Chapter 232
Chapter 232
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Marina frowned, her lips parting as if to speak, but the words died on her tongue. Daron lowered his hand and spoke in a calm, measured tone.
“This report is excellent. You’ve only just joined Zamora Group and don’t know much about the company yet, so I imagine you sacrificed a lot of your personal time to complete it,” he said.
‘Why does he sound like he’s just praising some random employee?‘ Marina thought, an uneasy feeling creeping up inside her.
“I saw the message your sister sent me earlier. Since she asked, I don’t see any reason to refuse,” Daron continued.
“You can take the afternoon off. You can leave now,” he added.
Marina froze, momentarily at a loss.
Daron noticed she hadn’t moved and asked, “Is there something else?”
His voice was calm, carrying a polite courtesy that hadn’t been there when he’d spoken to her before.
Marina shook her head.
“No, that’s all,” she replied.
With her head down, Marina stepped out of Daron’s office. As she pulled the door shut behind her, she cast a final look his way.
Daron sat at his desk, looking completely at ease, his head bowed as he worked through the documents in front of him.
As if sensing her gaze, Daron looked up at her.
Their eyes met for just a split second, and Marina snapped her gaze away, shutting the door behind her.
Back at her desk, Marina was immediately approached by Bella, who looked genuinely curious.
“Marina, who did you recommend to Mr. Zamora?” Bella asked.
Ever since Marina joined Zamora Group, Bella had been the only one who’d been friendly to her. She figured Marina would probably recommend her.
As soon as Bella asked, everyone turned to look at her, just as curious about the answer.
‘Who’s the lucky one who got this chance to shine?‘ they all wondered.
“Mr. Zamora will be explaining the report himself at the company’s annual meeting,” Marina replied.
Bella let out a disappointed sigh, the hope in her eyes fading instantly.
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Chapter 232
Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and got back to work.
Bella felt like she’d just been punched in the gut.
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This report was supposed to be Chloe’s assignment for her, but she ended up passing it to Marina instead.
“This is all on Chloe. She didn’t even warn me that the report was going to be showcased at the annual meeting, Bella grumbled to herself.
Marina could see how disappointed Bella was, but she didn’t say anything to comfort her.
She’d spent nearly five days working on that report, and had to burn the midnight oil for several nights just to finish it.
She’d never planned to recommend Bella in the first place.
Marina shut down her computer, tidied up her desk, and grabbed her handbag from under the desk.
Seeing this, Bella leaned in and asked quietly, “Where are you going?”
Marina stood up, lowered her voice, and replied, “Mr. Zamora said my report was excellent, so he gave me the afternoon off. I’m heading out now. See you.”
“Mr. Zamora said my report was excellent, so he gave me the afternoon off. I’m off now, see you guys,” Marina said, grabbing her bag.
Bella managed a weak smile, but her disappointment was written all over her face.
‘If only I’d done that report myself, I’d be the one leaving early today,‘ Bella grumbled inwardly.
After leaving Zamora Group, Marina dialed Elnora’s number.
Elnora picked up right away.
Marina didn’t waste any time before asking, “Elnora, what did you say to Mr. Zamora? He just gave me the afternoon off.”
Elnora was quiet for a moment, sounding genuinely surprised that Daron had actually let Marina leave early.
After a long pause, Elnora finally asked in a low voice, “Did you two have a fight?”
Marina scratched her head, a little embarrassed. “Not really.”
“There wasn’t even any drama, no reason at all. Can you even call that a fight?‘ Marina thought to herself.
Elnora urged, “Come on, tell me. What did you guys actually talk about?”
Marina bit her lip. She’d originally planned to keep her distance from Daron at the Zamora Group, avoid any conflict, and just get through these three months peacefully.
But then, he brought up the night she got drunk and called him “husband.”
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Chapter 232
Marina had always thought that night was nothing more than a dream.
So when he mentioned it, her instincts kicked in, and she tensed up like a startled cat.
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She kept trying to convince him, determined to prove she’d never once regretted calling off their
engagement.
Elnora waited for a while, then finally spoke in that calm, knowing voice of hers.
“Is it that hard to say, or are you just being stubborn with him again?” she asked.
Marina looked totally mortified.
‘Leave it to my sister to see right through me,‘ Marina thought.
“Honestly, I don’t think Mr. Zamora is mad at me. I feel like he’s probably over me by now. After I explained
why I was so set on breaking off the engagement, he seemed fine with it,” Marina said.
“Maybe all he ever wanted after all these years was just an explanation,” she added.
Elnora let out a quiet laugh. “Are you sure he’s really over it?”
Marina hesitated. “Probably… I guess?”
Elnora just smiled, clearly not buying it.
“So, how did you explain to him why you insisted on ending things?” Elnora asked.
“Uh…” Marina was stumped by her sister’s question. She could lie to Daron, but lying to Elnora was impossible.
Elnora knew her way too well.
“Honestly, it doesn’t really matter what I said. What matters is…” Marina started.
Elnora jumped in. “Come on, how can you say it doesn’t matter? He waited ten years for the truth, and you just gave him a lie. That’s not solving anything.”
“Anna, that’s not really fair to him,” Elnora added.
Marina’s eyes turned red, and she bit down hard on her lip, her hand trembling as she held the phone.
“There is no answer. I’m not telling anyone the truth. So whatever I told him, that’s the answer he’ll have to accept,” Marina said.
Elnora thought, ‘She was hesitating just a moment ago, and now she’s suddenly determined to draw a line with Daron. No one changes that fast unless something big happened.’
“Did someone from the Zamora family reach out to you?” Elnora asked.
Even though it sounded like a question, Elnora already knew the answer.
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Chapter 232
“No… no, I didn’t,” Marina stammered.
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She tried to keep her voice steady, but a sob slipped out before she could stop it.
Elnora said, “Just stay where you are. I’ll have Anya come pick you up.”
Marina wiped away the tears that had slipped down her cheeks and whispered, “Okay.”
Elnora hung up.
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Marina put her phone away and stood quietly by the roadside, waiting for the assistant Anya Tran to come pick her up.
‘Honestly, I’m not even that sad, Marina told herself. I’ve always known how things would end between me and Daron. It’s not like I ever expected a happy ending.‘
But for some reason, she just wanted to cry. It was like there was this heaviness stuck in her chest, and the only way to let it out was through tears.
By the time Anya pulled up, Marina’s eyes were puffy from all the crying.
Her hands were full of crumpled tissues.
Anya hopped out and opened the car door for her.
“Hop in, Ms. Marina,” he said.
Marina nodded gloomily and walked over. Just as she bent down to get in, she spotted Elnora inside, rocking a sleek black suit, legs crossed with that signature elegance, giving Marina that fierce, slightly judgmental stare.
“Why are you crying? Just because someone from the Zamora family came knocking and told you to stay away from Daron, you’re really going to back off without a fight?” Elnora said.
“Why not flip the script and make Daron chase after you for once? That would really make the Zamora family eat their words,” she added.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
