While He Pampered Another Woman, His Rival Made Her Queen

At the company’s annual meeting, the lucky wheel’s pointer moved past a girl’s name, paused for a few seconds, then pointed at me. The entire hall burst into cheers, everyone looking toward Lucian Lucero, who had loved me for eight years. “President Lucero personally arranged this event. Whoever the pointer chooses will become the general manager!” “Sister Ciara Bernard contributed a lot to the company. She really deserves to become general manager!” “Sister Ciara promotion! Promotion! General manager!” Under the hopeful and happy looks from everybody, Lucian walked up to the platform. I remembered the hundreds of millions in earnings I had earned for the business this year, my chest beating hard as I waited for him to share the news about making me the general manager. But he gave a soft smile and quietly shifted the pointer away from my name. The pointer finally landed on a different girl’s name. Lucian gently patted my hair, his expression still kind. “The pointer stopped on Stella’s name a while ago.” “Ciara, you’ve given eight years to this company. The next promotion chance surely goes to you.” Clapping rose for another person. I stared at the man watching the girl as I tightly held the appointment letter in my hand. He didn’t understand that there would never be another next time. I had already signed the agreement with the rival company. The starting date was next week. —— The people who once stood around me to win favor with the “future general manager” now showed awkward looks when they looked at me. Some older employees who had worked with Lucian and me for years quickly came over to ease the mood. “Ciara, President Lucian also hopes to train new people. Otherwise, the general manager role surely belongs to you!” “Exactly, Ciara, Lucian arranges this part to make you happy. He just doesn’t expect Stella to step ahead first…” I knew they feared I would make a problem there. In the end, I had spent eight years beside Lucian building the company from the beginning, yet I still remained a low-level employee. If something like this happened to another person, nobody would feel happy about it. Facing their looks of pity and curiosity, I only gave a light smile and switched the subject. “I hear this year’s reward for the general manager is a vacation on an island. Congratulations to Manager Stella.” The spotlight landed on Stella Costa. She looked very happy, tightly holding the tickets for the seven-day island vacation before throwing herself into Lucian’s arms nearby. Lucian’s body froze briefly, but he still did not move her away in the end. Only after everyone in the hall looked over did Stella seem to suddenly come back to her senses and quickly step away. “Sorry, President Lucian. I become too happy for a second and forget my place.” She said sorry, but her eyes looked directly at me. The challenging look in her eyes made me suddenly remember the time she first entered the company. As a new university graduate, Stella’s job background did not match the company’s hiring standards. But Lucian still agreed to accept her into the company. Since she lacked work experience, Lucian brought her everywhere to join meetings and activities, and both big and small projects carried her name. Even her position could stand above mine, even after all my years in the company. I quietly shifted my eyes away and paid no attention anymore. Stella’s ways were not difficult to notice. A colleague who knew me well looked at me with worry. “Sister Ciara, this Stella…” I gently stopped her. “Annie, starting today, she is Manager Stella.” Annie stopped talking and shut her mouth. I understood she wanted to warn me and remind Lucian that Stella’s purpose was not simple. But her tricks were too obvious. How could Lucian, who had spent many years in the business world, not notice it? It was just that he chose not to point it out. The general manager appointment event had already ended, so there was no reason for me to remain there anymore. Without waiting for Lucian, I left first and drove back alone to our apartment in the middle of the city. He purchased this apartment when the company’s Series B financing became successful. He said the surroundings here were beautiful and suitable for “looking at our future territory together.” At that time, neither of us had ever imagined that several years later, things would turn out like this. Sometime later, noise came from the doorway. Lucian came back carrying a light smell of alcohol from business gatherings. He switched on the light, noticed me standing beside the window, seemed shocked for a second, then slowly frowned. “Why don’t you switch on the light? You come home alone and don’t even inform me.” He loosened his necktie and walked closer, planning to hold me from behind like before. I stepped forward and moved away from him. His hand stopped in the air. “Are you still upset about what happened tonight?” He sighed. “Stella is only a young woman who has just entered the company. It’s understandable for her to have goals. Don’t think too much about it.” “Be good, let’s wait until next time.” Next time. That sentence sounded so familiar. Next holiday, next special day, next time celebrating my birthday properly, next time surely announcing our relationship, next time… wedding. All those “next times” slowly turned into these eight hopeless years I lived through. “Lucian,” I stared at him, “do you still remember what you promised my mom three years ago when she was badly sick?” His hand stopped while touching my hair. At that time, my mom was already near death, and the company was also dealing with the second investment round. I was extremely busy every single day, sleeping only four hours, and after one week, I lost a lot of weight. Lucian looked at me, his eyes becoming red, then knelt beside my mom’s hospital bed and gave his promise. In three years, he would surely make me the general manager and let me become the honored Mrs. Lucero. Maybe my mom was touched by his words. While holding his hand, she said “good” three times before passing away. Now, half of that promise had already come true. He truly became President Lucero, but the general manager position no longer belonged to me. “There is only one last week before the three years you promised my mom end.” Lucian placed his arm behind my neck and held my shoulder. “Ciara, isn’t this simply because things don’t always happen as planned?” “Besides, once the company officially becomes public, won’t your position as Mrs. Lucero become even more impressive?” After saying that, he naturally moved closer, wanting to pull me into his embrace. I stood and stepped away from his arms. “Lucian.” “No one stays waiting forever in one place.”