Chapter 20: A last meal
The smile on his face disappeared instantly.
Even though he had agreed to approve her resignation, he had never truly intended to let her leave the company.
"Forget about resigning. You can continue working there. I’ll talk to the board personally. No one will say anything to you."
Irritation surged through Elena.
She had taken the blame because he had promised to approve her resignation. And now he was backing away from his words.
"I already told you," she said coldly. "I’m tired. And after everything that happened today, it’s impossible for me to continue working there."
Noah wasn’t ready to give up.
"Don’t overthink it," he persuaded. "The directors are furious right now. But their anger will eventually fade. You secured so many business deals for the company. They will understand. No one will force you out."
He stretched his hand toward her. "Come back to work. I’ll pretend you never submitted your resignation."
Elena stepped back, dodging his touch. "I want to leave willingly," she shot back sternly. "That’s why I submitted my resignation in the first place. But you attached a condition to it."
Her voice rose. "You forced me to take the blame to keep Tessa’s reputation clean. I obeyed you. Why are you hesitating now?"
Her sudden outburst caught him off guard. A strange uneasiness tightened his chest. For some reason, he had a feeling that she was not only resigning from her job but also preparing to leave him.
"Why are you so eager to leave?" he asked restlessly. "When I said I could handle the situation, shouldn’t you have trusted me and listened to me obediently?"
Obedience?
That single word pierced Elena’s heart like a blade. Tears burned like acid in her eyes.
"All these years, I’ve been obedient. But what did I get in return? I worked tirelessly, did everything I could for you, for this family, and for the company. I always put you before myself. And in the end, I lost my child."
Noah’s chest tightened violently.
"I wanted our wedding," Elena continued brokenly. "But it was canceled. My dreams, my hopes, my expectations... everything is gone."
Noah suddenly pulled her into his arms.
"Let go of me," Elena cried out, twisting against his hold.
But he only held her tighter. "We can still have the wedding," he whispered as if trying to coax her.
Anger exploded inside her. When she had wanted the wedding, he had planned her accident and killed their child. Now that she had decided to leave, he wanted to hold the wedding.
"I don’t want it," she said flatly. "I don’t want anything from you anymore."
Noah thought she said that because she was angry. He forced a smile. "Today was stressful. Let’s go out for dinner. Go get ready."
Elena showed no emotions. "Going out with me? Why don’t you go to your white lotus instead? She must be waiting for you."
Noah felt his scalp pricking with chills. ’Did she find out about Tessa and me?’
But he quickly shrugged that thought off. He had hidden everything carefully. There was no way she could know.
"I told you—I’m only taking care of Tessa because I feel responsible for her condition. I’m repaying her for saving me."
Elena chuckled. Every lie he told her now only deepened the pain inside her.
"Then why are you with me?" Her throat tightened painfully with tears. But she forced herself to speak.
"Is it because of the promise you made to my father?"
Noah stood there speechless, gawking at her.
"Then you’ve already fulfilled your promise," she continued. "Your family did so much for my aunt and me over the past fifteen years. You owe me nothing. I free you from that burden."
Those words struck him like thunder. It seemed as if she were trying to sever every connection between them.
"What are you talking about?" He lunged toward her and grabbed her shoulders. "We have been together for fifteen years. We are family. You were never a burden to me."
He hugged her again. "Don’t say things like that. Never."
Elena couldn’t hold back her emotions.
He was so gentle. His words were warm enough to touch anyone’s heart. But Elena had seen his truth.
This gentleness only hurt her more. He didn’t truly love her. To him, she was just a responsibility.
She sobbed silently. ’Why, Noah?’ she whispered in her mind. ’Why are you so gentle with me when you don’t love me? Why do you keep pretending you care? It hurts so much.’
She didn’t push him away. Instead, she leaned into him and bit hard into his shoulder.
Noah stiffened, his jaw tensing. But he didn’t move. He simply let her vent her piled-up frustration onto him.
Elena stopped biting him after some time and sobbed harder.
Noah wiped her tears away. "Go and freshen up. I’ll take you out."
Elena didn’t turn him down this time. ’I’ll treat it as our last meal together.’
Thinking that way, she went to change her dress.
~~~~~~~~~
That evening, Noah brought Elena to one of the luxurious restaurants in the city. He had reserved a private seat by the window. After they sat down, he ordered several dishes.
A creamy mushroom soup was served first, followed by butter garlic lobster and grilled steak.
Elena sat quietly, staring at the spread on the table.
Noah knew she had suffered a lot these days. And he had not given her enough time. A trace of guilt flickered in his face.
"I wasn’t considerate toward you," he started carefully. "But from now on, I’ll spend more time with you."
Elena almost laughed. ’Does he think spending time with me will be enough? Can you erase the betrayal, humiliation, and pain you caused me?’
Noah noticed her silence and thought she was still upset. He pushed a plate toward her.
"Eat first. You have become thinner lately."
Elena picked up the fork quietly.
Just as they started eating, Noah’s phone rang.
Elena paused and glanced at the phone to see Tessa’s name blinking brightly.
Noah instantly drew the phone away and silenced the ring as if he were afraid she would see the name. He continued eating, ignoring the call.
Elena remained silent and pretended as if she had seen nothing.
But the phone rang again. The nonstop ringing made him restless. His gaze repeatedly drifted toward the phone.
Elena noticed it clearly. "Why are you not answering it?"
Noah forced a smile. "It’s nothing important. Eat."
He resumed eating even though he couldn’t swallow the food.
Elena simply stared at him. Before the atmosphere could settle again, the phone started ringing once more.
This time, Noah’s expression changed completely. He couldn’t focus on the meal. What if something happened to Tessa?
Anxiety crossed his face. He finally answered the call.
"Hello?"
The moment he heard the voice from the other side, all color drained from his face.
"Noah, save me... These people will kill me."
Noah stood up abruptly. Panic instantly overtook him. Without glancing at Elena, he rushed out of the restaurant.
Elena watched his departing form silently. Then she scoffed. "He left in such a hurry that he didn’t say a word to me."
The answer had become painfully clear. For Tessa, he could abandon anyone and anything without hesitation.
"Since you chose her decisively, I’ll let you free. I’ll never bother you again."
Elena had lost her appetite. She called the waiter, paid the bill herself, and walked out of the restaurant alone.