Shay's POV
"You're resigning?" My manager exclaimed in shock.
I slowly nodded, and he reluctantly took my resignation letter from my hand while letting out a heavy sigh.
"I didn't know you would want to resign this soon. You're my best secretary, Kellen."
I nervously chuckled and gave him a broad smile.
"I'm really sorry for the short notice." He waved me off and then nodded his head at me.
"It's fine, I understand. I do wish you all the best in the future. It was great working with you, Shay."
"You too, sir."
We shook hands, and then I turned around and left his office with a relieved feeling. Now that that's done, I still have one more thing to do before I meet up with Dad at work to talk. I've thought about it last night and finally made up my mind. I am going to tell him today that I'm moving out from home to start living my own life independently.
I approached the elevators and pressed the button on the wall, waiting. When the doors finally opened, I was surprised to see the person standing inside, mirroring my exact same expression.
"Chase."
He looked at me from head to toe and then gestured for me to follow him. We went into an empty boardroom on the other side of the hallway, and then we sat down, facing each other, trying to avoid the awkwardness in the room.
"So, it's been a while." He immediately spoke first.
"Yeah, true. How's working from home going for you?" He shrugged his shoulders.
"Normal but boring. I'll be coming back to the company once they're done renovating my office. I'm just here to check it out."
I nodded and glanced around the room. It still felt so weird to have a normal conversation with him since he knows who I am. Plus, the awkwardness was pretty uncomfortable too.
"Anyway, how's work life? Has anyone found out your little secret yet?" He asked with a hint of teasing in his tone.
"Nope, and I don't think anyone will ever know. I've resigned today." His eyes slightly widened in surprise.
"Why?"
"Personal reasons. I still hope you will keep my secret, even when I'm not working here anymore."
He chuckled and ran his fingers through his hair.
"The threat is gone now, so why should I still keep your identity a secret?"
I narrowed my eyes at him and forced a smile on my face.
"Because I know you have no reason to use it against me. So, we good?" He glared back in return and then, after a minute, he finally nodded his head.
I stood up from the table and looked down at him with a smile.
"I have to go. See you around, Evans."
I walked out of the room and made my way back to the elevators. I fished out my phone from my handbag and dialed Jason's number before getting into the elevator. It rang for about a minute until he finally answered.
"Hey."
"Hi. So, how did it go?" He asked straight away with a cheery tone.
"It went well, almost got teary with my manager." He chuckled deeply.
"Okay. So, where are you now?"
I exited the elevator and walked through the lobby before answering him.
"Um, I'm still here. Is it okay if I can head back to your place and get my clothes? They should be back from the dry cleaners by now, right?"
"Um, yeah. You can go. Martha should be there, and you can just ask her for it. She checks in two times a week to clean the place."
"Okay. Well anyway, thanks. I'll get my stuff, and then I'll head straight to Dad's office from there. I'm going to tell him first that I'll be moving out from home soon."
He went quiet for a minute while I walked out of the building and tried to hail a cab.
"Okay, good luck with that. I have to go for a meeting now. I'll call you later, okay?"
"Okay, bye." I ended the call with a smile and then got into the cab that suddenly pulled up in front of me.
Along the drive, I suddenly had a change of mind. It would be weird to go to my dad's office with my clothes in hand, and I'm sure he will immediately start to ask questions since I didn't return home last night. I'll retrieve my clothes from Jason's place later. I quickly informed the driver of a different address, and he swerved the car around. So now I'll go meet Dad first and then later go to Jason's penthouse.
The cab pulled up in front of the big company building, and I stepped out of the vehicle and stared up at the bold word on the top: 'FALCON.'
I did a quick breathing exercise before entering the building. I took the elevator up to the 7th floor, and when the doors finally opened, my heart jumped a little. I slowly walked down the hallway and greeted his front desk secretary, Angie, with a warm smile.
"Hello, Shay."
"Hi, Angie, is Dad in?" She quickly nodded her head.
"Yes, should I let him know that you're here?"
"No, no, it's fine. This is a little surprise visit." A knowing look suddenly appeared on her face.
"Yeah, color me surprised too. Anyway, go on in. Don't let me stop you."
I smiled gratefully at her and then walked toward Dad's office. I knocked on the door, and he called me in to enter. He looked at me in surprise and confusion when he saw me walk in and didn't say a word until I sat down.
"Your office is ready. You can start working next week. You can check out your office space on the 6th floor before you leave."
I glanced down at the floor and then released a sigh before meeting his eyes directly.
"Actually, Dad, I came here because I want to talk to you about something else." He shot me a look and then squinted his eyes at me.
"Go on."
"I'm moving out from home soon," I told him straight away without hesitation.
For a minute, he just stared at me and then burst out laughing.
"You're joking, right?" I shook my head and gave him a serious look.
"I'll be moving out soon, and I want to start living my own life independently without any of you involved. You've given me a week to decide, and that's my final decision. I am not going to work here because I'll be moving out from home and getting another job that I'd like."
It felt like a great weight was lifted off my shoulders after telling him what I'd been afraid to say my whole life. I suddenly felt relieved, but when his expression changed, my heart started to beat faster, and I felt a little afraid of what he was going to say next.
"Is that so?" He leaned toward the table and propped his hands on top while studying me.
"You do realize that when you move out, you will lose everything you have. Your last name, your company shares, your car and belongings, including your inheritance. You'll walk out without anything at all. These kinds of irrational decisions require a lot of thinking, Shay-Lina. Are you sure you want to do that?"
I hadn't thought about that part at all, and it suddenly worried me. But this is what I've been wanting to do my whole life: to finally walk out with my freedom. I don't care if I have to start from scratch to live on my own. I'll still be able to do whatever I want, and people will start to recognize me for who I really am, not as someone with 'Falcon' as their last name.
I faced Dad with a stern look and nodded my head once with finality.
"Yes, that's my final decision. Whether you, Mom, or my sisters accept it or not, I will still move out and live my life the way I want to."
With that said, I stood up from the chair and left his office without looking back. It was only when I was inside a cab again heading to Jason's penthouse that I suddenly realized what I'd done. I pondered over the thought of my brave actions, and while it made me feel a little worried, I was really glad that I did it anyway.
The cab stopped in front of the familiar apartment building, and I got out of the car and made my way straight inside.
I took the elevator straight up to the last floor, and the doors opened with a loud 'ding.' I walked inside the penthouse. I immediately spotted the dress bag on the couch with my clothes inside, and I walked toward it, taking it off the seat.
A noise came from the kitchen, and I quickly assumed it was Martha, the housekeeper that Jason was talking about. I waited for her to come into the living room so I could thank her for taking care of my clothes, but to my total surprise, it wasn't Martha that entered the room.
"Mrs. Cartwright?"