Chapter 271
Sophia Sullivan looked at the staff member.
"The transfer requires the assignor's signature?"
The other person nodded.
"The subject matter is too significant. Even with the transfer contract, we need a signed letter of informed consent from the assignor."
Sophia's fingers tightened.
Which meant she needed Ethan Roscente's signature.
...
Ethan Roscente stepped out of the elevator.
His assistant approached him.
"Good morning, Mr. Roscente."
"The investors' meeting at nine to discuss the Qian Yuan Foods capital injection. A meeting with Mr. Wei from Huashang at ten to discuss cooperation. Department reports at eleven. Golf with Mr. Li from Eurasia this afternoon."
The assistant spoke at a steady pace.
He finished his report just as Ethan pushed open his office door.
Ethan paused.
"Cancel the investors' meeting. Tell Wei Xianhua I only have half an hour. If his proposal lacks sincerity, there's no need to talk."
"Understood."
A freshly brewed coffee sat on the office desk.
Ethan tested its temperature.
Perfect.
He picked up the cup and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.
He took only one sip before setting it down.
He had practiced for so long.
But he still couldn't replicate her taste.
The same coffee beans.
The same coffee machine.
Even the same mug.
Why did it taste wrong?
A year had passed.
He still wasn't used to her absence.
The coffee was wrong.
The oatmeal porridge was wrong.
The salsa was wrong.
The living room was wrong.
The bedroom was wrong.
Everything was wrong.
He let out a bitter laugh.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Come in."
The assistant brought in breakfast.
He quietly exited.
Ethan had little appetite.
He forced himself to eat a little.
The entire morning was spent in meetings, reviewing reports, and approving documents.
Day after day.
Like a working machine.
At least there used to be a home to return to.
Now, going back meant an empty mansion.
It no longer felt like a home.
Because the person who left the light on late at night was gone.
In the afternoon, Ethan picked up his jacket, ready to leave.
The assistant entered, looking excited.
"Mr. Roscente, Soph—"
"Reserve a table at Huatai Lou. We'll go after the game." Ethan cut him off.
The assistant hesitated.
"Okay. Mr. Roscente, Miss S—"
Ethan interrupted again.
"Mr. Li prefers light flavors, no seafood. Be mindful when ordering."
"Right."
Ethan finished putting on his suit and suddenly looked up.
"What were you trying to say earlier?"
"Miss Sullivan is here! She's right outside!"
He finally got it out.
"Miss Sullivan? Who?" Ethan was momentarily confused.
"Sophia Sullivan!" The assistant was practically stomping his foot in urgency.
The person he thought about every day was right outside.
Yet he seemed indifferent.
Ethan wasn't indifferent.
He simply couldn't believe it.
"What did you say?!"
"Miss Sophia Sullivan is here. Should I ask her to come in?"
"Is that even a question?!" Ethan confirmed it wasn't an auditory hallucination.
Sophia was here!
During their relationship, she rarely came to the company.
Every excuse to work overtime had successfully fooled her.
"Aren't you going to ask her in?!"
"Right! I'll go—"
"Never mind. I'll go myself."
...
Sophia stood near the assistant's workstation.
Not far away was a full-length window.
She walked to the window and looked down at the traffic below.
Ahead was the commercial street.
To the left and right were office buildings.
In the distance, the river view was visible.
This was prime real estate.
When the company was first founded, there was no money and no connections.
The office was in a residential apartment above a rented basement.
Two bedrooms and a living room.
It had a window and a small kitchen.
But it was very simple.
The startup was small.
Besides Ethan, there were only five technical employees.
There was no money to hire a receptionist, accountant, cashier, or HR.
Sophia handled everything herself.
Running up and down the stairs every day.
Only taking the bus for errands.
Buying groceries and cooking to save on delivery costs.
Those times were hard.
But her heart was fervent.
Everyone regretted her decision to give up the combined Master's and Ph.D. program.
She desperately wanted to prove her choice wasn't wrong.
She hadn't climbed the academic peak.
But she had a reliable lover and a flourishing business.
In the future, there would be a happy family and lovely children.
Ethan went well.
Those two years, he devoted himself entirely to work.
Working from dawn to dusk.
He even took her on dates during holidays.
Ethan could detect any change in Sophia's mood immediately and respond promptly.
When did it start to change?
The third year of the startup, the company developed rapidly.
Business expanded crazily, making more and more money.
The office moved from the residential apartment to a small villa in the near suburbs.
Half a year later, it relocated to an old office building within the third ring road.
Two months before the IPO, it moved to the current building.
After that, Sophia seldom came to his workplace.
Ethan was happy about it.
He found her delaying meetings and cooperation.
"Bringing food?"
"Why bring food?"
"The company has a cafeteria."
"You can also order delivery!"
"You worry too much. Find time to go shopping, buy bags and jewelry. Have afternoon tea with Mrs. Omelas and Mrs. Li, arrange flowers, chat."
Hearing this, Sophia was stunned for a long time.
It was the first time she realized her plans and the role Ethan had arranged for her were different.
Polar opposites.
She wanted to be a tree standing side by side, weathering storms together.
He wanted her to be a delicate flower blooming under the tree's shade, forever obedient and dependent.
After that, Sophia completely withdrew, no longer involved in company affairs.
The company didn't need her anymore.
There was money to hire more professional people for reception, accounting, and finance.
Ethan became busier, flying all over the world, gone for half a month at a time.
When he had free time, he organized golf games to meet new connections or went drinking and playing cards with Sebastian Evans, Charlie Lowell, and Julian Winston.
During the countless nights waiting alone for his return, Sophia recalled the early days of the startup.
She felt a growing disconnect, as if the man now and the man in her memory were becoming two different people.
Sophia stared into the distance, her thoughts adrift, until—
"Sophia!"