After the divorce, he begged

Chapter 249

“Yeah,” Rebecca said with an indifferent air. “I hope you actually mean it. We'll see each other in a month.”

She didn’t pause for a second, striding purposefully toward lan and Jessica who were waiting just ahead.

Jeffrey watched as she laughed and joked with them, climbing into their car without the slightest glance back. He

just stood there, rooted to the spot, long after their car had rolled out of sight, a dull ache settling in his chest.

“Boss,” Gregory began, hesitating.

Jeffrey kept his face blank. “Just say it.”

Gregory pressed his lips together, then finally blurted, “If you really can’t get over Ms. Jensen, why not just talk it

out with her? Mr. Garcia did go a bit far that day, but honestly, he wasn’t completely off the mark.”

Jeffrey answered, “No need.”

‘I'll keep every promise I've ever made! Jeffrey thought to himself.

‘I'm going to prove to Marcus and the others that a promise frommeans pushing to the very end-no matter

what it takes,’ he resolved silently.

“Are you really ready to let Ms. Jensen go for good?” Gregory said quietly. “By your agreement, once the divorce

is settled, you're never supposed to let her see you again—ever.”

Jeffrey remained silent, then simply walked away.

The next month flew by.

Jeffrey focused intently on his recovery, pouring every ounce of energy into the endless company affairs, big or

small, never giving himself a chance to dwell on Rebecca or the looming divorce.

Rebecca was just as busy as Jeffrey, throwing herself into company business day and night.

She hustled hard, learning all the ropes of management, and doing her homework on the Quinns and all the

other big-nfamilies in Honnala.

Apart from spending a little twith Samuel every day, every minute was given over to cramming info and

keeping up with everything—even meals were spent glued to her phone, catching up on details.

One day, lan cby to see her.

He watched as she finished her meal in just five minutes and headed upstairs, a flicker of worry crossing his face.

“Amelia, has Becky been like this lately?”

Amelia nodded. “Yeah.”

“Aren’t you going to say something to her?” lan asked, noticing she'd gotten noticeably thinner in just half a

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Chapter 249

month.

A

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“This is how she copes,” Amelia said, respecting Rebecca's choices, even if it meant burying herself in work to

numb the pain. “She says if she slows down, she'll just end up overthinking everything.”

“I'll go check on her,” lan said, still worried about Rebecca. Honestly, he couldn't even muster up an appetite.

As lan stepped into the study, Rebecca had just finished digging into the details-profiles, histories, and business

links-of nearly everyone worth knowing in Honnala. She was already gearing up to dive deeper into company

operations and investment strategies. If the Quinns tried anything, she was determined not to be caught off

guard.

There was a knock at the door.

“Becky,” lan called out.

Rebecca looked up, a little surprised to see him. “You already ate?”

“Yeah,” lan said, coming in and standing nearby, playing it cool. “What are you working on? You barely ate

anything before rushing up here.”

“You showed up at just the right time,” Rebecca said, swiveling her chair to face him. “I actually have a question

for you.”

lan gave her a look.

‘She wants advice from me?‘ He thought, a bit taken aback.

‘Why's she acting all formal now?‘ he wondered with a faint smile.

“Go on, just ask already! Whatever it is, I'm your guy-I'll spill everything,” lan said, trying to lighten the mood.

“How did you manage to keep smiling and talk business with people you didn’t even like back in college?”

Rebecca asked-a problem that'd bugged her for ages.

Back then, lan was nowhere near as mature as he is these days.

If he didn’t vibe with someone, he'd either roast them on the spot or just get snarky.

But after he launched his own business, he totally learned to dial it back. Now he can chat up people he used to

complain about, even managing a polite smile.

Rebecca and Jessica gave it a shot, but Rebecca bailed in less than a second, and Jessica only managed a minute

before cracking.

lan replied, “Because | wanted to get what | really wanted.”

Rebecca turned the words over in her mind.

‘What | really want... she thought.

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Chapter 249

“Seriously, you're tellingyou're going to put on a smile and actually chat with people you can’t stand fan

said, raising an eyebrow.

I've really thought it over, Rebecca admitted. With my stubborn personality, even if | get my hands

shares, the road ahead won't magically get easier. | need to figure out how to blend in with this world, the tole

herself, still determined to keep learning and improving.

lan didn’t look away. His eyes stayed on Rebecca, studying her face for any sign she was messing around.

But she wasn’t kidding, lan could tell-she really meant every word.

Yep, she was completely serious. ‘Guess she’s ready to dive right in, no matter what, lan thought, feeling a bit

surprised and impressed.

“So, do you have any tricks for that?” Rebecca asked.

“Honestly, | think you're doing just fine as you are,” lan replied earnestly. “You don’t follow the herd, and you

always stick to what you believe is right.”

Rebecca used to think it was enough just to be herself-no fronts, no games.

But the more she learned these days, the more she realized the real world wasn’t as simple as liking or not liking

someone.

Most people wore fake smiles, talked sweet while sharpening the knives behind your back, and double- dealing

was just how things ran.

Someone like her, always showing her true feelings, would only get labeled as naive.

Besides, being too stubborn only meant she’d crash that much harder.

“If you ever need help, just tell me. Just be yourself,” lan said, really not wanting to see her force herself to do

anything she hated.

“But | have to grow up,” Rebecca answered seriously. “I can’t spend my whole life living under someone else’s

protection like a baby bird that’s too scared to fly.”

She wanted to be someone who could stand on her own two feet.

For herself.

For Samuel and Amelia.

For her friends.

“So, seriously, how do you even deal with eating and drinking with people you don’t like?” Rebecca pushed the

question.

“Are you seriously askingthat?” lan raised an eyebrow.

Rebecca nodded. “Yeah.”

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Chapter 249

lan paused, tempted to say something but holding back.

“Just tell me. | really want to know,” Rebecca insisted.

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“Honestly, just cut out the feelings and keep your eyes on the prize,” lan said, casual as ever. “Sfolks just

love to prattle on and throw shade-don’t bother with it. Let it go in one ear and straight out the other.”

Rebecca filed that away in her mind.

lan couldn't help but worry,

There was never a shortage of newcomers in this business-just like Becky-even with Mr. Guzman and Liam

standing behind her, there were still people willing to make things difficult for her on purpose, especially with

Michael putting in a word.

He was honestly scared she might not be able to handle it.

Sometimes, even if she gave it her all, people would still find something to complain about.

It was way too easy to nitpick someone if you wanted to.

lan started to say something, then stopped-finally, he said, “Becky.”

“Hm?” Rebecca mumbled, her attention drifting back to the notes-Amelia had picked out only the most

important points for her.

“If anything comes up, | want you to tellright away,” lan said. “I know you hate asking for help, but think of