Chloe exhaled lightly, setting her glass down, her gaze shifting briefly to Mikael.
"I'll accept the job."
Mikael smirked, leaning back in his seat. "That was fast."
Aria chuckled softly, nudging Chloe's shoulder. "Not just any job, right? You want to start properly. Earn your place, not claim it by birthright."
Chloe nodded. "Exactly."
Mikael hummed approvingly. "Then—Levant Creatives."
The name settled in the air—one of Redgrave Dominion Holdings' high-tier subsidiaries. A branding and strategic consulting firm, known for innovation, sharp execution, and high-value campaigns.
It was familiar yet separate.
A place she could carve her space without the immediate weight of the Redgrave legacy suffocating her.
Chloe nodded slowly. "Levant works."
Then—suddenly, realization pressed against her mind.
Her breath hitched slightly.
Veyora.
She hadn't resigned.
Hadn't given notice.
She was already five days absent.
Her fingers twitched toward her phone instinctively, stomach knotting slightly.
She cleared her throat. "Excuse me."
She stood, slipping away from the table, pushing past the velvet seating, stepping into the quiet hallway beyond the restaurant's private rooms.
Dialing.
Waiting.
Then—a click.
Lisa's voice, firm but clipped. "Chloe?"
Chloe inhaled sharply.
"Lisa—I need to file a terminal leave. I still have ten days left. I'll use that, then do a fourteen-day leave of absence to officially resign."
Silence.
Then—a quiet sigh.
Lisa's voice softened slightly. "Figured this was coming. Are you sure?"
Chloe exhaled slowly, fingers tightening around the phone.
"Yeah. I'm sure."
And just like that—the past continued shifting, aligning with the future she was stepping into.