Chapter 5
When Zach saw the document I handed him, his brows lifted, his tone smug with self–importance. “What’s this? A pledge letter?”
“Let me remind you first, it’s too late for apologies. I’m still furious about this afternoon. Don’t think you can pull some cheap trick to win me over.”
Looking at his self–satisfied face, I couldn’t help but find it ridiculous.
He wasn’t wrong. Back when I upset him constantly and he refused to forgive me, I once wrote out a hand–signed “guarantee letter” just to coax him into softening up.
Thinking back now, yes, he had been wrong. But it was me who handed him my pride on a platter, letting him stomp all over it. Not
anymore.
“It’s not a pledge letter. It’s a surprise,” I said evenly.
He arched a brow and was just about to open it when his phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, his dark eyes lit up.
“Hold on. I need to take this,” he said quickly, answering right away.
“Mr. Mitchell, I–I accidentally hit someone while driving. What do I do? I’m so scared,” Hannah’s pitiful voice whined through the speaker.
Zach’s expression tightened, urgency flickering across his face. “Send me your location. I’ll be right there.‘
He stood up immediately, ready to leave without even acknowledging what I had just said.
I stepped in front of him, holding the authorization form to his chest. My words were clipped, firm.
“Handle my matter first. I asked you before she did. And this one needs your signature, it’s urgent.
Zach froze for a second, looked up ar
me, and sighed, “Serena, can’t you have some empathy? What she’s going through is way more serious than this. You really look petty, jealous like this.”
A laugh bubbled out of me, bitter and sharp. So I was the one “making a scene.” But Hannah drinking and driving? That was fine?
I didn’t bother arguing. I simply kept the form in front of him, refusing to lower my hand.
Zach said nothing more, opened the document, but before he could read, Hannah’s panicked scream pierced the line.
“Ah! How can you hit me? Mr. Mitchell–help-”
“Don’t panic, I’m coming now!” His voice rose in panic, more frantic than hers.
Without even glancing at the content, he flipped to the last page, scrawled his signature, and rushed for the door.
Watching him bolt off in such a frenzy, I couldn’t stop myself. “You’re not even going to check what you just signed?”
“What’s the point? Whatever ‘surprise‘ you’ve cooked up can’t be more than some minor contract. If you say it’s fine, that’s enough.“He didn’t look back as he stormed out.
I almost laughed. Once, when I secretly negotiated small partnerships to help him, he’d beam with pride.
But as the company grew, he began sneering at those smaller firms–people who had fought tooth and nail just like he once had.
Every contract used to go through multiple rounds of scrutiny before he’d sign. But for Hannah? He’d sign blind without even reading the first line. Fine. At least it saved me the trouble.
That night, Zach never came home. Instead, I received a barrage of texts from Hannah.
[Serena, I know you saw what happened outside the private room.]
[But you should also realize Zach’s heart leans toward me. Just one phone call, and he rushes to me without hesitation.]
[Do yourself a favor and bow out now. Don’t make things ugly for everyone.]
A sharp laugh escaped me. So, the knife was finally out of its sheath.
Chapter 5
17.24%
I knew even if I showed Zach these messages, it wouldn’t matter. He’d brush it off as me trying to drive a wedge between them.
But I wasn’t magnanimous enough to keep tolerating her taunts in silence.
[Congrats. Just remember–if one day Zach gets tired of you, do the smart thing and bow out yourself.]
It wasn’t a cutting blow, but I knew it would gnaw at her. Sure enough, she fell silent.
nt to be
I turned off my phone and went to bed early. At sunrise, I sent the signed authorization form to the realtor.
By the afternoon, a prospective buyer was already touring the place. She liked the layout, the neighborhood, and the price, but she eyed me suspiciously.
“Why sell such a great place at such a low price? Is there some hidden problem?”
I gave her the bare truth. “It was a new home I bought, but my engagement fell through.”
She nodded in understanding. “The design and the yard definitely a man’s taste. Selling it’s for the best, so you don’t keep dwelling on old memories.”
I said nothing. She wasn’t wrong. Zach had been picky as hell about houses. I spent three months, combing through hundreds of listings before landing on this one.
Even the décor had been tailored to his preferences. And only now did it hit me–my whole life these past years had revolved around him
The buyer was decisive. She agreed to the price and set the signing for two days later. Which was perfect. Because in two days, I’d be gone too.
