Dave suddenly remembered Zane’s words. His grandfather had tried to hurt Bianca because of one of her artists. If his grandfather found out that Bianca was his girlfriend, he would never let her go.
If his mother hadn’t married his father, she could have lived a peaceful life. She wouldn’t have died because of the family’s power struggles, and even her ashes were destroyed.
Maybe loving someone wasn’t about holding onto them but letting them go.
After all, there were better people for Bianca. What right did he have to keep her?
Dave shut his eyes, his face showing pain. After a moment, he opened them, gathered himself, and slowly pushed the door open. “Grandpa.”
Skylar quickly wiped her tears, stood up, and turned to greet him with a warm smile.
“Dave, you’re back.”
Lucas glanced at Dave before resting his head on the bed’s headboard and closing his eyes, saying nothing.
“Grandpa, I’ve made a decision,” Dave said as he stood before the frail man in bed. “I’ll handle the Phoenix Alliance Group, and I’ve decided to marry Skylar. Just focus on getting better and leave everything else to me.”
Lucas’s eyes shot open in surprise, staring at Dave.
Skylar’s eyes sparkled with happiness, and she struggled to hide her smile. She had to admit Lucas was clever.
When he heard Dave’s footsteps, he had set up a plan with her to subtly push Dave into making concessions.
“Really?” Lucas sat up excitedly, grabbing Dave’s hand. “I’m glad you’ve figured it out.”
As he talked, he motioned to Skylar. She walked over and placed her hand in his.
Lucas then joined Skylar’s hand with Dave’s, looked at him with satisfaction, and said, “Everything I’ve done is for you. Skylar will make a great wife. To help you two get closer, I’ve decided that Skylar will be your private secretary starting tomorrow.”
Dave’s eyes sparkled subtly, but his expression remained calm. “I understand, Grandpa. I’ll take care of it. I need to get back to the company. Skylar, please look after my grandpa.”
“Sure, go handle your business. Don’t worry about him,” Skylar replied.
As Dave walked away, Skylar noticed he seemed more distant than before, almost unreachable.
Still, she felt confident that time would eventually work in her favor and that she would win his heart.
Dave gave Skylar a slight nod before leaving. Watching him go, Lucas let out a sigh of relief, glad the situation had calmed down.
Zane was waiting in the car parked at the hospital’s entrance. When he saw Dave approaching in the dim light of the night, he quickly stepped out and opened the door for him.
When Zane saw Dave, he was shocked. Dave looked so drained and pale, almost like he was seriously ill.
“Sir, are you okay?” Zane asked, stepping forward with concern in his voice.
Dave shook his head and kept walking toward the car. Zane quickly opened the door, but as Dave bent to get in, he swayed and reached for the door to steady himself.
“Sir!” Zane exclaimed, rushing to help. “You look really pale. We’re at the hospital. I can get a doctor for you.”
“I’m fine,” Dave insisted, his face even paler. He gently pushed Zane aside and got into the car.
Zane noticed this and felt anxious but didn’t say anything. He sat back in the driver’s seat and glanced at Dave in the rearview mirror.
Dave was slouched in the back seat, eyes closed, looking sad, with a frown.
“Sir, where would you like to go?” Zane asked carefully.
Dave slowly opened his eyes and looked out the window. Normally, he would say “home.”
But now, what was home without Bianca?
“Let’s go back to the company,” he replied quietly, then closed his eyes again.
Bianca didn’t fall asleep until dawn. When she finally woke up, Dave still hadn’t come home.
She reached out and felt the cold emptiness beside her.
Was Dave really not coming back? Was he planning to end things with her?
Bianca had thought through many possibilities when she made her decision.
She respected Dave’s choices but still hoped it wasn’t over, that he would eventually understand her.
For her, nothing was more important than being together. But she knew she couldn’t be selfish. Dave had his own life, his dreams, and the future he wanted. Why should he give all that up for her? If he chose to leave, she would smile and wish him happiness…
Even though she slept only a few hours, Bianca didn’t feel tired. Instead, a deep sadness weighed heavily on her heart.
She pressed her hand to her chest, trying to ease the ache. Only then did she realize her tears had soaked the covers, the damp stains spreading like a painful reminder of her failed attempt to appear unaffected.
The harder she tried to seem fine, the more broken she felt. The more she thought about him, the deeper the pain.
Bianca felt the need to keep herself busy to escape the pain.
She got up, dressed slowly, and applied light makeup in front of the mirror.
She forced a brave smile at her reflection, grabbed her purse, and left.
But as soon as she turned away, the smile faded, and her eyes showed nothing but emptiness.
When Bianca arrived at her office, it was still early, and only Juliet White from the publicity department was there.
It had been a while since Bianca’s last day at work, so she greeted her colleague cheerfully.
“Juliet.”
Juliet, who had been organizing papers on her desk, jumped at the sound of Bianca’s voice.
When she looked up, she saw Bianca’s pale face and the dark circles under her eyes.
“Bianca?” Juliet said, surprised as if Bianca had just come back from some difficult experience.
“Why are you looking at me like I’m a ghost?” Bianca tried to smile, but to Juliet, it only made her look worse.
“Bianca, you haven’t been to the company for a few days. Are you okay?” Juliet asked carefully.
“I’m fine,” Bianca replied softly. She glanced around the office and casually asked, “Is everything okay here?”
Juliet sighed and said, “Not at all.”
Startled, Bianca turned to her and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Juliet, who had just graduated from university, was simple and straightforward. She quickly shared everything that had happened recently.
“In the past few days, our partners suddenly wanted to end their contracts! Everyone’s been panicking because they’re afraid they might lose their jobs if the company goes bankrupt,” she explained.
Realizing what she had said, Juliet quickly covered her mouth and looked up at Bianca nervously.