Finn had known his parents, having lived two lifetis as their son. Nothing mattered to them except work. Even if the world were ending, they would rather spend their last breath working or closing whatever deal they were chasing. Finn had always thought he had grown used to it, but no. He had only grown numb to it—so much so that it didn’t matter to him anymore.
However, at the sa ti, Finn also knew that his parents rarely pulled off sothing like this. They wouldn’t even care about their own son, so why would they care about soone else’s job? Besides, his parents were only strict with their own people and didn’t concern themselves with another man’s business. If one of their employees screwed up, they were instantly fired—no second chances. And that only applied within their own company.
So why would they go this far, pulling strings just to force Nina to resign from her job?
Unbelievable.
"I’ll be back."
As soon as those words left Finn’s mouth, he walked away. Unlike the usual aura he carried around Nina, one could tell just by his gait that he was off to burn a house down.
Nina panicked, pushing herself forward as she rushed to follow him.
"Finn!" She quickened her pace, and once he was within reach, she grabbed his arm with both hands.
Slowly, Finn turned back to her, only to see her shaking her head.
"Please," she breathed out. "Can you calm down for now? I’m not even sure if it’s them."
"It’s them, and I know it."
Her lips quivered. "Please..."
"Nina, this is about the career you’ve been building day and night—the sa one you’ve been protecting," Finn said under his breath. "They are crossing the line."
"I know, Finn!" she intoned, huffing sharply. "I know. But... I’m not letting them win by letting you go in there to fight for ."
"Nina—"
"You and I are getting married, and clearly, they don’t want this marriage. By firing my boss—the only person willing to protect —just to kick out... I know it’s too much. And if anyone should be angry, it’s . It makes furious how far they’d go just to ss with ." She paused, her grip on his arm tightening, her eyes glinting with determination. "But you going in there to confront them will only prove their point—that I can’t do anything without you."
Hearing that, Finn froze, as if doused with a bucket of ice water.
"No, that’s not true," he murmured, reaching for her shoulders. "Nina, you can do anything you set your mind to, with or without . That’s who you are, and that will never change."
Nina clenched her teeth, looking up at him. "Then don’t go in there."
"..."
"They can pull all the strings they want, but I won’t back down," Nina huffed, determination burning in her eyes. "They might not fight fair, but that doesn’t define . And I will never be like them, no matter how cruel it gets."
She stepped closer, her voice firm. "Finn, let fight this—let fight for you. Don’t go in there just to listen to whatever hurtful things they’ll say. I’m okay, and I don’t regret handing in that resignation letter."
"But... you loved it there," he murmured, his heart sinking with both fury and disappointnt.
"I didn’t love the company," she corrected. "What I loved was believing it was a place where I could showcase my talent and express myself. But it turns out—it wasn’t the right place for ."
A mont of silence passed between them. His eyes softened with defeat and helplessness. A part of him still wanted to storm into his parents’ house and sever all ties. What they had done was unforgivable. But at the sa ti, he couldn’t ignore her words.
Not when Nina’s eyes burned with determination to stand up for herself. Not when she was showing him what it ant to fight fair and square—with dignity—even when she was clearly the one being wronged.
"I’m sorry," he whispered, suppressing the urge in his heart. "I’m really sorry."
Nina shook her head with a small smile, cupping his face. "Don’t apologize. If anything, I should thank you. I know this isn’t easy for you, but... thank you for letting lead this one."
She exhaled before adding with a teasing smile, "Besides... now that I’m officially unemployed, I have ti to decorate the rooms you’ve vacated." Her smile stretched as she lowered her hand from his cheek, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Plus, I can finally focus on the wedding preparations—because apparently, we still haven’t decided on a date."
Her brows rose when she noticed the lingering disappointnt in his eyes.
"Babe, since I’m unemployed... I’ll have to freeload off you. Is that okay?"
"Why wouldn’t it be?" Finn sighed. "Since you’re living here now, you don’t have to pay for anything. I did put my card in your purse, didn’t I?"
"Then I’ll use it to my heart’s content!" she quipped, trying her best to lighten his mood. She wanted him to know that even if he didn’t storm off, he was still doing sothing for her—being her pillar of support when she needed it the most.
For a second, Finn just stared at her before sighing heavily. "I know what you’re doing," he grumbled, eventually hugging her back and resting his forehead on her shoulder. "But I’m still upset. Not at you—at them."
"Haha. I know you are, but it’s fine." Nina hugged him tighter. "This... this isn’t going to break us. If anything, they just gave us even more chances to enjoy life."
Slowly, Finn pulled back, staring at her radiant smile. After a mont, his eyes softened with affection as he let out a faint sigh.
"You’re right. This isn’t going to break us."
Instead of seeing Nina’s resignation as his parents’ victory, they could look at it another way. Now, she had the freedom to explore new opportunities. And they had more ti together—to plan their future, to focus on their wedding.
"I’ll kiss you," he announced quietly, tilting his head as he leaned in.
Nina bit her lip and stood still, closing her eyes as his lips drew closer. But just as his breath caressed her upper lip, the sound of the doorbell interrupted them.
Both furrowed their brows, instinctively turning their heads toward the door.
"Finn, are you expecting guests at this hour?" Nina asked, keeping her eyes on the door just a few steps away.
Finn shook his head. "Let check who it is."
He approached the door and peeked through the peephole. The second he saw who was outside, he glanced back at Nina.
She raised a brow. "Who is it?"
"Neighbors."
And with that, he opened the door—revealing Penny and Zoren standing on the doorstep, Penny holding a cake.
"We didn’t properly welco you to the neighborhood last ti," Penny said with a big smile. "So we’re doing it right tonight!"
Nina and Finn: "..."
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