Cody’s legs recovered super fast.
He could already walk with a walking stick in the house when it was February. The Bradley house was thrilled.
And then, Thea’s contract also came to an end. Two weeks earlier, she went to Cody’s office and handed in her resignation.
“What?! You’re quitting the job?” Cody looked surprised. He thought Thea liked this place. Besides… wasn’t this woman having a secret crush on him? How could she just walk away? He thought she would at least stay for him.
Thea smiled resignedly, “Cody, I’m not quitting the job. It’s just the contract. Our contract is one year.”
Cody frowned, “Time is just an excuse. I would have signed a longer contract if you had asked me. You don’t want this job anymore.”
Thea didn’t say anything. What was she gonna say? One year had always been her plan. She liked this job and the people in this house. She even liked Cody, but she still had to move on and chase after her dream.
Cody fell silent and then cleared his throat, “What are you gonna do after this, then?”
“Go back home and run the small diner with my mom, probably,” Thea shrugged. She had no intention of letting him know her real career plan. He hadn’t even seen her true face.
More silence.
Thea heaved a sigh, “Cody, I’m telling you this ahead of time so you can find another nurse to replace me. You need to send Matt to do it immediately.”
“I know,” Cody said rigidly. “That’s very considerate of you.”
He sounded sad, detached, annoyed, and angry.
Thea suddenly remembered this guy thought she had a crush on him. It must be pretty tough, being crushed by reality like this.
Thea sighed and decided to fulfill his fantasy. It was time to test out her acting skill!
“Cody… you know.” Thea sighed deeply as she tried to make her eyes fill with tears and red, “After working in this place for so long… I really don’t wanna leave. You’re an amazing person, and I respect you… a lot. But I can’t control… I don’t know how to explain this. I feel complicated when I…” Thea took in a deep breath, “It’s dangerous if I continue working here. I can’t control my feelings. I need to take a break from this job.”
There. Good job, Thea. Thea looked away, making sure Cody got a glimpse of her tearful eyes.
Oscar’s level of performance.
Cody reclined in his chair and sighed deeply. So… this poor woman couldn’t work in this place because she didn’t want to fall too deep for him.
Damn his beautiful face and irresistible charm!
Cody felt bad.
He knew he would never be with Thea. Forcing her to stay would be torture.
Cody sighed, “Say no more. I know what you’re trying to tell me. But we can never be together, and I can’t ruin your life by forcing you to stay. I know you can’t contain your feelings for me anymore. It would be unfair if I continued making you stay. I wish you luck, and Matt will reach out to you later and give you some money to help you get by during the gap.”
Ah! Money! Thea’s eyes lit up, feeling extremely happy about getting paid for her great acting skills for the first time.
It could be a great sign!
****
Linford knocked on Cody’s office later that day.
“Yes?” Cody was collecting the materials for his new project next month, The Top Girlband. This project was a reality television series and an interactive competition in which several young girls competed for the quota of becoming members of Honer Entertainment’s next girl band.
The reality show would be powered by Penguin Video.
Cody’s original partner was Majo, but those dumbasses played tricks in terms. He thus developed a video app by himself.
Linford sat across from him on the other side of the desk, his eyes falling on Cody’s laptop. “The entertainment industry is not as simple as you think. You have to get yourself prepared for all sorts of risks.”
Linford didn’t like this industry. Daicom had all sorts of departments. Entertainment was the only thing he had never touched. He surely invested in movies and TV series. But he had never tried star-making or doing his own reality shows.
Cody knew his old man was only worried about him. So he nodded a bit, “I’ve already prepared for any sort of emergencies when I decided to lay my hand on it. You don’t need to worry about anything. Just try your best to make Daicom bigger. I will return and run in the company when free.”
Linford was deeply annoyed, “Who said you’re gonna run my company?”
Cody didn’t even bother to look up, “You want to leave your legacy to Candace Bradley? She doesn’t even know how to win against the market monopoly.”
Cody was right. Getting the company and becoming CEO had never been Candace’s dream. But Linford was still mildly pissed off by his arrogance, “Why? I thought you didn’t want my money or company. I thought you wanted to chase your own dream.” Linford’s words were dripping with sarcasm.
“Well… I’m crippled now, aren’t I? I can’t be a soldier anymore. So getting more money is my sole dream now,” Cody shrugged.
“Nonsense!” Linford lost his temper, “Who said you were crippled?!”
Cody looked up, not expecting his old man would be more sensitive about this issue than him. He cleared his throat, feeling a bit awkward, “I was just saying…”
Linford suddenly realized that he had just overreacted, going a bit red, “Don’t forget to go to the hospital three days later. I’m just here to remind you. The doctor said you could walk free of the help soon.”
So, why did the old man come to his office so early? Just to remind him to go to the hospital?
Linford Bradley was getting old. He even started to grow a soft spot for his annoying son.
“Thanks for the reminder,” Cody rubbed his nose embarrassingly as he hummed.
Linford nodded, his lips setting in a thin line as he walked out of Cody’s office.