Chapter 2

Mia stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. I lay alone on my hospital bed, grieving the loss of my marriage.

Five years. I would be lying if I said I was not sad about it, but it was too late for what-if's. There was no point dwelling on the past anymore, when I had so many other problems to deal with. Most importantly, I needed to figure out how to keep the company running in Mia's absence.

Five years ago, I married Mia against my family's wishes. My parents had despised her from the very first moment they met. They did not trust her, and they insisted to me that Mia and I were not a good match.

Young as I was, I foolishly assumed that this was just my family's close-minded arrogance. Just out of spite, I proposed to Mia, and we got married within months of dating.

Ever since we got married, I rarely visited my parents anymore, and even turned down my father's offer of letting me take over the family business out of bitterness. I thought I could start my own company, and so that was what I did.

My parents despised Mia, and she loathed them in return. In her opinion, they were cold, callous, and selfish people. Since we had defied their wishes and struck out on our own, I decided there was no point divulging the truth of my family's wealth to her. Therefore, she had no idea that I had turned down a million-dollar inheritance for her.

I hated to admit it, but it turned out my parents had been right all along. Mia could not be trusted. I should have heeded their advice, but it was too late now.

The first two years after our marriage, I worked so hard that I rose to the position of president within my father's company. However, Mia's ambition of starting a business together still persisted, so I quit my job to help her accomplish this. I forked out my entire life's savings, and even took out an extortionate loan to start an advertising company. Under my leadership, the company flourished.

Mia had a knack with people and liked working in the sales department. She enjoyed the challenge of winning over a tough client, and would bask in the joy of every sale she made.

Unbeknownst to her, I had so many connections from my previous job that she need not even work so hard for all those sales, but in order to satisfy her ego, I secretly hid those leads away where she would not find them. I also wrote off the sales I had made under Mia's name, to further boost her ego. Meanwhile, I retired from the action and took up a more administrative role in the company, where I focused on the company's direction and business strategy.

As time passed, I began to yearn for a family of my own, but Mia, despite her slowly crossing the threshold into an advanced maternal age, was still insistent on building her career. Therefore, I had no choice but to fake the image of the company failing, in hopes that it would inspire her to prioritize our family. Who would have thought my plan would backfire, and she would leave me for a wealthier man?

All of a sudden, someone knocked on my door. It was Yvonne, who had stopped by to visit with a gigantic bouquet of flowers. I shot her a bitter smile. "Everyone else has turned in their resignation. Why are you still around?"

Yvonne smiled back at me. "I've been working at Carter Advertising for as long as I can remember. I won't abandon you. Besides, I have my full trust in you, Mr. Carter. I know you'll turn things around. There's no way the company will go broke with you around.

"The company had been doing well for two years, but since last year, you had suddenly ended partnerships left and right, and shrunk our business model as a result. I'm not very smart when it comes to doing business, so I have no idea what you did all that for, but I know you must have everything under control. I'm sure that you'll be able to build our company up again, so long as you put your mind to it."

I nodded at her. She was a smart girl, this one. "You're right, Yvonne. I do have something planned. Put out some new ads. I'm going to hire some new people and bring us back to glory."

Yvonne was delighted to hear this. All of a sudden, she frowned, and remarked wistfully, "I pity those people who quit in a hurry. They're going to regret this once we get back on our feet!"

I, on the other hand, could not care less about the employees I had lost. Good riddance!

I said to her, "By the way, I want to rename our company. We shall be called New Horizons from now on!"

I poured my time, energy, and effort into building things back up. I put out recruitment ads, and hired the best candidates of each field to replace the employees that had left. Within a week, my company grew from a measly ten employees to a staggering hundred.

I myself oversaw the recruitment process of several important positions, such as the vice president (Mia's old position), and the directors of various departments.

One day, a woman rang me, citing that she was interested in an opening as departmental head. She was so eager to get this job that she did not even wait until I was discharged. I had no choice but to agree to an interview at the hospital.

I was surprised when she arrived. She was dressed head to toe in designer clothes, and it was clear that she did not even need to work, much less apply for a job that was far below her.

I could not help but snap in annoyance, "You're not suitable for this job! Please do not waste my time, miss."

She tossed me a memory card and said nonchalantly, "You can make up your mind once you watch this. I have a feeling you'll find this very interesting."

I had a bad feeling about this, but I inserted the memory card into my laptop nonetheless. When I clicked on the video, however, I froze as if I had been struck by lightning.