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After His Ex-Girlfriend Came Back
After His Ex-Girlfriend Came Back
Author: Giant Tree

Chapter 1

Author: Giant Tree
last update Last Updated: 2024-10-25 10:30:14
The first time I saw Cecilia, I knew something wasn't right. At the time, I was still unaware that she was my boyfriend's ex-girlfriend.

"Jimmy, are you sure this is correct? This isn't the candidate I approved yesterday."

I asked my assistant, my brow furrowed in confusion.

An awkward smile appeared on Jimmy's face. "Mr. Short approved her personally."

Yesterday was the final round of interviews, for which there were two candidates: Cecilia and another young woman.

Both in terms of their professional backgrounds and their performances during the interview, the other candidate was clearly the better choice.

Not only was the design template that Cecilia produced uninspiring, but she hardly seemed to be paying any attention during the interview process. There were several points where she failed to answer questions because she appeared to be daydreaming.

I could never have imagined that Hugh Short—my boyfriend and someone who had never intervened in the employment process before—would suddenly decide to overrule my decision.

As such, I was already feeling a little angry when Hugh walked in and handed me a cup of coffee.

"Here you go, Reina. They had a new flavor on offer, I thought you might like to try it." His expression was so genuine that some of my anger melted away.

As I took the coffee from his one hand, my gaze fell on the dessert box in his other.

"What's the occasion? We don't usually eat cake in the morning."

"We have a new colleague starting. I thought we should celebrate. You know, do something to lift everyone's mood."

Seeing as the conversation had turned to the new hire, I took the opportunity to ask, "About that ... I was meaning to ask why we'd hired Cecilia. She didn't seem as impressive as the other candidate."

"It's like this ... She's an old school friend of mine and her family's been having a hard time of it. I could hardly turn her down, and her grades were always very impressive back in the day ... " Both his voice and expression were apologetic.

"I get it. But it would be nice if you could let me know in advance next time." I said, resignedly.

Hugh had been through difficult times himself, and so he was always sympathetic to those in need. This was one of the things about him that I found endearing.

"I'm so glad you understand!" He kissed me on the cheek. It was as though a great weight had been lifted from him.

I pushed him away, playfully, and headed into the office, to share the cake he had bought with the team.

When I handed Cecilia her portion, I made sure to get a good look at her: her eyes were a little red and she was wearing no makeup. Even so, there was a certain allure to her.

I handed her a piece of cake and said, "Welcome to the team!" When I did so, I noticed that she clenched her fists ever so slightly.

She lifted her head, but instead of looking at me, she stared straight at my boyfriend. "Thank you, Hugh."
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  • After His Ex-Girlfriend Came Back   Chapter 2

    After work, Hugh took me to our favorite restaurant.In truth, the food and decor of this particular restaurant were nothing special. Based on our current circumstances, it would have been well within our means to go somewhere better.However, this was the place where we'd first met.Three years ago, I had first seen Hugh sitting alone at the counter, crying despondently over a single serving of the food.At the time, I'd handed him some paper napkins to dry his eyes and he'd thanked me for them.I felt sorry for him—a grown man sitting there sobbing like a child—so I struck up a conversation.He said he was the boss of a clothing company that had seen a huge drop-off in sales. All his money was tied up in the business and now he was left with nothing.At the time, I had just received a prestigious award for my own clothing designs and was in between jobs, with offers coming at me from left and right.Something about his plight really moved me. Despite all the other offers, I chose to

    Last Updated : 2024-10-25

  • After His Ex-Girlfriend Came Back   Chapter 3

    I forced myself to be calm, before calling Jimmy. "Jimmy, who is Cecilia?""Cecilia? She's ... She's the new girl?" He sounded nervous."Knock it off. I know you're all old school friends," I said, taking a deep breath. "Who is she?""She ... I ... Well ... " He stuttered and stammered, grasping for the right words to say. "She ... She's Hugh's old girlfriend. But don't get the wrong end of the stick. When HR sent me her application I was as shocked as you. Hugh didn't know anything about it either. Nobody was expecting her to come looking for a job."I felt like I could barely breathe. I reached out my hand and grasped a nearby railing for support. "Tell me, why did they break up?""They started a company together but it began to struggle. When Cecilia's family ran into financial difficulties, she abandoned Hugh to face their problems alone. Despite all that, they had once been in love and they faced many troubles together. It's only natural that Hugh would want to help her out. I gua

    Last Updated : 2024-10-25

  • After His Ex-Girlfriend Came Back   Chapter 4

    I looked at him, my voice calm yet serious. "All these years, I've never asked you about your past. You know I'm not the sort of person to care about what happened before we were together.""I know." His expression was one of shame. He couldn't even look at me."But ... " I kept my gaze fixed on him. "I don't want, nor can I allow, your past to interfere with our future. Your behavior toward Cecilia is not only unprofessional with regard to her employment, but it's unfair and irresponsible with regard to our relationship.""I'm sorry," he said, "I'll make it up to you!""Make sure you deal with it appropriately. Right now, I only have one demand.""What is it?" His expression changed, as though he'd suddenly caught sight of a ray of hope in the darkness."Fire her." I looked him straight in the eye."I ... " His face fell, the light of hope snuffed out. "I'm not sure ... "I picked up my suitcase and walked straight out the door.As I was waiting to board the plane, I noticed Cecilia h

    Last Updated : 2024-10-25

  • After His Ex-Girlfriend Came Back   Chapter 5

    By the time I disembarked from the plane, I was furious. Hugh was waiting for me in his office, clearly expecting the worst.I gave my assistant clear instructions, "Jimmy, Cecilia is being let go, prepare the paperwork.""Reina." Hugh took a step forward, plucking up the courage to say, "Cecilia's been looking after her family so long that there's a huge gap in her résumé. With her lack of previous experience, it's almost impossible for her to find another job. She probably just wanted to prove herself a little too quickly, I'm sure she didn't deliberately copy. I'll have a word with her, it won't happen again."I couldn't help but laugh. "That's it? You'll have a word with her? And what about you? What about your part in all this? We have established workflows for a reason! You rushed her designs straight out and now the whole internet is calling us out. How could you make such a mess of things?""You know I'm not very good at this side of things. You're always so on top of everythin

    Last Updated : 2024-10-25

  • After His Ex-Girlfriend Came Back   Chapter 6

    She was wearing white from head to toe and her whole being radiated a kind of helplessness, a pathetic yet strangely alluring melancholy, as though she was the victim and not the source of everyone's trouble."I'm sorry. I'm here to resign." She said, haltingly. "I heard what you were saying. I promise I didn't do anything on purpose. My father's been ill, I've been worried about him, maybe it's made me a little distracted. I thought those designs were my own, but I guess I must have seen them somewhere else and they stayed in the back of my mind. I never meant to copy anyone. I'll go. I won't cause any more trouble. Please, don't be unhappy on my account."And with that, she lowered her gaze to the floor, turned around, and hurried out of the room, as though she couldn't stand to be there anymore.Hugh hesitated, but in the end, he followed her out.Shortly, I heard a scream from outside.When I rushed out onto the street, I was greeted by a gruesome sight....Cecilia escaped the acc

    Last Updated : 2024-10-25

  • After His Ex-Girlfriend Came Back   Chapter 7

    "He told you before that I was his past." She raised her head up, haughtily, a look of smug self-assurance on her face. "I'm sure he's realized now that I'm his present and future too."A cruel grin appeared on her otherwise pretty face.It made her look sinister and grotesque.She stared at me, triumphantly, as though waiting for me to break down and cry.I just laughed, casually. "You really don't have a sense of shame, do you?""What's there to be ashamed of? He's mine! He's always been mine. You were just a temporary amusement!"I lifted my hand and brought it around in a sweeping arc.*Slap*The sound seemed to hang in the air.Cecilia clasped her cheek and stared at me in disbelief. "You crazy ... I'm reporting you to the police!"...She was as good as her word.When the police arrived, Cecilia insisted she was gravely hurt and demanded they check the CCTV. Hugh had hurried out from his hospital room and she clasped his hand and told him how awful I'd been.When the police found

    Last Updated : 2024-10-25

  • After His Ex-Girlfriend Came Back   Chapter 8

    I stared at him in silence. I felt conflicted and hurt, but above all, I was disappointed.I breathed a deep sigh before saying, as calmly as I could, "So it's my fault? I was being cold with you. Do you really not know why that is? You like to say you love me, but all the while, you keep pushing the boundaries with her. You know what you're doing is hurting us, but you choose to keep doing it without a thought to my feelings. What do you think love is? We can't go back to how things were. You can't just put the pieces back together of the thing you broke and go on pretending not to see the cracks. I told you, we're over. You need to get that through your head."His expression was becoming even more desperate. He opened his mouth to try to explain himself, but I cut him off. "I've made up my mind."When I got back home, I immediately called a moving company and packed up my belongings. That same day, I moved out of the house we'd bought together, taking my stuff to my parents' home as

    Last Updated : 2024-10-25

  • After His Ex-Girlfriend Came Back   Chapter 9

    Without him, I still had the skills to flourish in the industry, but without me, it was all downhill for him.Over the last few years, he'd been getting lazier and lazier. He had long ago started taking me for granted. He seemed to think that running a fashion company was easy. In reality, I was doing most of the actual running behind the scenes without him even noticing.It only took a day without me there for him to wake up to how much work and pressure there really was.It wasn't long before Jimmy was in touch, begging me to return:"Reina, come back. We need you. Without you, the company's doomed."By that time I had already started working at my friend's company and all I could do was laugh. "Maybe you should think about leaving too."...After another week, Hugh called me, crying audibly."Reina, please come back."He still couldn't help but pity himself. "It's my birthday."Every year on his birthday, I would get him a present. I'd given him a phone, a computer, even a car—one w

    Last Updated : 2024-10-25

Latest chapter

  • After His Ex-Girlfriend Came Back   Chapter 10

    It didn't take me long to settle into my new job and soon my life felt like it was back on track.The pall that my breakup with Hugh had cast over me gradually dissipated and I realized how much I was enjoying my new life.He would still contact me from time to time, asking me to take him back. I even received a call from his parents, who I had always got along well with. While it pained me to disappoint them, I resolutely stuck to my decision. In the end, they could see it was a lost cause and reluctantly gave up.I had never expected to see Cecilia again until one day she suddenly turned up outside my office."Reina, you monster!" She rushed at me and would have struck me if the security guard hadn't intervened.She struggled to break free from his grasp, all the while hurling insults. "I know what you've been doing! Spreading rumors, telling people not to hire me! You've had your success but that isn't enough for you, is it? You have to poison the well! You can't bear to see me do w

  • After His Ex-Girlfriend Came Back   Chapter 9

    Without him, I still had the skills to flourish in the industry, but without me, it was all downhill for him.Over the last few years, he'd been getting lazier and lazier. He had long ago started taking me for granted. He seemed to think that running a fashion company was easy. In reality, I was doing most of the actual running behind the scenes without him even noticing.It only took a day without me there for him to wake up to how much work and pressure there really was.It wasn't long before Jimmy was in touch, begging me to return:"Reina, come back. We need you. Without you, the company's doomed."By that time I had already started working at my friend's company and all I could do was laugh. "Maybe you should think about leaving too."...After another week, Hugh called me, crying audibly."Reina, please come back."He still couldn't help but pity himself. "It's my birthday."Every year on his birthday, I would get him a present. I'd given him a phone, a computer, even a car—one w

  • After His Ex-Girlfriend Came Back   Chapter 8

    I stared at him in silence. I felt conflicted and hurt, but above all, I was disappointed.I breathed a deep sigh before saying, as calmly as I could, "So it's my fault? I was being cold with you. Do you really not know why that is? You like to say you love me, but all the while, you keep pushing the boundaries with her. You know what you're doing is hurting us, but you choose to keep doing it without a thought to my feelings. What do you think love is? We can't go back to how things were. You can't just put the pieces back together of the thing you broke and go on pretending not to see the cracks. I told you, we're over. You need to get that through your head."His expression was becoming even more desperate. He opened his mouth to try to explain himself, but I cut him off. "I've made up my mind."When I got back home, I immediately called a moving company and packed up my belongings. That same day, I moved out of the house we'd bought together, taking my stuff to my parents' home as

  • After His Ex-Girlfriend Came Back   Chapter 7

    "He told you before that I was his past." She raised her head up, haughtily, a look of smug self-assurance on her face. "I'm sure he's realized now that I'm his present and future too."A cruel grin appeared on her otherwise pretty face.It made her look sinister and grotesque.She stared at me, triumphantly, as though waiting for me to break down and cry.I just laughed, casually. "You really don't have a sense of shame, do you?""What's there to be ashamed of? He's mine! He's always been mine. You were just a temporary amusement!"I lifted my hand and brought it around in a sweeping arc.*Slap*The sound seemed to hang in the air.Cecilia clasped her cheek and stared at me in disbelief. "You crazy ... I'm reporting you to the police!"...She was as good as her word.When the police arrived, Cecilia insisted she was gravely hurt and demanded they check the CCTV. Hugh had hurried out from his hospital room and she clasped his hand and told him how awful I'd been.When the police found

  • After His Ex-Girlfriend Came Back   Chapter 6

    She was wearing white from head to toe and her whole being radiated a kind of helplessness, a pathetic yet strangely alluring melancholy, as though she was the victim and not the source of everyone's trouble."I'm sorry. I'm here to resign." She said, haltingly. "I heard what you were saying. I promise I didn't do anything on purpose. My father's been ill, I've been worried about him, maybe it's made me a little distracted. I thought those designs were my own, but I guess I must have seen them somewhere else and they stayed in the back of my mind. I never meant to copy anyone. I'll go. I won't cause any more trouble. Please, don't be unhappy on my account."And with that, she lowered her gaze to the floor, turned around, and hurried out of the room, as though she couldn't stand to be there anymore.Hugh hesitated, but in the end, he followed her out.Shortly, I heard a scream from outside.When I rushed out onto the street, I was greeted by a gruesome sight....Cecilia escaped the acc

  • After His Ex-Girlfriend Came Back   Chapter 5

    By the time I disembarked from the plane, I was furious. Hugh was waiting for me in his office, clearly expecting the worst.I gave my assistant clear instructions, "Jimmy, Cecilia is being let go, prepare the paperwork.""Reina." Hugh took a step forward, plucking up the courage to say, "Cecilia's been looking after her family so long that there's a huge gap in her résumé. With her lack of previous experience, it's almost impossible for her to find another job. She probably just wanted to prove herself a little too quickly, I'm sure she didn't deliberately copy. I'll have a word with her, it won't happen again."I couldn't help but laugh. "That's it? You'll have a word with her? And what about you? What about your part in all this? We have established workflows for a reason! You rushed her designs straight out and now the whole internet is calling us out. How could you make such a mess of things?""You know I'm not very good at this side of things. You're always so on top of everythin

  • After His Ex-Girlfriend Came Back   Chapter 4

    I looked at him, my voice calm yet serious. "All these years, I've never asked you about your past. You know I'm not the sort of person to care about what happened before we were together.""I know." His expression was one of shame. He couldn't even look at me."But ... " I kept my gaze fixed on him. "I don't want, nor can I allow, your past to interfere with our future. Your behavior toward Cecilia is not only unprofessional with regard to her employment, but it's unfair and irresponsible with regard to our relationship.""I'm sorry," he said, "I'll make it up to you!""Make sure you deal with it appropriately. Right now, I only have one demand.""What is it?" His expression changed, as though he'd suddenly caught sight of a ray of hope in the darkness."Fire her." I looked him straight in the eye."I ... " His face fell, the light of hope snuffed out. "I'm not sure ... "I picked up my suitcase and walked straight out the door.As I was waiting to board the plane, I noticed Cecilia h

  • After His Ex-Girlfriend Came Back   Chapter 3

    I forced myself to be calm, before calling Jimmy. "Jimmy, who is Cecilia?""Cecilia? She's ... She's the new girl?" He sounded nervous."Knock it off. I know you're all old school friends," I said, taking a deep breath. "Who is she?""She ... I ... Well ... " He stuttered and stammered, grasping for the right words to say. "She ... She's Hugh's old girlfriend. But don't get the wrong end of the stick. When HR sent me her application I was as shocked as you. Hugh didn't know anything about it either. Nobody was expecting her to come looking for a job."I felt like I could barely breathe. I reached out my hand and grasped a nearby railing for support. "Tell me, why did they break up?""They started a company together but it began to struggle. When Cecilia's family ran into financial difficulties, she abandoned Hugh to face their problems alone. Despite all that, they had once been in love and they faced many troubles together. It's only natural that Hugh would want to help her out. I gua

  • After His Ex-Girlfriend Came Back   Chapter 2

    After work, Hugh took me to our favorite restaurant.In truth, the food and decor of this particular restaurant were nothing special. Based on our current circumstances, it would have been well within our means to go somewhere better.However, this was the place where we'd first met.Three years ago, I had first seen Hugh sitting alone at the counter, crying despondently over a single serving of the food.At the time, I'd handed him some paper napkins to dry his eyes and he'd thanked me for them.I felt sorry for him—a grown man sitting there sobbing like a child—so I struck up a conversation.He said he was the boss of a clothing company that had seen a huge drop-off in sales. All his money was tied up in the business and now he was left with nothing.At the time, I had just received a prestigious award for my own clothing designs and was in between jobs, with offers coming at me from left and right.Something about his plight really moved me. Despite all the other offers, I chose to

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