Chapter 6
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Emily’s face darkened.
Graham stepped over to the table, looking for the broken photo frame, but it was gone.
He froze, then looked straight at her. “Where’s the photo frame that was here?”
She frowned. “I threw it out.”
His voice suddenly shot up. “You threw it out?”
“Yeah, it was broken anyway. And really, why keep a picture of you and your housekeeper? What good is that?”
Graham clenched his fists. “Where did you throw it?”
“I tossed it in a trash bag. The garbage collectors came by a little while ago, and I handed it
off to them.”
His phone slipped from his hand and hit the floor with a sharp crack.
Emily turned to him in surprise, only to see his eyes burning with anger.
“Graham, what’s wrong with you?”
He didn’t answer. He turned toward the door, ready to go out again.
Emily rushed forward and grabbed his arm.
“Where are you going now? What’s going on with you today? You’ve been acting like a completely different person.”
Graham tried to pull away, but she only held on tighter, refusing to let go.
“Let go of me,” he said coldly. “I’m going to get that photo frame back.”
Emily’s eyes widened. “Have you lost your mind? Are you seriously about to dig through a
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garbage truck for a photo of your housekeeper?”
Graham flung her hand off his arm and shouted, “She’s not a housekeeper! She’s my girlfriend! Go home, Emily! You’re not welcome here!”
He stormed off toward the neighborhood dump.
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But by the time he got there, it was already too late. The garbage from earlier had already been destroyed.
Meanwhile, I had just stepped off the plane when my phone lit up with a flurry of
notifications.
I glanced at the screen, saw the 54 missed calls, and blocked the number without a second
thought.
Naomi’s hand stayed wrapped around mine as we walked on.
As we stepped out of the airport, a blond young man walked toward us with a bright,
welcoming smile.
“Hello, Ms. Fields. I’m Leon Kaiser from HR. Welcome to the company,” he greeted me
warmly.
I shook his hand firmly.
Leon had been incredibly thoughtful. As soon as he found out I was joining the team, he arranged everything for a smooth transition, even finding a place for me that was close to
the office.
The apartment was cozy and comfortable. I asked Naomi if she liked it.
She nodded excitedly and said she wanted to live there forever.
Seeing her happy, I signed the lease without hesitation.
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And just like that, we officially started a new chapter in a new city.
Naomi adapted far quicker than I expected.
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Worried she might struggle with the language, I enrolled her in a language class. But to my surprise, she picked it up in no time just by chatting with her teachers.
Preschool here ended early each day, so I always picked her up and brought her back to my office.
She never made a fuss. While I worked, she quietly sat beside me, doing her homework without interrupting.
My coworkers adored her and were always sneaking her candy and snacks.
To give her a better life, I poured everything I had into work.
Before long, my skills were recognized. Project after project started landing in my lap, and with every successful pitch and report, my salary climbed.
One day, while chatting with a former intern named Rachel Carlson, she brought up
Graham.
“Nora, you wouldn’t believe it. Ever since you left, Mr. Ashford has kept changing
secretaries. None of them lasts more than a few weeks. He snaps at HR every time there’s a
meeting.”
Rachel sighed. “Nobody could manage him like
you did.”
I gave a faint smile. It wasn’t surprising to hear that.
From the moment I accepted that scholarship from Dean, I had sworn to myself I’d build a
future with my own hands.
Over the years, I’d earned confidence in my professional abilities.
Back then, every single morning, I would get up early to make Graham’s breakfast, organize his calendar, confirm meetings with different departments, and finalize business
