, one of the biggest investment firms around.
Zare
chimed in, “You know, even when I was over at the Feria office, I had a few companies reaching out to me through recruiters.”
Cecil’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “I knew it! Someone with your skills is a popular pick for recruiters! Got any good prospects?”
“There’s a couple I’m eyeing. I’m gonna think things through before I decide.”
Cecil was on cloud nine again. “You won’t even have to job hunt! After your break, you can enter a new role and anger that jerk Yosef!”
Whether Yosef got ticked off or not did not really matter to Zara anymore. She had been thinking about leaving ever since Beatrice showed up, and after her stint at Feria, she just wanted to make sure it was the right move.
That was all.
