Early Saturday morning, I put on a nice outfit taking the rare chance to doll myself up.
Between handling the company’s business and Liam’s domestic needs all these years, I had no time for self–care. Carefully examining my reflection, I’ve undoubtedly aged compared to my memories.
No wonder Liam called me an ugly hag, sallow–faced…
Liam Johnson wore a well–fitted suit as we grabbed a quick breakfast before heading out. We had a calm chat on our way, reminiscing about our time in the orphanage and the struggles of starting our business years ago. However, midway through our drive, a phone call disrupted the peace.
I caught a glimpse of the name on the screen – Nini, Emma Williams. As soon as the call ended, Liam stopped the car, looking troubled. “Mianmian, something came up at work. I
need to handle it.”
I didn’t push further. I stepped out of the car and sincerely told him through the window, “Goodbye.”
Liam Johnson, never to be seen again.
I took a cab to visit Mama, the head of the orphanage. Her hair had turned gray, and she kept holding my hand, asking, “Why didn’t Liam come?”
I couldn’t bring myself to tell her the truth, so I lied, “He’s busy with work.”
She sighed, “I always felt Liam had changed. He used to make time for you no matter how busy he was. What happened?”
I smiled without responding.
After spending the morning at the orphanage, I returned to the villa. I left the signed divorce agreement and left with my luggage. Right before boarding the plane, I bid farewell to Liam in French, adding a petty remark, “You’re the idiot.” Then I blocked all his contacts and got a new phone number. We never saw each other again.
<
♡ Fo
Upon arriving in New York City, a tall, 6’2” American hunk was sent by the company to pick me up. His deep blue eyes were like a vast ocean clear and bright. He politely took my luggage, “Hello, Ms. Brown. I’m James from the Global Headquarters. You can call me James.”
I smiled, shook his hand, and replied in French, “You can speak French to me. I
understand.”
Surprised, he complimented my French skills with a smile. I brushed it off with a smile.
I decided to learn French because Liam and Emma would often converse in French right in front of me. Whenever I asked what they were saying, he would brush me off, claiming it was work–related. But what kind of work would make someone so giddy?
During that time, no matter how busy I was, I set aside an hour each day to study French. Even my leisure time was spent watching French movies, hoping to join their French conversations someday.
However, the first French sentence I heard from Liam was, “Charlotte Brown is an idiot, and I’ll divorce her sooner or later.”
That was when I saw his true colors. Contrary to my expectations, I remained surprisingly calm, perhaps because deep down, I already knew the answer. So even when they mocked and insulted me in French right in front of me, I showed no reaction.
I stopped dwelling on Liam and focused on gaining control over the company’s clients one by one. My leverage at this American Company was the resources I had secured and my years of experience in the Renewable Energy Sector.
Liam always called me an idiot, but the real idiot was him, oblivious to his company being drained of clients.
Tronically, the first company I worked with in New York City was Liam’s company. Having Jost a significant number of clients, he had no choice but to seek overseas markets, but my French company was an obstacle he couldn’t overcome.
Meanwhile, Liam faced an even bigger problem. After I left, the old employees who had been with us since the start of our business submitted their resignations upon learning
about Liam and me
10:08
Thu, Nov
