Seeing that I was about to say something, he changed the topic, "Anna, why don't you take a look at what’s in the cake?"

I cut it in half, unsure of what to expect.

Inside the soft cake, a ruby bracelet was revealed, perfectly matching the one around my neck.

Zack cocked his brows, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Didn't you say you didn't have a bracelet to go with this necklace?"

I stared at him in shock.

Eight years ago, when I was dragged into the office and falsely accused of stealing money, Zack had the same expression.

To him, it seemed like the sky could fall and it wouldn't matter.

He took the punishment for me, paid back the money, and then comforted me with a smile.

Even though it was our first meeting, he stood up for me without asking for details.

The seventeen-year-old boy fumbled around, repeatedly using his school uniform to wipe my tears, saying, "Please don't cry, I can't stand seeing others cry."

I closed my eyes for a moment.

‘Zack, the seventeen-year-old you, convinced me to forgive the current you one more time.’

4.

A week later, I found myself once again outside Zack's office, planning to discuss the company's third anniversary celebration with him.

Sherry blocked my way at the door.

With a smirk that nearly overflowed with pride, she said, "Ms. Wood, Mr. Davis is in a meeting and can't see anyone. By the way, how was your birthday last week?"

I settled onto the sofa and replied leisurely, "Miss Coleman, since you work for my company, you should be calling me Mrs. Davis. As for last week... come here."

Sherry rolled her eyes but obediently walked over, continuing her provocation, "Do you know why Mr. Davis didn't go home last week? It's because he was with me—"

A sharp slap interrupted her.

I didn't believe a word she said. No one knew Zack better than I did.

Sherry covered her face in disbelief. "You crazy woman, how dare you hit me?!"

I stood up, smiling at her. "Not only do I dare to hit you, but I can also fire you."

"I'm Mr. Davis's secretary! How dare you fire me?" she spat, her expression filled with resentment.

"Because I own half of this company."

As soon as I finished speaking, Zack walked out. He stood expressionless beside Sherry, yet didn't ask a thing.

Sherry immediately transformed into a pitiful figure, covering her face and feigning innocence. "I'm fine, Mr. Davis. Ms. Wood just hit me out of anger."

"Anna, this is not a place for your nonsense," said Zack, his eyes holding a warning.

Even though I had anticipated he would side with Sherry, seeing his indifferent gaze still made my heart sink.

What was I expecting?

"Don't you want to ask me why I reacted that way?" I looked into his eyes.

"No matter what happened, you shouldn't have done this."

"So what?"

"Anna, apologize."

I averted my gaze. "Zack, I came to see you today to plan the celebration..."

He frowned and interrupted me. "I've already assigned this task to Sherry. Anna, the person who made a mistake should apologize."

I was taken aback.

Since the company was established, the anniversary celebrations had always been planned by me and Zack. We had never entrusted this task to anyone else

The reason for this was because the company was like our child and the anniversary celebrations were like its birthdays.

I thought this was a tacit secret between us, but in the end, it turned out to be just my own misplaced feelings.

5.

"Mr. Davis, I'm fine. Mrs. Davis has never liked me, and you don't need to seek justice for me at the cost of your marriage."

I shot a cold glance at Sherry. "This is between my husband and me, and it's none of your business!"

"Anna!" Zack's displeasure was evident in his tone.

I didn't look at him.

I just felt the love I had held onto for years was a joke.

I should have realized that the seventeen-year-old Zack was long gone and the person before me was not the same.

"Anna, if you don't apologize, then we'll get a divorce!" Zack looked down at me, as if he expected me to compromise.

In three years, I had lost count of how many times I had heard such petulant threats.

But I always thought of them as just his anger talking.

Now, it seemed, that wasn't entirely the case.

I had no real reaction, merely letting out a light "hm" as I turned to leave.

But Zack grabbed my wrist, a hint of surprise in his voice. "What did you say?"

I forced a smile and replied, "Zack, I won’t apologize, even if it means that we’re getting a divorce."

"Anna, I hope you won’t regret it!" The man forcefully shook off my hand.

"I won’t."

There was no point holding onto something that didn’t belong to me.

After leaving the company, I went to meet Simon Jameson, the biggest investor in Asterfield.

I printed out the proposal that Sherry had discarded last time.

The company was my hard work over the years. Zack refused to let me manage it, but I couldn't just watch it miss this opportunity.

When I arrived at the agreed cafe, Simon was already there.

He stared out the window, lost in thought, his refined profile exuding a cold, distant aura.

I approached to greet him, "Mr. Jameson, sorry I'm late."

Simon ordered me a coffee and said casually, "I came early, Ms. Wood. You can just call me Simon."

The appointment was for six in the afternoon, but it was only five-thirty.

I had always had a habit of arriving early, but I didn't expect Simon to arrive even sooner.

"Mr..." After hesitating for a moment, I corrected myself, "Simon, here's the proposal I drafted. Please take a look."

He accepted the proposal with a slight smile but made no move to open it.

He fixed his gaze on me, pointing to the coffee he had just ordered. "Want to try?"

I picked up the coffee and took a sip.

It was a coconut latte with half the sugar, my usual flavor.

I looked up, ready to say something, but Simon had already started to read the proposal seriously.

6.

The man had thick, enchanting eyelashes and long fingers, dressed in a black coat that gave him a resemblance to the male leads in Korean dramas, contrary to the rumors that he was hard to approach.

While he was reviewing the proposal, I took out my phone.

I opened WhatsApp to my pinned contacts, where the chat history still showed the message I had sent to Zack three days ago.

At eleven-thirty that night, I had asked him when he would be back.

He was always like this—when busy, he wouldn't reply to messages or answer calls. He would even be a couple of hours late for our wedding anniversary.