This Time, I Will Get My Divorce, Mr

“You—”

Asher and his supporters grew so incensed at her words that their faces turned the color of beetroot, but they couldn’t retort against her. She was right; she might be the vice president now, but the fact remained that she was the largest shareholder of the company, and that meant she enjoyed privileges they did not. As unhappy as they were, they had neither the means nor standing to retaliate against her.

At the sight of the scowls on their faces, Sonia smirked and refrained from snorting in contempt. I can’t believe they’re still trying to pick a bone with me at this point. How petty. Stoically, she withdrew her gaze and glanced in the direction of Charles’ seat.

He had his head down, so she couldn’t quite see the look on his face, but she felt how distant he was all the same. She sighed quietly as she settled into her chair and announced, “Alright, let’s start the meeting.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the whole table chorused as everyone opened up the folder in front of them.

The meeting went on for two hours before it came to a conclusion. Asher and his supporters were the first to leave the room, but Sonia stayed unmoving in her seat. She didn’t keep her things or seem like she was about to rise to her feet and walk out of the room any time soon.

Instead, she leaned into her seat and rested her head against the back of her chair, staring at Charles.

Presently, Charles was keeping his things, and when he was done, he stood up to leave.

Seeing this, Sonia quickly called out, “Charles, wait.”

He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her, his expression devoid of the warmth and humor she was used to seeing. He looked almost impassive as he asked flatly, “What is it?”

Sure enough, he was sticking to his promise and had dropped the term of endearment. In the past, he would have added ‘baby’ to that statement.

Sonia was composed as she rose from her seat and eyed him steadily. “How about you and I have a talk?”

“About what?” he asked, his gaze on her indifferent and distant.

others who had yet to file out of the conference room; they were all

their shoes guiltily and hurried out the doors. Soon, the large conference room was empty,

her eyes on him and said matter-of-factly, “About how you’re still

no retort because he really was still holding

he felt was not only due to the fact that he knew she would never choose him as a romantic partner, but also the way she had gone

work out as a couple, they still had over twenty years of friendship between them, but all it had taken was Toby’s unhappy remark for Sonia to come up to Charles and ask him to drop the nickname

supposed to just let that go,

sullen look on Charles’ face, Sonia sighed wearily and said, “I’m sorry, Charles. I know I should have been more considerate of your feelings instead of springing the conversation up on you like that, but I don’t think I was wrong to

decade, and she was the one thing on his mind ever since he learned the ways of the world. He had wanted to confess his feelings for her on countless occasions,

out anyway, much to

reacted the way you did? This brings me back to why I said I did the right thing, because I don’t like you the same way, and I can’t ever reciprocate your feelings for me. What I’ve done, at best, was to make you give up hope that we might ever stand a chance; think of it as a wake-up call, Charles, because if your feelings for me deepen over the years, then you’d only end up

“No, I won’t—”

feelings for me, but I reckon it’s been a long time. That just goes to show that you’re sentimental enough to hold on to the idea of us, and if that were to go on, then you’d fall too deep to save yourself from inevitable heartbreak. I don’t want to see you end up that way, Charles. You’re my best friend, and the last thing I want to do is to hurt you, so please just let

to stop calling her ‘baby’, and her stance was clear: the both of them would never work out as a couple. She hoped she had put that point out emphatically enough to make him understand how important it was for him to let go of a relationship that never could

As his eyes grew red with anger, he clenched his fists and accused her angrily, “So you’re warning me to drop all those affectionate

do that to you. I’m merely trying to make you see my point here. I don’t love you more than just a friend, so romance is definitely off the table for

the only way he would snap out of his fantasy and let things go. She didn’t have a choice but to be blunt

felt like. Her words stabbed through his heart mercilessly; they took all the air from his lungs and left him

I just like us better when we’re friends without all

us to be friends and nothing more,

confirmed solemnly, nodding