After spending the whole day with Blake and waiting for him to fall asleep, Bianca finally went home, feeling exhausted.
Since she had to work the next day, her brother stayed at the hospital to look after their mother so she could rest at home.
Bianca took off her high heels, walked barefoot to the bathroom, and washed her face in front of the mirror.
When she looked up, she saw her tired reflection, with a forced smile and her long black hair damp against her chest.
But in her mind, she was back at Dave’s apartment, with him resting his head on her shoulder, placing a ruby necklace around her neck…
Her hands, resting on the sink, slowly balled into fists.
It was all behind her now; the past was over.
Tomorrow was a new day, and she had to move forward.
Bianca quickly walked to the living room, grabbed a pair of scissors, and, without hesitation, cut off her long hair.
She wanted a fresh start, believing that cutting her hair would help her let go of the emotions tied to her past.
The next day, the Emerald Artists Agency was as busy as ever.
Recently, Diana had been the first to arrive each morning, taking charge and showing strong boss energy.
As Diana gave instructions to Nikolas Harvey from the publicity department, a gasp echoed through the office.
Nikolas immediately looked up and his eyes widened in shock.
Diana, slightly annoyed by the interruption, turned to see what had caught his attention.
She couldn’t help but widen her own eyes in surprise.
There stood Bianca, now in a sharp black suit with a crisp white shirt and black high heels with her steps echoing in the office.
The biggest surprise, though, was her hair. It had been cut to a chic shoulder length, swaying with each step she took.
Diana noticed that Bianca returned with a stronger, more commanding presence after being away for a few days.
“Bianca, you’re back!” the employees excitedly exclaimed when they saw her. “Your new hairstyle looks amazing!”
“Thank you,” Bianca said with a polite and charming smile to those who complimented her.
“Bianc!” Diana quickly walked over, gently took her arm, and looked her over from different angles. “You look different now. I think this style suits you better.”
With a warm smile, Bianca replied, “Diana, thank you for all your help recently.”
Diana casually said, “It’s all for the company. Don’t worry. How have you been? How is your mom?”
She knew Madison had regained consciousness, but with Bianca away and herself busy with work, she hadn’t been able to visit her yet.
“Let’s talk in my office,” Bianca suggested.
She led Diana to her office and filled her in on everything that had happened, including the events at the Evans Group’s celebration.
Diana, as her closest friend and business partner, deserved to know.
Diana’s face shifted from calm to shock, then to anger.
“What did you say? Your boyfriend… Oh no, Dave is the CEO of Phoenix Alliance Group?!” Diana’s disbelief was clear.
Bianca pressed her lips together and nodded. “Yes.”
“Oh, my goodness! I always suspected something was off with him, but I never imagined he was hiding something so big! Is pretending to be innocent some sort of hobby for these rich young men? Or do they just enjoy it?”
“Maybe,” Bianca replied casually. She hadn’t shared much about Dave with Diana.
It was his private life, and she preferred not to get into it.
Besides, she wasn’t even sure if his stories were true, so it didn’t seem worth discussing.
Seeing Bianca’s calm reaction, Diana slammed her hands on the desk, frustrated. “Bianca, you’ve been lied to both emotionally and financially, and you don’t seem upset at all? What’s going on in your mind?”
Bianca stared at her best friend. She was angry but also felt helpless. She had already spent a lot of time trying to calm herself about this.
“I’m upset, but what can I do?” Bianca said, looking into Diana’s eyes. “He’s the CEO of Phoenix Alliance Group, one of the biggest companies in Edenfield. He has the power and status to crush us. What can I do? Confront him? He could shut down our small business.”
Diana was shocked by Bianca’s practicality.
She understood but couldn’t help feeling furious seeing her friend deceived like this, especially when, in any other situation, she would’ve confronted the person responsible.
But this wasn’t just anyone; this was the powerful CEO of Phoenix Alliance Group!
“So, are we just supposed to accept this? Are you really okay with letting it go?” Diana asked, looking to see how Bianca would respond.
Bianca’s expression darkened before she forced a smile and said jokingly, “It’s fine. Honestly, I didn’t lose anything being with him. Let’s just say I had fun with a handsome guy. And in the future, I can brag that I slept with the CEO of Phoenix Alliance Group!”
Diana watched the gentle smile on Bianca’s face but could see the sadness in her eyes.
“Bianc, I really admire you.” Seeing that Bianca had decided to move on, Diana felt relieved and sat down across from her. “If it were me, I don’t think I could get over it for a long time.”
Diana couldn’t help but think about what happened with Brandon.
She knew how long it could take to heal from such pain, and sometimes, recovery might never come.
“I’m not as forgiving as you think,” Bianca said, gently playing with the pen on her desk.
She lowered her eyes and added, “If I ever have to deal with Phoenix Alliance Group again, I won’t let Dave off easily.”
“Exactly!” Diana suddenly slammed her hand on the desk, making Bianca jump. “That’s the Bianca, I know! We don’t go looking for trouble, but we don’t back down either. If you get the chance to fight back, don’t go easy on him. I’d feel sorry for you if you didn’t take down that awful man!”
Bianca giggled at Diana’s excitement. “Okay, when our company gets bigger, we’ll be unstoppable.”
“Absolutely! We’ll be amazing!” Diana laughed with her.
Bianca’s sadness quickly faded, replaced by happiness.
Having such a good friend by her side made her feel truly content.
“By the way, you’ve been handling everything for the company and haven’t had a weekend off. Now that I’m back, let me take over. Take a few days off and rest.”