According to the recruitment requirements stipulated by the company before, I was going to get rid of him, but Miley and Jessica kept him. In just half a year, Ben climbed from an ordinary employee to the position of deputy general manager.

I was busy with business and handed the company over to them completely and I didn't care about these things. But I never expected that he had already found a place in the hearts of the two confidantes. And he was more important than me.

Ben was peeling apples while chatting and laughing with the two women.

When he saw me come in, he immediately stood up and said respectfully, "Hello, Mr. Robinson."

I looked at him deeply and said calmly, "When did you come?"

"Well, I have just arrived. I am here to visit Miss Parker and Miss Griffin on behalf of all the employees of the business department."

"You are thoughtful."

As soon as I finished speaking, Miley said, "Mark, Ben is enough here. You are busy with work, so go back to the company to take charge of the overall situation."

My heart was stabbed and my eyes were slightly red.

Last fall, it was also this hospital and this ward. Food poisoning, Miley, who had just cleaned her stomach, grabbed my hand and didn't want me to leave.

"Mark, I don't want to stay here alone, I'm so scared. Stay with me, okay?"

I held her in my arms gently, "Don't worry, I won't leave. As long as you don't drive me away, I will always be with you."

"Hate you, Mark, how could I bear to drive you away?"

The coquettish words still echoed in my ears, but the person lying on the bed, his heart had already drifted to other places.

Jessica also said lightly, "Mark, we are fine, the doctor said that we can be discharged after a few days of rest."

"The company can't live without you, go back quickly. Ben is very careful and he’s so good at taking care of us."

I nodded stiffly, trying not to let my emotions overflow. Since I had decided to quit, I didn’t want to be a light bulb, let them had more time to get along well.

Before leaving, I put the things I just brought back from the traffic police team on the bedside table.

Jessica asked, "What is this?"

I answered, "I brought back everything in Miley's car."

Miley was stunned at first and then her eyes began to flicker. There was a little guilt, fear and a hint of prayer on her face. She glanced at me secretly and when she found nothing unusual, she was obviously relieved.

I saw everything clearly with the corner of my eye and my heart was stabbed again.

***

A few days later, Miley and Jessica were discharged from the hospital. The company welcomed them, which was more lively than the Chinese New Year. I was the only one packing in the office alone.

I saw that I was almost done, so I opened the software to book a flight. When I was halfway through, Miley and Jessica came in. After not seeing each other for a few days, the two looked good. Obviously, they recovered well under Ben's careful care.

Looking at the empty office, the two were slightly stunned.

"Mark, what's going on? Why are the ornaments and dolls we gave you gone?"

I said casually, "I took them to someone to clean."

Although the two were puzzled, they didn't take it too seriously. After seeing the screen on my phone, Jessica asked, "Why did you book a plane ticket? Are you going on a business trip again?"

I shook my head, "It's not a business trip, it's going abroad."

Miley raised her eyebrows, "What are you going abroad for?"

I pursed my lips and hesitated for a long time. When I was about to tell them the truth, Ben knocked on the door and came in.

He greeted, "Hello, Miss Griffin, Hello, Miss Parker!"

"Mr. Robinson, I found a big customer. This is their order letter of intent. I specially asked you to take a look," he continued.

He stood in front of me, his back straight and his expression was neither humble nor arrogant. He was completely different from when he first joined the company without the humility he had when facing the boss. I knew that this was the confidence given to him by Miley and Jessica.

After receiving the letter of intent, I looked at it for a while and frowned.

"We can't accept this order."

Ben, who was originally very satisfied, suddenly lost his smile.

"Mr. Robinson, are you kidding? Please take a closer look. This is a big order of 1.8 billion, which is more than twice the company's revenue last year!"

I returned the letter of intent to him, "I have investigated this company. Its credibility is very poor. I think it should be a liar."

Ben looked at me hatefully and then looked at Miley and Jessica for help.

"Mark, what do you mean?" Miley's eyebrows were twisted into a ball and suddenly she slapped the table heavily to vent her dissatisfaction.

"Such a good client, such a big order, you just say you don't want to take it? Give us a reason!"

I said, "I have already given the reason, this client is very likely a liar, so we can't take it."

Jessica said coldly, "But Ben has asked, the client can pay a 30% deposit in advance, I ask you, which liar would joke about a few hundred million?"

"Mark, I think you are just jealous!"

I was stunned, "What am I jealous of?"

"Jealous of Ben's luck, jealous of Ben's ability and his talent." Miley's eyes flashed with anger, biting her red lips with her pearly teeth, "I remember that when Ben was interviewed before, you wanted to pass him."

"Fortunately, Jessica and I both saw that he was a rough diamond, so we kept him. In just half a year, Ben's efforts and contributions to the company are obvious to all. As long as he can sign the contract for this order, the company's profit this year will double directly. Such a good thing, but you are the only one who raises objections. If it's not jealousy, what is it?"

The sharp words and fierce words kept cutting my heart like a blunt knife.

Ben's eyes were full of gloating and he was still hypocritically persuading, "Miss Griffin, Miss Parker, Mr. Robinson should just be confused for a moment, you don't need to quarrel for a small employee like me. You two have just been discharged from the hospital, you must take care of your health."

I was full of grievances, "Miley, Jessica, listen to me..."

Miley interrupted unceremoniously, "You don't have to say it, Jessica and I have unanimously decided to take over this order and let Ben handle it."

"Mark, don't forget that you also have a share in this company. This is the result of the hard work and crystallization of the three of us. Don't you want it to get bigger and better?"

It was because the company was the result of my years of hard work that I raised objections.

When the company was just founded, there were only three partners, two employees, a second-hand computer and an office with leaky walls. It was even poorer than being penniless.

In fact, just one month after opening, my parents, who were worth hundreds of billions, had found me and passed the paternity test. They were so happy that they wanted to take me abroad to inherit the family business. But I refused without hesitation, considering my two childhood sweethearts and let my parents come with excitement and return with disappointment.

For the company, I gave up my status as a rich second-generation and worked hard every day to run business and attract investment. I got up earlier than chickens and slept later than dogs. Every time I accompanied customers to drink, I got drunk and even vomited blood.

At that time, Miley and Jessica rushed to care for me and felt sorry for me. They proposed to run business with me several times. But I knew how harmful the big dye vat of society was to two young and beautiful girls, so I decisively refused.

I took on all the hardest and most tiring work myself. And they were like flowers in a greenhouse, they only needed to manage the company's finances and daily life.

The company was like our children. It had reached its current scale after several years of struggle. How could I bear to let it suffer any harm? But the two girls have made up their minds. With their personalities, it would be futile to say anything else.

I sighed in my heart. Forget it, I was leaving soon anyway, there was no need to meddle in other people's business.

"From now on, I won't get involved in this letter of intent, nor will I make any comments. You can do whatever you want."

Ben showed the joy of victory on his face, while Miley and Jessica looked a little surprised. They probably didn't expect that I, who always stood firm, would compromise so easily.

Before leaving, I called them. "Miley, Jessica, do you remember what day next Wednesday is?"

Jessica snorted coldly, "Of course I remember, you don't need to remind me."

After that, the two women slammed the door and left, leaving me alone in the empty office.

After this unpleasant incident, they didn't look happy every time they saw me and they didn't even bother to say hello. Ben stood up straighter in the company and there were even rumors that he would be promoted to the position of general manager soon.

***

On Wednesday afternoon, I bought a lot of delicious food and came to Mrs. Collins's house.

As expected, Miley and Jessica have not arrived yet. Mrs. Collins was very happy to see me and her wrinkled old face smiled like a flower.

I, Miley and Jessica all grew up in an orphanage. Mrs. Collins was the director. From childhood to adulthood, she had taken care of us meticulously. Let us, children who were abandoned at birth, feel the warmth of the world.

So after she retired, we would visit her every New Year.

Today was Mrs. Collins’s 79th birthday. I originally wanted to celebrate her birthday in a five-star hotel, but she refused. She said there was no need to waste money, it would be more affordable and warmer to eat at home.

At this time of year in previous years, Miley and Jessica would arrive early. Cleaning, tidying up the room, watching TV and chatting with the elderly.

But this year I was alone and even Mrs. Collins was surprised. I took out my mobile phone and wanted to call Miley and Jessica.