He Vetoed My Promotion for the New Girl Chapter 10

He Vetoed My Promotion for the New Girl Chapter 10

It was January, and a trace of winter chill clung to his black overcoat.

My coworkers winked at me and hurried off.

Graham stepped forward.

“You get along well with everyone here.”

I gave him a polite smile.

“Of course. Otherwise, how would I get the whole company to pull together for your project?”

Graham fell silent for a moment. Then he lowered his eyes.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said those things to you back then.”

“And I shouldn’t have ignored how you felt again and again, just to keep us under wraps-”

“Stop.” I cut him off without hesitation. “If you have any concerns about the project, I’m happy to address

them.”

“But if you just want to reminisce, don’t bother.”

“My time’s valuable too.”

Graham stared at me, a flicker of hurt in his eyes.

There was a time when I’d wait two hours for him at a restaurant just to keep up appearances. Not anymore.

In two hours, I could get a spa treatment, see a movie, or finish a report. I wasn’t wasting that time waiting

around for anyone.

“If there’s nothing else, Mr. Thorne, I’m heading home.”

I walked around him.

He grabbed my wrist, his eyes red with frustration and something that looked painfully close to desperation.

“Elara, do we really have to be like this?”

“You left without saying a word. Do you have any idea how long I’ve been looking for you?”

“I even went to your hometown, but your parents had moved away. Do you know what I went through?”

I dropped the polite smile and looked up at him.

“So you’re blaming me now?”

“Graham, don’t play the victim. I’ll say it clearly-we’re over.”

“But I never agreed to it.” His voice suddenly rose. “I don’t accept it.”

“I had HR add you to the promotion list.”

“I told you we’d get married at city hall over lunch and go public after.”

“I was going to give you everything you wanted.”

“So why did you still end it? Am I really that unforgivable?”

“Do you know how I felt that day?”

“I was like an idiot, sitting in my office and waiting for you”

“I waited until almost the end of the workday, and you never came.”

I couldn’t help laughing.

“You couldn’t handle waiting that long? Then let me tell you how I used to wait for you.”

“Because you kept saying ‘keep our distance’ and ‘just wait, I worked harder than anyone while the whole department pushed my aside.”

“In the end, even wanting a ride home with my boyfriend on a scorching day meant asking like I was doing something wrong. And you still called me unreasonable.”

“When I collapsed and no one dared to help, my boyfriend was giving my rival a ride to celebrate her

promotion.”

“Graham, am I your enemy? What right do you have to blame me?”

Graham’s eyes turned red, and his voice trembled.

“I didn’t know you’d collapsed until later.”

“And when I saw how they were talking about you in the group chat-I fired all of them. Mira too.”

“I admit I had a soft spot for Mira. But only because she reminded me so much of you right after college.”

“Back then, your supervisors were always on your case.”

“Looking at her, I’d think-if someone had helped you back then, maybe things wouldn’t have been so hard.

That’s why I-”

What a load of crap. I almost wanted to clap.

“So you took your guilt over me and made it up to someone else? While treating the actual person you hurt

like garbage?”

“Graham, do you even hear yourself?”

“I swear-”

“Don’t.” I pulled out my car keys. “Save your useless promise.”

Graham’s face went pale.

I unlocked my car, got in, and drove right past him without a glance.