But it was worth it. As long as I could get back to Ella, be with her through the pregnancy, watch our child be born—this was nothing.
"Tell Hill seven o'clock at the French restaurant downstairs," I ordered. "And bring me the rest of those files. I want everything handled by the end of the day."
"Yes, sir." The assistant left.
That afternoon, I headed down to Legal to sign some urgent documents. Turning a corner in the hallway, I ran into Vivian.
Since her demotion, we worked on different floors. Hadn't seen her in weeks. After I found out she'd been spreading rumors about Ella and me divorcing, I'd stripped her of the chief assistant position and dumped her into a support role. That kind of position was basically exile at the Rockefeller Group. With the new CEO Hill and his ambitious team moving in, someone like her who wasn't part of the inner circle would never touch core business again.
She stood directly in my path, lips trembling, eyes begging. She looked haggard, that impeccable makeup unable to hide the exhaustion and anxiety underneath.
I didn't slow down. Walked right past her without a glance.
What did she want to say? Complain about the new team freezing her out? Sorry. Zero interest. To me, she was just a bug in the system waiting to be deleted. Not worth a second of my time.
That evening, I spent three hours with Hill at the French restaurant for final transition talks. He was a capable professional manager—twenty years on Wall Street, experienced, ruthless. Grandfather had personally selected him. I trusted him completely.
"You're sure about leaving for two years?" Hill cut into his steak casually. "Two years is a long time. Business landscape changes fast. You might miss some major opportunities."
"I'm sure." I sipped my wine. "I trust you to handle everything."
"I will." He smiled. "But honestly, Lucas, I respect you. Not many men at your level would walk away from their career for family."
"Some things matter more than career," I said. "Took me a long time to figure that out."
Hill nodded and said nothing more.
After dinner, I went back to the office to work. The team had organized a small farewell party. They'd ordered champagne and cake, and decorated the conference room with balloons and streamers.
"To our boss!" Someone raised a glass.
"Hope the boss has a baby soon!"
"Family happiness!"
Glass after glass of champagne went down. I rarely drank, but today I couldn't refuse. The party lasted over two hours. By the end, my head was spinning.
"Mr. Rockefeller, let me help you to the lounge." Someone supported me.
I mumbled something. Stumbling, half-carried to the lounge attached to my office.
The bed was soft. I collapsed onto it and lost consciousness almost instantly.
The next morning, a shrill ringtone jolted me awake.
My head felt like it was splitting. Mouth dry as cotton. I fumbled for my phone, squinting at the screen.
Ella.
I answered immediately.
"Hello?" My voice came out hoarse.
"Lucas." Her voice was calm, but that calm made my scalp prickle. "What did you do last night?"
"Last night?" I struggled to remember. "I went to the farewell party, had some drinks, then went back to the lounge to sleep. Why?"
"You sure that's all you did?"
