Chapter 791 She’s Leaving

Meanwhile, on the other side, in the study of the main building, Gregory was having an international conference call. The conference was not focused on his side of the matter but rather the domestic affairs of Graham Corporation in the capital. Although he was not in the country, there were a lot of matters in Graham Corporation that required him to call the shots about, take control of, and provide exact directions and suggestions. In fact, Gregory was quite busy. After a knock on the door, he called for the person to come in. He lifted his gaze and noticed that it was Massimo. With a glint in his eyes, he spoke briefly with the higher management on video and quickly adjourned the meeting before turning his computer off. Without beating around the bush, he went straight to the point. “Did you tell her?” Massimo nodded. Gregory raised a brow. With one hand, he picked up a glass on the table and took a sip while asking. “Did she refuse?” Massimo gave another nod. He paused for a bit but could not hold his tongue in the end. Lifting his chin to shoot him a look, he begrudgingly added. “Why bother when you knew it would come to this? We tried our best to talk some sense into you, but you refused to listen and had your heart set on throwing her in there. You no longer have a place in her heart, yet you’re desperately trying to keep her. Gregory, what are you really thinking about?” Gregory remained silent without uttering a word. Massimo was fretful for his difficult brother’s sake. There was also an indescribable emotion buried deep within him. He strutted to the sofa and fell back on his bottom before propping his hands under his cheeks. Unhappily, he grumbled, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, but the way I see it, hell hath no fury like a man scorned! Even I, as a manly man and your bro, wouldn’t forgive you if you did the same to me, let alone Vick.” Gregory shifted his gaze up to throw a glance at him, remaining unfazed in the face of his resentment. He solemnly enquired, “What did she say?” Massimo coldly scoffed, “What’s there more to say? She made it clear that the past is in the past and told you to give up! Don’t go and pester her again.” Gregory curled his lip to a chilly angle. It seemed to be a jeer that contained a hint of stubbornness that beggared description. He coldly smirked. “She sure has aspirations.” Massimo was rendered speechless by his tone of voice. Anxious and furious, he peevishly replied, “I guess you won’t yield until the day you’re faced with the grim reality! Vick is a wonderful girl and it’s no surprise she refuses to look back after all the hurt you’ve caused her! Do you think everyone will accommodate you?” However, Gregory was not angered by his words. Instead, he faintly cast a sidelong glance at him and said, “You can leave if there’s nothing else.” Massimo speechlessly shot daggers at him. Oh, if only looks could kill! “Fine, I finally see it clearly. You needed me, so you called me to speak on your behalf, but now that all is done, you cast me aside. Fine, I won’t be in your way. Goodbye.” He got up and made a beeline out. Gregory sat there, his eyes darkening as Massimo left the scene. Vickie came looking for him in the afternoon. At that moment, Gregory was preparing for a nap when he heard about her arrival. Unsurprised, he got up and instructed Mr. Osborne to let her in. The woman looked rather dashing as she donned pale blue casual wear today. There was the same brilliance that he was familiar with captured in her features. Gregory’s eyes deepened. He already knew the reason she was here even without giving it a thought. However, he was not in that bad of a mood as he had imagined. Perhaps, he long knew that this day would come. The gap that set them apart was not that easy to fill up. Although Gregory had high hopes that she would stay for old times’ sake, that she would forget the past and return into his arms, he was aware that this was wishful thinking. He sat there without moving an inch while Vickie approached him and stopped to meet his gaze. “I’m leaving.” His fingers that gripped a pen stiffened. His face was blank, but his tone was gruff as he questioned, “Are you really refusing to stay?” Vickie was quiet for a few seconds before giving a smile. “I can’t do it.” These four words reflected the infinite helplessness, heartache, and bottled-up resentment within her. Gregory did not say a word. Amidst the silence, the pair, one standing and one seated, zipped their lips as if time stood still. After a while, he softly uttered, “Okay.” After muttering the word out loud, Gregory sensed the drift even in his voice. He added softly, “Just be careful once you’re out there. The Chinese Association...” Gregory paused. Still worried for her, he informed, “They haven’t stopped their operations over the years. They might come after you since they know you’re out.” With a smile, Vickie answered without a second thought, “I’m not afraid. I’m waiting for them to come to find me!” The real perpetrators behind the death of her siblings were the ones who had taken all measures to sow discord and made her take the fall. Even if they did not come looking for her, she would not let these people off the hook. In addition, they used to be members of the Vermillion Bird Organization and the Dragon Regiment. They had betrayed their own kind and joined the Chinese Organization. They were the mastermind behind all this and kept everyone in the dark. Despite seeing them as brothers, they had forged their deaths, used her, schemed against her, and pushed her down a path of no return. Vickie’s eyes turned cold. Probably sensing this, Gregory gently lifted his head and gazed at her. He spoke in a low voice, “You can’t single-handedly take them down. Don’t be reckless.” As she raised a brow, she chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’m not stupid to throw away my life after barely surviving.” Gregory’s mind was at rest following this statement. At this point, there was nothing left to be said. The pair remained still until Vickie broke the silence. “I’ll get going.” While Gregory nodded, she turned and walked out. Many, many years later when the duo was old in the tooth, their minds would hark back to this afternoon, revisiting the inner peace during that time as though it was the most ordinary afternoon. However, they would find out after many twists and turns that at that moment, while they might be apart physically, it marked the beginning of their union in spirit. In this world, possession did not necessarily mean holding on tightly. Sometimes, letting go at the right time would see the pair regaining a piece of themselves. Vickie did not head straight to Jennie after she left. Instead, she called Jennie to meet up. Jennie had just handed in her resignation that day and needed to complete her contract for another two weeks, but the person in charge of the bar suddenly came by and told her that they managed to hire someone, so she could quit in advance.