UNIQUE and Gigi rushed to her when the two saw her entered the office.

“Oh, my gosh, Lien! What happened to you?” Unique asked worriedly.

“You really got into Gianna’s nerves this time, girl,” said Gigi.

She just smiled at her two colleagues. Lien wasn’t afraid anymore whatever her editor-in-chief would say. She came to the office armed with her resignation letter. She waved it in front of them.

Lien thought about it a hundred times when she went to her grandmother’s house. And no matter how many times she asked herself, she only got one answer. She decided to let go of her past now. Finally, after years of chasing her father’s shadow, Lien was ready to let go and move forward with her new life. The first step, to resign from her current work. All thanks to Vince. He made her realize that even though life wasn’t fair to her at the start, she still deserves to be happy. Now she promised herself not to waste her second chance in life. The first few steps might be challenging, but she will try to survive.

Last night, she started writing her very first story and posted the first part of it on a free reading platform. When she woke up and checked this morning, she already garnered a couple of parents flooding the comment section. Asking for the second part because their kids love it and were thrilled to know what will happen next. It brought her joy that she hadn’t felt for a long time.

As for her feelings for Darren, she felt that there’s no need to rush. That hole in her heart would heal soon.

“Are you sure about this?” Unique asked worriedly. “Do you really have to do this?”

“I’ve already thought about this, and I always come up with a yes,” Lien told her friends.

Gigi gave her a pat on her shoulder. “I’m gonna miss you, girl.”

“Come on, we can always meet and hangout.” She smiled. “Excuse me, I have to talk to the boss first.”

Lien went to their boss’s office. He was busy reading a broadsheet, not theirs, though.

“Sir Justin,” she called to get his attention.

He raised his head. “Oh, Lien. Have you talk to Gianna?”

She slowly shook her head and put her resignation letter on his table—a deep knot formed on Sir Justin’s forehead.

“What is this, Lien?” her boss asked without touching the letter.

“My resignation letter, Sir.”

“What?” His eyes widened. “What’s gotten into you? Believe me, Lien, your editor-in-chief just had this hormonal imbalance thing that’s why—”

“I want to quit,” she cut him off.

“No.” He pushed the letter toward her. “I can’t accept this, Lien. You’re my ace, and you know that. I know there were rough times at work, but we can make some arrangements. I can’t afford to lose you.”

“No, Sir Justin… I am no good because I don’t love this job. This is not what I want. I may seem good to you, but that’s because I was too competitive, and I want recognition from my father. But I was never happy. It makes me sad,” she explained. “And whether you accept my resignation or not, I’d still leave. I’m sorry. No one can stop me now.”

Her boss heaved a sigh.

“And what are you planning to do after quitting this job?” he asked.

“I’ll be a children’s book author.”

“Do you already find a publisher?”

“Not yet.”

“Then how are you going to live for the next days?” He shook his head, dismissively.

“Well, I was hoping that you could give me a large amount of separation pay since I was your favorite,” she said jokingly.

“Oh, God, Lien. I’m gonna miss you.” Her boss stood up and gave her a hug. “You should find a hotshot CEO, or an engineer, or a lawyer, or maybe a doctor. How can you survive at this rate?”

Lien couldn’t help but laugh with her boss’s advice. And then Vince’s image flashed on her mind.

“I think I already have a prospect,” she said, laughing.

“That’s too fast. Who is it?”

“A secret I’d never tell anyone,” she said.

“Really, huh?” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Then forget about your separation pay.”

“Then, I must take my leave and pack up my things.”

“You still have fifteen days, dear,” her boss reminded her.

“I know. But I’ll be working on my articles at home.”

“I cannot stop you, though.” He plopped down on his chair.

“Yeah.”

Lien went out of the boss’s office feeling light. She headed to her cubicle and started to pack up.

“Should we go to your condo later for a farewell party?” Gigi asked, rolling her swivel chair toward her cubicle.

“Why don’t we just go to Daily Dews?” Unique suggested.

“Oh, that’s a great idea,” Lien agreed. “My unit is a bit messy now because I haven’t cleaned it yet. I stayed at Grams house for days.”

Gigi suddenly grabbed her elbow. “What happened to this?”

“Ah… that. I scratched it when I fell into the ground.” It was healing, so she didn’t bother to put bondage. But Lien forgot that she has nosy colleagues in the form of these two.

“Why would you fall in the ground?” Unique looked at her with furrowed brows.

“When you trip, you stumble, you know.”

“I am not buying it,” said Gigi.

“Me too,” Unique agreed.

She laughed. “Stop being nosy and get back to work.”

“IS there still anything that you’d like to consult?” Vince asked his patient. He was the last one, so he could go home later on.

“Ah, Doc, I find it hard to sleep at night,” the patient said.

“Oh, I see.” He added another one to his prescription. “Take melatonin before bedtime. One tablet, okay? If it doesn’t work, make it two tablets. Here.”

Vince handed the prescription paper to the patient.

“Thank you, Doc.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll see you again after a month.”

The patient left his clinic.

He yawned and stretched his muscles. Vince was about to leave his seat when his secretary came in.

“Doc, someone wants to see you,” Giselle informed her.

“If that someone is from a pharma—”

“No, Doc. She said she was your patient from the neighborhood.”

He laughed. “Let her in.”

Lien went inside his clinic.

“You should have waited for me to come home,” he said.

“Well… I wanted to see you at work to see how amazing you are.” She grinned.

“Silly.”

“Anyway, I’d like to invite you tonight if you’re available.”

“What’s the occasion?”

“I… I quit my job. It’s a farewell party.”

“Oh.” He nodded. “In your place?”

“Nope. At Daily Dews.”

“You’re coming?”

“Yes.”

“Great!” Lien beamed.

Vince didn’t know if his eyes were fooling him, but Lien’s eyes seemed to twinkle.