A few hours later, I received a short message from Mr. Hanson.
“Young lady, knowing when to cut your losses is crucial in any investment.”
I had no idea what he meant, but soon, when I saw the flood of news reports, I understood his message.
[Han Corporation's Heir Pays an Astronomical Penalty to Boost New Idol's Career]
[Mark Hanson and Sandra Lewis: Childhood Sweetheart]
[The Crown Prince of the Hanson Family Spends Extravagant Amounts of Money to Protect First Love. A Romance Worth to Celebrate]
Numbly, I read article after article.
Then I put down my phone.
So, Mark had gone back home to play the role of a prince in a shining armor for Sandra and he had paid an astronomical penalty fee so he could sign Sandra to his family’s company.
It turned out, his commitment to his dream was not as unshakeable as I had thought. I suddenly realized that for some people they did not have to endure any hardships and injustices in their lives.
I did not know how long I sat there, but when I felt something cold on my cheeks, I startled and touched my face, then I realized it was wet with my tears.
Why am I crying?
I got up, washed my face, put myself together, went back to bed and slept through the afternoon. After all, I had been so tired lately.
The next day, I messaged the landlord to let him know I was moving out.
I quickly started packing. I threw out what needed to be thrown out and packed up what needed to be filled. After I arranged to stay with a friend for a few days, I called a moving truck.
As I sat in the back of the moving van, I saw a luxury car drive by from the opposite direction. I didn’t catch the license plate, but the model looked like the one Mark used to drive. I turned my gaze away and said to the driver, “I’m ready. Let’s go.”
We hadn’t driven for more than a few minutes when my phone rang.
It was Mark.
Without thinking, I immediately declined the call.
Almost in an instant, a new message popped up on WhatsApp. "Tessa, why is the apartment empty? Where are you? Call me back!"
I paused for a moment, then typed "Goodbye" and hit send before quickly deleting Mark from my contacts list.
Perhaps, because he had achieved the outcome he wanted, Mr. Hanson was no longer interested in making things difficult for someone as insignificant as me. In fact, he even gave me a few decent job opportunities my way, like a small gesture of compensation.