I Was The Favor He Refused To See Chapter 10
The look in Ethan’s eyes shifted from shock to disbelief.
Then it shifted from disbelief to anger.
Then it shifted from anger into a kind of bewilderment he had never felt before.
“You…” His voice tightened. “What did you just say?”
Noah gave him a polite nod.
“Ivy talks about you often. She says you’re a good boss.”
He had called Ethan a good boss.
Those words pierced Ethan’s chest like needles.
For a moment, he had no idea how to respond.
He was not a good boss.
In the name of avoiding any appearance of favoritism, he had made Ivy out to be good for nothing. He had never truly acknowledged her ability, her loyalty, or everything she had done for him.
Lily finally found her voice again. She forced a smile, but her voice trembled slightly.
“Ivy… you’re not joking, are you? When did you meet Mr. Whitmore? Why have we never heard you mention him before?”
“My private life,” Ivy said, glancing at her, “doesn’t need to be reported to you, does it?”
Lily’s smile collapsed completely.
Ethan pressed his lips into a hard line.
After a long moment, he finally spoke. “Ivy, we need to talk.”
“Mr. Langford,” Ivy said, looking at him, “I’ve already resigned. There is nothing else between us anymore. What is there to talk about?”
Ethan’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
“We…”
He paused, and his voice dropped. “You know exactly what we are to each other.”
Ivy didn’t answer.
She only looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
He took a deep breath, as if making a tremendous decision. “We’ve known each other since elementary school. You don’t even know this Whitmore guy, Ivy. Stop doing this, okay? Calm down.”
Cole quickly tried to help. “Yeah, Ivy. What exactly happened? Where have you been these past few days?”
“Nothing happened.” Ivy cut him off, her tone calm. “I went home to meet someone my family had set me up with.”
She glanced at Noah, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly.
“It worked out.”
Ethan stared at her, his lips beginning to tremble.
Noah gently squeezed Ivy’s hand and said in a low voice, “Since there’s no need to cooperate on this project, let’s go. Give Mr. Langford some time to process this.”
Ivy nodded, and the two of them turned toward the door.
“Ivy!” Ethan’s voice tightened. “Stop right there.”
Ivy paused.
“Things between us…” Ethan’s voice shook with a tremor even he had never heard from himself before. “Things between us still haven’t been settled.”
“There’s nothing unclear about it.” Ivy’s voice was calm, without the slightest ripple. “I resigned, and you approved it. I went home for a family-arranged introduction, and it worked out. From beginning to end, you have no right to ask me to stay.”
She opened the door and walked out with Noah.
The door slowly closed behind them.
Ethan stood there and never managed to say the words.
You’re mine.
He had been so close.
He had been just a little bit away from proposing.
He had secretly bought the ring last month.
He hadn’t given it to her on their anniversary, so he had planned to wait until the client left tonight, ask her to stay behind, get down on one knee, and tell her he was sorry for putting her through so much all these years.
Why couldn’t she have waited a little longer?
The private dining room was as silent as a grave.
Ethan slowly sat back down, his head lowered, his hands clasped in front of him on the table until his knuckles turned white.