Chapter 6
A year passed.
I had fully settled into life in the north, and not once had I dreamed about Zachary since I left.
Callum and I didn’t work in the same department, but being from the same college made us friends. We usually ate together, and our relationship had grown pretty close. It felt like we were on the verge of something more.
At the end of June, an important client was scheduled to visit our company. The boss took it seriously and even went to the airport to meet him.
I was in charge of arranging the ride. Unfortunately, a delay caused the car to show up five minutes late.
I didn’t even glance at the client at first. I stepped out of the car, bowed, and quickly said, “Sorry! The car was held up. I hope you didn’t wait too long—”
But then, I saw Zachary. I blurted out, “It’s you?!”
Right after that, my boss exploded.
“Rosalyn! Do you even know how to act around clients?
“And you were late over something this simple? If you can’t handle the basics, you’d better quit!”
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- Moreover, I did mess up, so I didn’t fight back and just apologized.
Once we were in the car, Adrian smiled fawningly. “Mr. Ramirez, I apologize for her behavior. She just graduated a year ago. I hope you won’t take it to heart.”
Zachary didn’t reply.
His silence made the air feel heavy. Adrian tried small talk, but Zachary clearly wasn’t buying it.
After lots of awkward moments, Adrian tried shifting his frustration toward me, but he didn’t get the chance.
Zachary suddenly said, “So, this is the great job Callum recommended to you?”
The question was so random. Everyone looked confused except for
I stayed facing forward and answered, “Yeah, it’s been pretty good.”
“It seems like a waste of your skills to send a car.”
“I’ve got other responsibilities too. This was just something extra.”
“Did you two already know each other?” Adrian asked nervously.
Zachary ignored him, kept his eyes on me, and sighed. “Roz, is this
kind of boss better than me?”
When we got to the company, Adrian practically stumbled out of the
car.
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It had started raining. Normally, I would’ve held the umbrella for the client. But Zachary opened his and held it over me instead. Adrian froze in shock.
I didn’t appreciate it. I brushed his hand away and walked off without saying anything.
Close to lunch, Adrian showed up at my desk. “Uh, Mr. Ramirez said you blocked him on WhatsApp. He told me to let you know he needs to talk.”
I looked up and asked, “Are you all done with the meeting?”
“Yes.” He nodded quickly.
We both knew this situation was awkward. He looked more like a
messenger than my boss. Since he went out of his way, I figured I’d hear Zachary out.
I found him alone in a meeting room.
“Mr. Ramirez, what did you want to talk about?”
“I want to talk about why you left so suddenly.’
“I didn’t just disappear. I sent you a message before I left.”
“I know. I’ve read that message so many times I practically know it by heart.”
We hadn’t completely cut ties, so I decided to explain.
I’d told him in that text how I appreciated him punishing his niece for the sake of justice and how my view of him had changed. But in the
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end, we came from different worlds. Being together wasn’t realistic.
“I’ve been thinking about that message for a whole year. There’s one part that still confuses me.”
“Which part?”
“You said we weren’t from the same world. Why not? We breathe the same air, see the same sky. Isn’t that the same world?”
“You know I didn’t mean it literally.”
“I don’t know. So explain it to me.”
He looked down slightly, revealing a faint light.
I said, “There’s a huge difference between how we live and think.”
“I can change my way of thinking. But what I don’t get is why you didn’t just stay at my company? I could’ve given you a way better job than this.”
“Because I don’t want to live under your shadow.”
Zachary waited for me to finish.
“If I stayed there, any role I got would be chalked up to your influence.
“No matter how much I achieved, people would say it was thanks to
your name.
“I don’t want that to define me.”
“I get it,” Zachary said with a soft smile. “I figured that’s what it was.”
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“Then why ask?”
“Because it’s been a year. And I think you’ve proved yourself.”
That caught me off guard. “You waited for me a whole year on purpose?”
“Yes. I knew where you went right after you left. I could’ve shown up any time, but I didn’t want to pressure you. I wanted to give you time to build your life, both professionally and personally.”
“… You truly waited that long?”
Zachary paused for a moment.
“Honestly… It’s been longer than a year.”
