Since they had broken up, she should resign.
All night long, Sophie could think of only one thing. She simply couldn't settle down to study, and it was predictable that her exam results this semester might end in disaster.
She got up at four in the morning, finished writing her resignation letter, and prepared to head out to catch the bus.
In fact, she had barely slept all night. Even though her body had been exhausted lately, she just couldn't fall asleep no matter what...
Walking down the narrow staircase of her apartment, she felt her body swaying, her head heavy and her feet light.
"Miss Davies, good morning!" Jonathan's driver had already been waiting at the door for quite a while.
"Good morning!" Sophie was a little surprised. Who would be waiting for her so early? "You are...?"
"Good morning, Miss Davies. Chairman Harrington is waiting for you in the car!" After hearing his explanation, Sophie was even more surprised.
"The chairman instructed me early this morning to drive over and pick you up to go to the hospital together."
Sophie froze, then dazedly followed the driver to the luxury van.
"Please get in quickly." Jonathan had already been waiting for her in the car for a long time.
The car door opened, and there was Jonathan, smiling warmly at her from inside. "Sophie, get in quickly—it's cold outside!"
Sophie found it strange, but she didn't ask any questions and obediently got into the car.
"How have you been lately? You don't look well. Are you feeling okay? Am I delaying your classes?" Jonathan's gentle tone was full of concern.
"I've been doing fine lately! Thank you for your concern, Uncle Jonathan. It's exam season right now, so I sometimes stay up late reviewing, which might make my face look a bit pale. It's nothing!" Sophie replied.
"Do you have an exam today? Has work been too tiring lately?" Jonathan's gaze grew even softer.
"I only have one exam left. Today and tomorrow are free—no exams. Work isn't tiring either; I've taken leave to rest at home. Uncle Jonathan, thank you for your concern. I'm really fine."
Though she was very polite, excessive politeness came across as distant and cold. Jonathan's heart was hanging in suspense—for the first time in his life, he didn't know how to express his concern. "But you don't seem very energetic. When we get to the hospital later, you should get checked out."
"There's really no need. I'm fine—I don't need a special check-up!" Sophie replied politely but distantly.
"You have to take good care of yourself—for your mother's sake. No matter what setbacks or challenges you face, you can't lose your courage." He said this with clear implication.
Sophie froze. Then she lifted her head and looked directly at Jonathan. "Uncle Jonathan, I don't understand what you mean."
"What I mean is," Jonathan avoided her gaze, "there are many challenges in life, and you must stay strong." After a pause, he turned back to gaze at her. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Yes, I understand." She looked away.
Jonathan was silent for a moment. "Things might get even harder for you in the future," he suddenly said.
Sophie kept her head lowered.
"The connections between people sometimes can't be explained by mere coincidence," Jonathan said meaningfully.
Sophie stared at her knees and replied faintly, "Yeah, I was the one who thought too beautifully of it!"
Jonathan fell silent again.
The entire space suddenly became quiet. The enclosed cabin of the luxury van felt unusually still... until the vehicle pulled into the hospital parking lot.
"Sarah, I've come this time because there's something I want to discuss with you and your daughter." Jonathan looked at Sarah, who was lying in the hospital bed and whose complexion had gradually become healthier.
"I know what you're going to say. Sophie and I have discussed it, and we agree to go to the United States together. The sooner, the better!" Sarah looked at her daughter with loving eyes.
Sophie nodded silently, saying nothing.
"That's good. I'll discuss the final details with Dr. William as soon as possible and arrange for the American hospital to formally accept you. We can depart in as little as ten days."
"So soon! I... I..." Sophie interrupted Jonathan.
She stared at her mother's face, hoping she would voice some objection. But Sarah slowly shook her head at her daughter, as if telling her: Since we've decided, we need to cut the knot quickly—the faster, the better!
Sarah lifted her head and looked at her former lover, Jonathan. He was already in his fifties, with a full head of white hair, a slightly dark complexion, and wrinkles covering his face. Though he seemed in good spirits, he still gave off an air of weariness.
She couldn't help but sigh inwardly: After avoiding him for twenty years, she had finally encountered him again on the brink of death. Was this fate's arrangement? The swapping of two half-siblings from the same father but different mothers had led to their tangled romance. Such a chaotic arrangement could only be set right by leaving as soon as possible!
Then she looked firmly at Jonathan. "We'll follow your arrangements entirely. The sooner, the better. It's the end of the semester at LSE right now, so it's perfect timing to handle the offer from the school in the U.S. This is great!"
With Sarah's approval, Jonathan nodded. "Don't worry—I'll take care of everything. Once you're there, I'll arrange for a housekeeper to handle all matters for you full-time. When I have time, I'll visit you often as well. As for all the expenses, I'll cover them, so you don't need to worry about that."
He turned his head to look at Sophie and said earnestly, "Uncle won't interfere with you dating Ned, but it should wait until after you've finished your studies. By then, both of you will be more mature in your thinking..." He didn't continue but changed the subject instead: "Once you're in the United States, don't take on any part-time jobs outside. C&C has hotels there too—I can arrange for you to work at one of them. What do you think, Sophie?"
Sophie nodded obediently. She had originally planned to resign today, but if they went to the U.S., she thought she might look for several part-time jobs elsewhere. Staying with C&C would inevitably mean running into him again.
After leaving the hospital, Jonathan had to visit a friend, so he didn't take Sophie to work at C&C. The driver drove the car away directly.
After watching Uncle Jonathan's luxury van depart, Sophie boarded a bus and slowly made her way into the C&C building, taking the elevator upstairs.
In the elevator, the dizziness struck again. She had to lean against the mirrored wall until the doors opened.
Back at the office, she returned to her desk and sat motionless, staring blankly as she waited for the dizzy spell to gradually fade.
Beep—beep—
The phone suddenly rang. Sophie, lost in her daze, flinched involuntarily, then reflexively picked up the receiver: "Hello! C&C."
"Sophie? It's me, Archibald." A cheerful voice came through the handset.
"Hello! Are you looking for the general manager? He's not in." So it was him.
"He's not in?" Archibald paused for a moment before asking, "Are you okay?"
His concerned tone caught Sophie off guard. "I'm fine!" she replied, evading the heart of the matter.
"Your voice doesn't sound good—like you're really low on energy." He was direct.
"I'm doing alright," Sophie answered faintly.
"Why hasn't Ned come to work again? Lately, he doesn't even turn on his phone. What the hell is he up to?!" Archibald was clearly frustrated at not being able to reach him.
Sophie didn't know how to respond and simply held the receiver in silence.
"Has he apologized to you? That night before last, he was in the wrong. He should have bought you flowers and definitely apologized." Archibald said it as if it were obvious.
"Apologize? The general manager doesn't need to apologize to me." Sophie lowered her eyes as she spoke.
Archibald frowned. "What do you mean? Could it be that Ned—"
"Do you have anything else?" Sophie interrupted. "The general manager isn't here. If there's something, I can pass it on for you."
Archibald was stunned. "I don't have anything," he replied blankly.
"Alright then. If it's urgent, please call his mobile. If it's not urgent, wait until the general manager comes to C&C—I'll let him know you called." Sophie recited the words formulaically.
Archibald remained silent on the other end.
"If there's nothing else, I'll hang up. Thank you for your call. Goodbye!" Sophie ended the call. Then she let her mind go blank, opened her computer, and started working. She didn't see Ned appear even after office hours had passed.
So she began tidying her workstation, packing up her personal items, shutting down her computer, and taking out the resignation letter from her backpack...
For the last time, she entered the general manager's office and placed the resignation letter on Ned's desk.
She had always been working at C&C on a part-time basis anyway, so she believed her departure wouldn't affect the overall office operations. She planned not to come in starting tomorrow.