Daniel picked the fra from the desk and stared at the picture of one of the best mories of his life. Ryan's friendship was one of the best things that happened to him, and he would never regret it—not even when he fired him for no good reason.
A knock at the door caught his attention and he turned to look. "Co in," he affird, and Kimberly pushed the door open before she stepped into the room.
"Mr. Evan!" she greeted, her voice laced with guilt. One could hear her blaming herself for all of this.
"Mr. Evan?" Daniel raised a brow in sternness before breaking into a smile. "Until now, in this company, I was just Daniel to you. And now suddenly, you call with such respect?" He paused briefly, then continued with a light chuckle, "...have you gotten sothing wrong? I haven't been promoted —rather, I have been fired. Usually, people honor soone like this when they have been elevated to the position of power, not when they are being shown the door."
Kimberly felt worse. Almost crying into tears, she said, "Daniel, I am sorry. It was my fault. I shouldn't have ntioned your na. I should have …"
"Aye, Kimberly!" Leaving the fra back on the desk, he quickly went to console her. Rubbing her shoulders, he tried to comfort her. He was just trying to make so joke. He never thought to bla the woman —not when she actually hadn't been wrong. "Shushh! You did nothing wrong to ntion . I did give you the suggestion to post a statent that denied Ryan's engagent with Arwen."
"But you did it because I ca to ask for your help." Kimberly reasoned her guilt, adding, "None of this would have happened if I hadn't gotten you involved in this. I am so sorry."
Daniel nodded in understanding and for a mont Kimberly truly thought that he also blad her for his situation. But then she heard him suddenly say in disappointnt. "So, you also believe that what I advised was wrong? That there could be another possible way to save it and I have been too impatient to think of another way?" Daniel asked.
It took a mont for Kimberly to comprehend his words. And when she did, she shook her head, refusing to accept it was his fault. "No! Definitely no, Daniel," she said before continuing. "This was the best that we would have thought about. There was no better way to stop Mr. Foster from getting implicated."
Daniel smiled. He knew that as well. But he had no interest in explaining it because he knew Ryan was also aware of it. It was just that he didn't want to accept it. "Then there is nothing to take the bla for. We did nothing wrong, Kimberly. We are just stuck in the wrong situation at the wrong ti. But once this ti would pass away, everything would be settled."
Kimberly didn't know what to say. She had always appreciated Daniel for his work, and the way he handled the situation. He was a gem at Foster Ventures, well known around the circle. But it was unfortunate that she would no longer be able to work with him.
Sighing, she stared at him before he pressed a small, soft smile on his lips and turned back to pack his stuff. Returning to the side of his desk, he once again picked up the photo fra and reminisced about the beautiful mory that was captured in it there.
"You and Mr. Foster had been friends since high school?" Kimberly asked when she noticed him staring at the photo for a little longer.
Daniel humd and nodded. "We were dormitory mates." A faint smile tugged at his lips as if he was content and held no grudge.
Seeing him like that, Kimberly asked, "Do you not bla him for today?"
"There is nothing to bla. Why would I?" Daniel replied without any tinge of sadness. "The one who fired today was the CEO of Foster Ventures. My friend wouldn't do that. Furthermore, Ryan didn't an it. He would realize things better when his anger calms down."
"Then does that an that you will be rejoining again?" she asked, her eyes sparkling in anticipation as she continued. "I an if Mr. Foster has just acted on his anger, he will be soon realizing that what we did was exactly right. He will ask you to co back. You will be re-joining then, right?"
Daniel stared at her and simply smiled. He didn't reply —neither in yes, nor in no which just let the suspense hang in the air. Kimberly was desperate to know, but she reluctantly held herself back, knowing that it wasn't right for her to ask.
"I am done here," Daniel finally said as he cleared almost everything he had on the desk. Then looking up at Kimberly once again, he said, a soft smile tugging at his lips. "Take care of yourself, Kimberly. Rember you did nothing wrong. You just acted in the company's best interest."
Kimberly nodded, still finding it hard to let go of her guilt. Daniel didn't say more. Grabbing his packed boxes of belongings, he gave her a small nod before walking to the door. He turned around to glance back at his room one last ti before stepping out of it as if that place never belonged to him. As he left, the door clicked shut behind him, leaving an emptiness in the room that mirrored the void his departure left in the company.
As Daniel was passing by Ryan's cabin, his steps halted briefly. He could hear the faint sound of muffled footsteps inside, evidencing Ryan's agitation. He could hear the faint sound of muffled footsteps inside, signalling Ryan's agitation. It wasn't hard to guess what was going on through his mind —regret, perhaps, or stubborn anger refusing to admit he was wrong.
A soft sigh escaped Daniel's lips as he shook his head. He could knock and confront Ryan one last ti, or offer him closure he might be too proud to ask for. But instead, he turned away.
'Not today," he thought. 'Ryan needs to figure this out on his own.' With that, he turned and left. And just as he did, Ryan opened the door to stop him. But it was too late. Daniel had already left.
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