He Vetoed My Promotion for the New Girl Chapter 08

He Vetoed My Promotion for the New Girl Chapter 08

That afternoon, Thorne & Co. was in an uproar.

No one could believe that Elara, who could barely get a glance from Graham at work, had actually been his

girlfriend for twelve years.

Everyone who had bullied or excluded Elara, openly or behind her back, grew nervous. Some just resigned

that same day.

Meanwhile, in the CEO’s office, Graham went through the work group chat and finally learned what Elara had

been dealing with all these years.

He hadn’t been in the group, so he had to use Diane’s phone to read the messages.

When he saw Elara fall, saw her try and fail to get back up-his eyes went red.

He hadn’t meant for any of this to happen.

He’d thought she was upset about the promotion and using it as a excuse to go public.

He didn’t want their relationship dragged into work. That was why he’d refused.

He’d only given Mira a ride because she had work to report.

He didn’t think he needed to keep his distance from Mira. She was just a regular employee.

He’d gone to Mira’s promotion dinner because he’d been angry about Elara mentioning a breakup. He’d

wanted to make her jealous.

If he’d known Elara wasn’t feeling well that day, he never would’ve left her alone.

“Mr. Thorne, everyone saw how cold you were to Elara.”

“And since she’s always been so fast and good at her job, people have been giving her a hard time for years.”

“I had no idea she was your girlfriend. I approved her resignation. If you’re really angry, you can fire me too.”

Graham stood up and handed the phone back to Diane.

“Diane, thank you for always being kind to Elara.”

He wasn’t the type to take kindness for granted.

“Could you help me get in touch with Elara again?”

“I can’t get through to her.”

Diane glanced at Graham.

After hesitating for a moment, she finally said, “Mr. Thorne, Elara messaged me this morning to say

goodbye.”

“At this point, she should be on a plane.”

“But she didn’t tell me where she was going.”

Graham froze, his face going pale as sheet.

He drove home like a madman.

When he pushed open the door, everything looked exactly as it had when he’d left.

Except the chicken pot pie he’d bought her was still on the dining table, untouched.

Her clothes, jewelry, laptop, bank card-all gone from the bedroom.

The photo album she used to flip through every night before bed had been left carelessly on the table.

Beside it lay the plain bands. They hadn’t been worn in so long, they’d started to tarnish.

The house felt empty.

Even the familiar floral scent of her body wash was gone.

Graham sank to the floor, his eyes slowly turning red.

It finally hit him.

He’d lost the girl he’d loved for twelve years.

And she hadn’t even left him a goodbye.

Four hours later, I landed in Havenport.

Lorna took off her sunglasses and pulled me into a big hug.

“Elara, welcome to paradise.”

But work was no paradise.

Lorna’s company was still growing, so it didn’t have the staff or systems of a major corporation like Thorne

& Co.

I wore several hats at once, planning projects while overhauling the company’s entire systems and

processes.

That inevitably rubbed some people the wrong way.

People started saying, both openly and behind my back, that I was the boss’s friend and had gotten in through the back door.

I joked with Lorna.

“Should we keep our distance to avoid any gossip?”

Lorna rolled her eyes as she sipped coffee made from a rare batch of beans someone had brought back

from overseas.

“Why? I can’t take all the benefits and make you be the bad guy.”

“They need to know I’ve got your back.”

I smiled and shook the coffee beans in my hand.

“Thanks.”

Still, after everything I’d been through at Thorne & Co., I barely cared about office gossip anymore.

In fact, if I found one useful nugget buried in complaints, I’d take it seriously and give that person a shout-out in the next meeting.

Little by little, the gossip died down.

By the end of the year, when project bonuses doubled, everyone called me “Ms. Vance” with genuine respect.

The day I moved into my new office, Lorna and I stood by the glass windows overlooking Havenport Bay and raised our glasses.

“Coming to Havenport was the right call, wasn’t it?” Lorna asked with a grin.

Of course.