Julian Winthorpe, I don’t want to marry you anymore.
That night, I didn’t go home. Instead, I checked into a hotel. Julian, too, spent the entire night sending messages and making count less calls. I didn’t read them, nor did I answer.
The next morning, I arrived at the office early, preparing my resignation letter. The company was a subsidiary of the Winthorpe Corporation, and I was just an ordinary accountant. Five years ago, I first met Julian when he joined the company. After we started dating, I took him to meet my mother. My mother approved of our engagement, and as we prepared for the wedding banquet, Jul an told me he had incurred massive debts and had been fired from his job.
To help him pay off his debts, I took on many part–time jobs. My mother’s already weathered face grew even older. Yet, I never imagined that this company… was his.
I scoffed, a self–deprecating laugh. Just then, Julian walked in. I simply took out the printed resignation agreement. Julian appea ed beside me, and under his gaze, I calmly signed the resignation agreement.
He looked at me, his voice soft: “Finished?”
“Finished.”
Julian bit his lip slightly, seemingly unaware of the change in me. He cleared his throat: “Lila July, please come with me for a mo- ment.”
The moment Julian called me away, my colleagues immediately started whispering. “Oh my goodness, did you see the news? Jull an Winthorpe is the CEO of Winthorpe Corporation!” “Lila is going to be the CEO’s wife, isn’t she? But her expression…” “You don’t understand, this is just a lovers‘ quarrel. They’ll make up later, you know…”
Everyone assumed Iva
the soon–to–be CEO’s wife. Little did they know, all I wanted now was to leave forever.
In the office, Julian reached out, wanting to take my hand. I instinctively stepped back. “Mr. Winthorpe.”
Julian frowned slightly. “Why didn’t you come home last night? Are you still angry with me?”
I shook my head. “I went to see my mother.” I didn’t go back home because I didn’t want her to see my mother. If only she had rece- ived treatment, my mother would have had hope to live. But she chose to end her life, so as not to burden us.
Julian seemed to notice a hint of something different in my demeanor. After a moment of silence, he spoke: “Tonight, let’s go se your aunt together.” He paused, then seemed to remember something, his eyes filled with hesitation. He slowly handed me a card “There’s a million dollars in here. Buy your aunt some new clothes. Consider it…”
I looked at the bank card but didn’t take it. What he owed us wasn’t something money could fix. Seeing my silence, a flicker of panic crossed Julian’s eyes. He was about to speak, when a ringtone interrupted his thoughts. Julian pulled out his phone, glanced at me, and after a moment’s hesitation, walked away.
I knew. This was perhaps his so–called test for me. To test my sincerity, to see if I was greedy for money. But I no longer cared. Afterward, I submitted my resignation agreement. The Deputy CEO, Mr. Smith, seemed unsurprised by my sudden request to leave “Lila, you’re leaving? Is Mr. Winthorpe arranging something else for you?”
I bit my lip, finding it all so absurd. Everyone assumed I was about to become Mrs. Winthorpe, rising into the upper echelons of society. They all envied my luck.
