He Sent Me Overseas to Marry Her, I’m Staying Overseas to Never See Him Again Chapter 05
On my first day after landing, I did not go to the hotel Bennett had arranged.
Mina tugged nervously at the hem of her jacket.
“Ms. Rowan, are we really not checking in at the branch?”
I got out of the car with my bag and did not look back.
“That place is full of Bennett’s loyalists right now. Walking in there today would be walking straight into his trap.”
When I pushed open the door, an elderly man with silver hair was sitting by the fireplace, drinking tea.
He was one of the company’s founders, and the mentor who had brought me into the industry years ago, Walter Langford.
Back then, when Bennett and Walter had clashed, I was the one who had pleaded for Bennett and saved his board seat, effectively exiling Walter to this quiet, overseas retirement just to protect a man who didn’t deserve it.
Walter looked up at me, his eyes filled with a knowing smile.
“Claire, you finally decided to break free.”
I walked over and greeted him respectfully.
“He signed the independent operating agreement. On paper, the London branch still belongs to Stellaris, but in reality, it’s already a sovereign state.”
Walter nodded and pushed a document toward me.
“You pulled the floor out from under him beautifully. Bennett is too arrogant. He truly believed you couldn’t live without him.”
I was about to speak when my phone suddenly rang.
I let it ring for a beat before swiping to accept.
On the screen, Bennett was wearing a sharp black suit, with a rose boutonniere still pinned to his chest.
Behind him, the background was noisy. I could faintly hear guests laughing.
“Claire, the driver said he never picked you up. Where are you?”
His voice was a little hoarse, and there was a trace of anxiety in his eyes.
“I found my own place. No need to trouble you, Mr. Hale.”
Bennett’s brows drew together, and his tone darkened.
“Claire Rowan, don’t throw a tantrum right now. You’re in an unfamiliar country. What if something happens to you?”
I looked at the rose on his chest. It was almost painful to see.
“Isn’t today your big day, Mr. Hale? How do you still have time to worry about my safety?”
Bennett froze. Almost instinctively, he lifted his hand to cover the boutonniere.
“That was arranged by the board and my parents. I already explained this to you. I owe Tessa.”
He looked at me, and somehow there was almost a pleading look in his eyes.
“Claire, just listen to me. Stay there for six months. Once I handle everything here, I’ll come get you.”
“In six months, I promise I’ll carve out a permanent, official place for you in my life.”
Listening to him, I felt my stomach turn.
An official place?
For seven years, he had fed me a steady diet of corporate milestones and romantic lies.
And today, he had married someone else.
“Bennett, I think you’ve misunderstood something.”
I smiled at the screen.
“I didn’t come here to wait for you to bring me back.”
Bennett went still.
“What do you mean?”
I did not answer.
I ended the video call.
Mina stood beside me, stunned.
“Ms. Rowan, does this mean we’ve completely burned the bridge?”
I stood up and walked to the window, looking down at the unfamiliar street outside.
“That bridge burned a long time ago. He just always thought I wouldn’t dare admit it.”
A knock sounded at the door, and Walter’s house manager walked in.
“Miss Rowan, Mr. Hale’s representatives are outside. They said they must see you.”
I let out a cold laugh.
“Tell them I’m not receiving visitors.”
He wanted to keep me in a cage, even if that cage was thousands of miles away.
But I was no longer the Claire who only knew how to wait for him to come home.
I turned to Walter.
“Walter, starting tomorrow, I’m taking over every core operation of the branch.”
Walter smiled and nodded.
“Good. Go take back what’s yours.”
Early the next morning, I woke to Mina’s startled cry.
“Ms. Rowan! Something huge happened!”
She rushed into my bedroom with a tablet in her hand, panic written across her face.
“Back at headquarters, Project Polaris is imploding!”
I took the tablet from her and saw the headline splashed across the screen.
#Project Polaris Data Breach, Partners Demand Massive Damages #
I looked at the familiar error page and felt the corner of my mouth lift.
That was the gift I had left behind before I walked away.
Tessa wanted that project so badly.
Now we would see whether she was capable of holding it.