Chapter 329‘
Mason lost his cool immediately.
Stunned, he trained his gaze at the conference table. After a brief moment, he asked. softly, “Where did she fly off to?”
Ava responded, “Silvercrest!”
Silvercrest…
If memory served him right, Farley stayed in Silvercrest and he was rather fond of
Zoe. In fact, he tried to hit on her.
Raising his head slightly, he faced the top management staff as well as the shareholders and said in a restrained voice, “I’m sorry! We’ll have to suspend the
meeting.”
Everyone in the conference room began muttering.
Mason was a through–and–through workaholic. Nothing had ever dissuaded him from work. So, some of them started gossiping when he stood up from his seat.
“His wife probably left him! No one else had ever managed to make Mr. Mason lose his composure, after all.”
Even the veterans of the company sighed and said, “He might be great at running businesses, but the same couldn’t be said when it comes to his family.”
Mason returned to the office and stood by the window, where he began calling Zoe. However, he kept getting a reply from a mechanical voice, claiming that the number
he dialed was no longer active.
Taking out a cigarette, he put it between his lips.
Ava was standing behind him and said softly, “I found out something. Ms. Zoe changed her phone number. The previous number was canceled!”
He was stunned.
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After a brief moment, he took out the lighter in his pocket and lit the algarette
Taking a putt, he asked in a husky voice, “Did she mention anything about me when she left? Any messages she asked you to pase to me? Anything? No matter how trivial or short it seemed…”
“There’s nothing!” She felt a lump in her throat. After all, she had worked for him for many years. Now, she couldn’t help but feel pity for him. “I’ll look into her
whereabouts. I’m sure I can find something!”
However, she received no response from him.
He was smoking fiercely and his fingers, which were holding the cigarette, started trembling uncontrollably.
Just as the cigarette burned down to the filter, he said ever so softly, “Just look at what happened, Ava. She didn’t so much as leave me a message before taking Yanni away. It’s obvious that she hates me! I couldn’t control myself and kissed her last night. She must’ve grown sick of the way I pestered her and no longer wanted to see me. That’s why she left without a warning!
“I still haven’t treated her the way she deserves. I had barely begun making it up to
her and she left. Just like that!
“What was I supposed to say to her, even if I found her? Tell me, Ava. Don’t you think she’s so sick of me that she’ll just run away again?”
Ava didn’t have an answer for that. The fact was, she couldn’t have had any.
Mason looked out the window and said in a husky voice, “Two years ago, I lied to her and told her that I loved her. Then, she said it’d take her a long time to find the courage to love me again. Perhaps I should leave her alone and let her live the life
she wants to, Ava.
“There’s a chance she might recall how deeply she loved me someday! She might stop hating me so much and no longer blame me for what happened to her. Perhaps
she’d even move back to Brookesville one day.
“Then, she’ll say, ‘It’s been a long time, Mason.”
F
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+15 BONUS
What he said brought Ava to tears.
Mason took a minute to compose himself. Then, he snuffed out his cigarette, looked at the smoldering ashes, and said softly, “Let’s get back to the meeting!”
With that, he turned around and walked towards the conference room.
His silhouette spoke of a man who was stoic despite his recent heartache.
The meeting went on. Mason was back at the helm of it and maintained his usual incredible work performance, as if he were unfazed by Zoe’s sudden departure.
However, Ava knew better than anyone else that there was a hole in Mason’s heart
that day.
Zoe was the only person who could fill it.
