I Said Divorce When He Sent Me Red Roses Chapter 04

I Said Divorce When He Sent Me Red Roses Chapter 04

Early the next morning, the driver Professor Whitaker sent to fetch me arrived downstairs at my hotel long before sunrise.

Still, I needed to swing by the company before leaving—I had to grab the framed photograph of Mom and me.

It was the last thing I wanted to take with me from this place, and I’d die before letting Maris get her hands on it.

The second I stepped foot inside the building, I caught my coworkers staring at me with strange looks.

Pity, awkwardness, words they held back on the tip of their tongues.

I reached the door to my office and instantly understood where that heavy, unsettling atmosphere stemmed from.

Maris sat slouched in my office chair.

She wore a pale tailored pantsuit, twirling my personal fountain pen lazily between her fingers.

She lifted her head when she spotted me walking in, a taunting grin stretching across her face.

“Dearest Annelise, we’ll be coworkers from now on.”

I said nothing in response.

Her smugness bloomed even brighter.

“My mother’s secured an equity stake in Rourke Biotech. The Cross family holds a genuine majority share in this company now.”

“Callum’s already told me I’ll start out as Vice President.”

She tapped the desktop lightly with one manicured nail.

“From today forward, you’ll report every update on your research progress directly to me.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “An equity stake?”

“The Cross family’s assets are nowhere near enough to grab majority ownership of Rourke Biotech, surely.”

Maris let out a sharp, mocking scoff.

“That’s none of your concern.”

“We have our own private avenues to make it happen.”

She pushed herself to her feet and scanned every corner of my office, her tone identical to someone browsing racks for a new designer dress.

“I’ve taken quite a liking to this office space.”

“It’s mine now.”

“You’ll come here to brief me on all your work moving forward.”

I stared at her, then suddenly laughed under my breath.

“It seems you and your mother both have a terrible habit of coveting things that belong to other people.”

“Though you’re nowhere near as clever as she is.”

“At the very least, she knows to put on a convincing act before she steals something.”

With that, I crossed to the bookshelf, grabbed the framed photo of my mother and me, and turned on my heel to leave.

I’d barely reached the doorway when Callum appeared in front of me.

His gaze locked onto the photograph clutched in my hands, and his features darkened instantly.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“I was just—”

I’d barely gotten the words out when Maris cut me off without hesitation.

“She’s clearing out her office for me. I’ve claimed this room.”

When she saw I intended to walk out, Callum shot forward and clamped a firm grip around my upper arm.

“You can’t leave. This office has always been yours. No one has the right to take it from you—”

I cut him off before he could finish his sentence. “If she likes it so much, she’s welcome to it.”

My formal resignation had already been sent over to Human Resources days ago.

Whether he signed off on it or not made no difference to me.

That email was merely a notification, nothing more.

Much like how he’d never bothered to notify me before bringing Maris onto company premises.

Callum froze where he stood, his expression shadowed and unreadable.

I didn’t spare him another glance, holding the framed photo tight against my chest as I walked away.

It wasn’t until my figure vanished down the far end of the hallway that he snapped back to his senses.

A commotion erupted behind me moments later.

I heard Callum yank Maris out of my office mid-hum, while she packed up my desk supplies.

Then, loud and clear for every staff member to witness, he struck her hard across the cheek.

“I warned you plain and simple.”

“You were brought on board to support Annelise’s research, not to go out of your way to provoke her.”

“She’s Rourke Biotech’s lead head of research. Every single stage of our new drug trials relies entirely on her leadership.”

What gave you the ridiculous impression you could strut around here throwing your weight in her face?”

By that point, I’d already stepped inside the elevator.

The moment the metal doors slid shut, every echo of their argument faded completely.

Once I reached the lobby floor, a text from Callum popped up on my phone screen.

“If Maris’s presence upsets you, I can remove her from the company immediately.”

“Your favorite classical orchestra has a performance tonight, and I’ve secured two front-row tickets.”

“We’ll visit your mother’s memorial first, then spend the rest of the evening alone together.”

“I’ll be waiting for you at the cemetery gates at five o’clock sharp. Don’t be late.”

I stared at the lines of text and shook my head faintly.

This belated attempt at kindness left a bitter, revolting taste in my mouth.

I pulled my SIM card out of my phone, snapped it clean in half, and tossed the broken pieces into a nearby trash can.

After that, I climbed into the waiting car sent by Professor Whitaker, bound for the airport.

Goodbye. For good.

If our paths ever cross again, I’ll stand as your enemy.

…

Elsewhere, at that exact same time.

Clad head-to-toe in a black tailored suit, Callum stood alone at the cemetery’s front gates…