The rejected project proposal and the resignation letter she had spent an hour composing landed on Mason Han's massive, imposing mahogany desk with a satisfying thud—the most liberating moment Raina Lu had ever known in her life.

"Mr. Han, I quit."

Five years of secret longing, three years of endurance, reduced to ashes in a single moment.

The relief ran deeper than the pain: a clean, final ease. She had finally chosen to let go.

Mason Han looked up, and that refined, impossibly handsome face came into view—so perfect it might have belonged to a mannequin.

She had endured enough for this man.

His gaze swept coldly over the proposal and over Raina Lu alike. "Assistant Lu, have you considered reconsidering?"

If this had been Raina Lu two years ago—no, one year ago—she might have wavered at the sound of his voice alone. But now, Raina Lu only smiled and answered in the same polished, professional tone she had mastered as his top assistant: "I've thought it through, Mr. Han. No need."

"Ms. Lu. In that case, I'm sure you know the usual procedure. Complete your handover, settle this month's salary with Finance, and you're free to go. And while you're at it, send Lucy in."

Then he lowered his head to his documents again, as if nothing at all had happened.

Raina Lu drew a slow breath.

She forced herself to swallow her feelings—anything less, and she might lose control right here in Mason Han's office.

She had held on this long; what was one more moment?

Though in that instant, she truly wanted to drive her fist into Mason Han's face and see whether she could crack that eternal mask of ice.

"Ms. Lu?" Mason Han spoke again, abruptly.

"What?" Raina Lu hadn't caught up.

"If it's convenient, take these files to Sales."

A stack of documents sat within easy reach. From where she stood, she could still see Mason Han's profile—clean, sharp lines, lips pressed into a faint chill. Even at a glance, you could feel how sparing with words he was, how exacting and serious.

And she knew better than anyone what kind of man he was.

To command a subordinate who had just handed in her resignation as naturally as this—Mason Han, truly…

Raina Lu didn't so much as glance at the files. She pushed open the door to the general manager's office and walked out without caring what Mason Han thought.

"Wait—"

"I've resigned. I'm allowed to refuse, aren't I?"

A pause. Then Mason Han's voice, still ice-cold: "Now isn't the best time to change jobs. End of year—"

Raina Lu pulled the door shut before he could finish.

She had thought Mason Han might react somehow. She had thought that even without love, he might feel at least some professional regard… Clearly, that had been wishful thinking.

He hadn't even asked why she was leaving.

Their relationship was nothing more than boss and employee.

From that moment, pain began to spread through her chest.

The impeccably tailored work suit suddenly felt heavier than ever. Raina Lu didn't bother returning to her desk. She tore off her necktie, tossed it into the trash, loosened her collar, and headed for the stairwell at the end of the corridor.

"Raina, what's wrong?"

The new intern, Ann, asked from beside the pantry, cup in hand as she poured hot water.

Raina Lu managed a crooked smile and ruffled the younger woman's hair with a quiet laugh.

"I'm fine. Keep at it. Barring any surprises, you'll be signing a formal contract in about a month."

Ann set down her cup and nodded with a smile. "Thank you—thank you, Raina."

Raina Lu considered telling her she was leaving, then decided against it.

"Got a lighter?"

"Huh?"

"Never mind."

She pushed open the stairwell door and looked out at row after row of towering buildings, suddenly feeling weary.

Three years of her life had been worn away in these vertical canyons of glass and steel—and for what, in the end?

A breeze slipped through the open collar at her neck; she felt a pinch of cold.

She took out her phone and dialed.

"Raina?" A low male voice, questioning.

"It's me." Raina Lu paused. "Kai, I quit."

"What happened?"

"Nothing much—"

"I told you Mason Han wasn't right for you—"

"Kai, don't—"

After a brief silence, Kai Lu sighed. His tone was hard, but she caught the trace of compromise and warmth beneath it.

"Come home… I'll pick you up now."

Raina Lu answered softly, "Okay."

Kai was a good older brother. In her memory, Kai Lu showed warmth to almost no one—except her. He spoiled his little sister utterly.

Perhaps because of that, Raina had always been drawn to men like him.

Otherwise—Raina braced her forehead on her elbow and laughed at herself—how could she ever have fallen for someone like Mason Han?

Five years. She had loved Mason Han for five full years.

She had first seen him five years ago.

Back then, Raina Lu, newly in her junior year of university, had been a thoroughgoing troublemaker.

She had entered college on her parents' influence, then skipped classes, picked fights, and accomplished nothing worth the name—though university was never especially strict, and most professors had looked the other way when she cut lectures. She had enjoyed the freedom, and after two years she still couldn't name half the people in her class.

Meeting Mason Han had been pure accident.

That year he had been invited to campus to give a speech. Raina naturally hadn't planned to attend. After a day of carousing, she returned to her dorm late only to find she'd left her key behind. She hesitated, then decided the auditorium wasn't far—she'd go back for the key.

Mason Han stood at the podium, delivering his remarks without expression. Every word carried Han Corp's signature brevity and edge.

His voice was low, magnetic.

He surely didn't remember Raina Lu. But she never forgot the sight of Mason Han on that stage.

He made no grand gestures. He wore an ordinary black suit. Yet on Mason Han, ordinary became anything but. His composure suggested that everything was under control, that nothing would go wrong—a presence so commanding it was almost its own kind of charisma.

From that moment, Raina Lu had fallen for this man.

She hunted down every scrap of information she could find about Mason Han—profiles, interviews, whatever existed.

He didn't seek the spotlight; there wasn't much to uncover.

But it was enough for Raina Lu to see that this man was the real thing: an elite in every sense.

They might both have been born into wealth, but compared with him, she was hopeless—worse than useless.

From those few articles, she learned that Mason Han preferred clever people, that he dealt only with the sharpest minds in business.

He would never choose someone like her—someone who solved problems with brute force instead of study.

None of that mattered to her. She wasn't stupid; she could learn. She believed she could do it.

And she had.

Five years of effort. Raina Lu could barely remember who she had been before. She couldn't pinpoint when she had begun to speak and act by rote, when she had grown more polished, more worldly.

But still—not enough.

Mason Han still…

Didn't love her.

Raina Lu lowered her head. The last light of sunset crept slowly across her shoulders.

---

She settled into Kai Lu's car and pressed the button twice.

A gentle English song filled the small cabin. Raina propped her forehead against her hand, closed her eyes, and let the melody seep in.

Kai drove. At the next intersection, the light turned red.

He glanced at Raina. Something like pain moved through his usually cold eyes.

"Why did you come down without bringing anything?"

Raina didn't open her eyes. "The rest doesn't matter anymore."

After a pause, Kai asked again, "Raina, are you really letting go?"

Raina gave a bitter laugh. "Do I have a choice? I held on for so many years, and in the end it was all for nothing."

"You—"

"Kai, don't ask if it was worth it. I don't know myself what all those years were for. I don't even know how much of what I felt for him is left…"

Before she could finish, a gentle hand settled on her head.

Since adulthood, Raina Lu had lived harder than anyone.

Hardly anyone touched her head anymore; comfort was rare. In truth, she rarely needed it.

But now, a grief so sharp it was almost unbearable ran riot through her nerves.

She couldn't let go. She hurt.

Kai turned the wheel and pulled to the curb.

He shut off the music. His voice was low and mild. "Raina, if you're hurting, cry."

Raina Lu couldn't hold on any longer. She grabbed Kai's sleeve and buried her face in his chest.

Her voice was muffled by fabric, edged with a sob.

"Kai, I'm really hurting."

"For three years I watched Mason Han date one girlfriend after another, then watched each one leave. No matter how close I got, he always felt like a dream I could never reach. These three years, every time I tried to come nearer, he had no reaction at all…"

"I know. I know…"

"Kai, can I still go home?"

"You can. Mom regrets it already. Dad puts on a tough face, but he's been waiting for you too."

Three years ago she had defied her parents for Mason Han. No parent wants a daughter to tear up an arranged engagement, join a rival company, and chase a man who didn't want her.

She couldn't remember how many fights they'd had.

In the end she moved out alone. Her parents stopped sending money. Without Kai's help, she might never have scraped through.

At the worst of it, Raina Lu's parents had publicly disowned her.

She hadn't cared then. Yet in the end, the only people who could take her in were family.

The irony cut deep. Raina Lu wasn't nearly as strong as she'd believed.