Chapter 5

Justin turned and saw Candice's red, swollen eyes. At once, the anger in his chest subsided. "It's not your fault. You're new. It's normal not to know everything."

"Justin..." Candice threw herself into his arms, sobbing like her heart was breaking.

A wave of irritation surged through Justin.

If Serena were here, this kind of rookie mistake wouldn't have happened. Even if it did, she'd own it silently, fix the problem, and figure out a solution.

Back at the office, Justin skipped dinner and personally called Daniel. After hours of negotiation, Daniel finally agreed to give them another chance.

The new meeting was set for a few days later.

Once the situation was resolved, Justin felt a touch better. Stepping out of the CEO's office, he noticed Candice still at her desk. "Justin, is everything okay now?"

"It's all sorted out now," Justin replied.

"Really? That's amazing! You're incredible!" Candice's eyes sparkled with admiration.

Justin's mood lifted. He enjoyed the way Candice looked at him with admiration. It was the highest form of praise a man could receive from a woman.

Serena never looked at him like that. She was always calm and reserved, never throwing tantrums or acting coy. Even if the sky were falling, she wouldn't cry in his arms. She'd stand by him and help hold it up.

Being this composed made her bland.

"It's late. Go home and rest." Justin reached out and took Candice's hand.

Candice was thrilled as she followed Justin downstairs. She had high hopes, thinking he might take her to his villa. Instead, Justin simply instructed the driver to take her back to her place.

Then, he drove off in a Maybach, heading back to his villa alone.

After washing up and lying down, Justin was jolted awake in the middle of the night by a sharp, cramping pain. His chronic gastritis was acting up again.

Skipping dinner and the restless nights from the past few days had taken their toll. The pain made it impossible to sleep.

Reaching over, he pressed the bell for the maid's room.

Moments later, the maid, Lydia Barnes, rushed in. "Is it your gastritis again, Mr. Farrow? Oh dear, I'll get your medicine right away!"

She crouched down and pulled a bottle from the bottom drawer of a cabinet. "Good thing Ms. Judd reminded me to stock up. She said you've been working too hard lately and might need it."

Justin swallowed the pills with water. His expression was unreadable.

"I'll make you some stomach-soothing soup tomorrow morning. Ms. Judd's potato leek soup is perfect for this. Let me call her and ask how she made it." Lydia pulled out her phone.

Even though Serena was probably already asleep at this hour, she had made it clear that she was on call 24/7 regarding Justin.

Lydia dialed her number.

After a few rings, the call connected.

"Ms. Judd, how did you make that potato leek soup last time?" Lydia asked.

Serena, half-asleep after being woken up in the middle of the night, hadn't fully registered the situation. Groggily, she started listing ingredients. "Two large leeks, four medium potatoes, butter, garlic..."

It wasn't until the words were out that she realized what was happening.

She immediately ended the call, and her drowsiness faded fast.

Was Justin's stomach acting up again?

"How odd. She hung up right after telling me the recipe." Lydia placed her phone down and turned, only to meet a pair of sharp, piercing eyes.

"What did she say?" Justin asked.

"She gave me the steps, then hung up right after. I'll prepare the soup now. It'll be ready by morning."

Justin nodded absentmindedly. His mood was noticeably lighter.

So, Serena still cared.

They'd fought before—plenty of times—but Serena never stayed mad for more than two days. She wouldn't apologize outright but would text him.

"I brought you oatmeal."

"There's a new restaurant downstairs."

"I saw the cutest cat today."

"The weather is beautiful today."

This time wouldn't be any different. She'd come crawling back by tomorrow.

…

The next day, sunlight seeped through the curtains, casting a warm glow.

Lauren was rushing out the door with a piece of toast in her mouth. She paused long enough to toss Serena a stun baton for self-defense.

Serena was amused. "I'm not that unlucky, am I? I don't think I'll run into another creep."

"This is to protect you from Justin. He's worse than any creep."

Justin? Serena doubted he'd bother pestering her.

After breakfast, she packed up her old apartment.

There was no way she could stay there after everything that had happened. With her belongings moved into Lauren's place, the day slipped into the afternoon.

She sprawled on the bed, scrolling mindlessly through her phone.

Justin paid well, and she had enough savings to take a break. But with a hollow ache in her chest, she didn't feel like traveling. She needed a distraction.

She fired off several job applications.

Her résumé was impressive, so it didn't take long for her to receive an interview invitation. As she was about to exit the page, Serena suddenly realized something was off.

She had just casually submitted her résumé to Quade Group.

"Oh shit." Serena shot up from the bed, her eyes wide with shock.

Quade Group was the biggest rival of Farrow Corporation. Its CEO, Wilson, was Justin's nemesis.

Since Justin took over Farrow Corporation, he had rarely faced setbacks. The few defeats he suffered were all at the hands of Wilson.

Naturally, Serena didn't have a good impression of Quade Group either.

She remembered the time when she was interviewed by a reporter. She'd sat in front of the camera on behalf of Farrow Corporation, subtly throwing jabs at Quade Group.

And now she'd sent them her résumé. It felt like nothing short of self-inflicted humiliation.

There was no taking it back. All she could do was hope their HR ignored her application.

…

The next day, Serena's scheduled interviews were suddenly canceled.

Aside from the résumé that sank without a trace at Quade Group, all other companies had politely declined her.

Serena sensed something was off and inquired about the reasons.

One HR representative, noticing her polite demeanor, gently pointed out, "Ms. Judd, Farrow Corporation mentioned that you still have some unfinished business with them and are technically still their employee. Given the circumstances, we're unable to offer you a position. I'm sure you understand."

"I see." Serena ended the call with a frown.

What game was Justin playing?

She debated for a long moment before calling Zane.

"Ms. Judd! When are you coming back?" Zane sounded genuinely pleased.

"I submitted my resignation. Why is Farrow Corporation telling people I still work there?" Serena asked.

The line went silent.

Then, a cold, cutting voice came through. "Do you think you're some sort of queen who can come and go as you please? If you want to resign, show up in person and do it properly!"

It was Justin.

He knew exactly where to stab.

Serena pressed her lips into a thin line. "I'll be there in an hour."