The Night I Left, He Turned Grey

She hung up the phone.

The receptionist continued to verify her attendance records with her. After she signed the form, they sent her to the finance department to check for any outstanding reimbursements.

Leila Jennings had never submitted any expense reports, but she followed procedure and went to finance, where they stamped and signed her paperwork.

The afternoon was dedicated to the handover.

She was handing her duties over to Caine, going through the checklist item by item.

This included company property, such as her work phone.

Leila Jennings took the brand-new phone Nathaniel Cole had given her last time out of her drawer and handed it to Caine.

Caine was momentarily stunned, her red lips parting slightly. "Honey, this was a bonus from President Cole. It’s not a work phone. It’s for you to keep."

"Quick, hide it. Don’t let President Cole see it."

’If President Cole saw it, he’d definitely scowl. And whenever he scowls, the temperature in the entire office plummets. It’s almost winter; we’d all freeze to death.’

Leila Jennings put the phone away again.

Caine couldn’t help but sigh. ’President Cole, oh, President Cole,’ she thought, ’can you really not get it done? You can’t even keep one person from leaving.’

"Jennings, didn’t you get a box from admin? How are you going to pack up the things on your desk?"

"I don’t have much. It’ll all fit in my bag." Leila Jennings had been planning to resign all along. The only personal items at her desk were her water cup and the phone in her drawer. Everything else was company-issued.

Caine glanced over and said with mock seriousness, "No wonder your desk is always the tidiest one in the office."

The two of them continued with the handover.

Caine signed her name and handed the paper to her. "I’m done on my end. The last step is getting your direct supervisor’s signature. Once President Cole signs it, just give the form to the HRBP to file when you leave at six."

Leila Jennings looked toward Nathaniel Cole’s office. He was standing by the window on a call. She couldn’t hear what he was saying, but when he turned slightly to the side, she could see his sharply defined profile.

Only after Nathaniel Cole hung up did Leila Jennings walk over and knock on the door.

"Come in." Nathaniel Cole put down his phone and slipped one hand into his pocket. He stood silently before the floor-to-ceiling window, watching as Leila Jennings approached him step by step, resignation form in hand.

Leila Jennings rarely wore her hair down. It was either pulled back in a low ponytail with a simple black elastic or casually twisted into a low bun with a pen from her desk.

Today, it was a low bun.

Holding it up was a natural wood pencil.

A few stray strands of hair fell across her forehead and temples, and a pair of rimless glasses always rested on the bridge of her nose.

She always dressed simply.

A simple white shirt, dark blue jeans.

Leila Jennings was five feet six, with a slender build. Standing there, she resembled a slim yet upright poplar tree.

She wore no makeup, yet her eyes were full of life, like tiny stars scattered across the deep night sky.

"President Cole, I need your signature, please." Leila Jennings handed him the resignation form.

Nathaniel Cole gazed at her refreshingly beautiful face as he took the form. He then walked over to his desk, picked up a fountain pen, and held the paper flat against the tabletop with one hand.

The tip of the pen paused for a moment as it touched the paper.

With a soft scratching sound, Nathaniel Cole signed his name as swiftly as he had approved her resignation in the system late last night.

"Here." Nathaniel Cole handed the form back to her. "Go find Renee Scott. No one else can handle revoking your permissions."

"Okay." Leila Jennings reached for it, but he suddenly tightened his grip on the other end of the form.

She looked at Nathaniel Cole in confusion.

"President Cole?"

"I’ve noticed you get along well with Zachary, Caine, and Gwen. You should have a farewell dinner," Nathaniel Cole said. "Tomorrow night at seven-thirty. I’ve already made reservations at Eden."

Leila Jennings had always known she was a bit lacking when it came to social niceties. She froze for a second, then said gratefully, "Thank you, President Cole."

"Mm," Nathaniel Cole grunted, releasing his hand.

Leila Jennings took the resignation form and turned to leave, but she took one step and then turned back.

"President Cole."

"Hm?"

Leila Jennings paused, her eyes fixed on him. "Regarding the proprietary chip project The Cole Group is bidding on, you should carefully consider the fundamental reason the state is secretly pouring its full support into developing it. And what its ultimate purpose is."

"I hope you get what you wish for, President Cole."

Leila Jennings turned crisply and walked out, pulling the office door shut behind her.

She hadn’t expected to say anything, but she couldn’t help but mention it.

She believed Nathaniel Cole could figure it out. As for whether they’d win the bid, that would depend on The Cole Group’s capabilities and the judgment of the research institute.

Nathaniel Cole’s gaze followed her out the door.

Leila Jennings went to find Renee Scott.

Renee Scott was already waiting for her. She took the resignation form and led her through the process of revoking her access permissions one by one.

By the time they finished, it was exactly five-thirty.

Leila Jennings handed over her deactivated ID badge, but Renee Scott didn’t take it. "Keep it. You were with The Cole Group for a month, after all. What are your plans now? I can recommend some suitable, high-paying positions for you."

"Thank you, Renee, but I don’t need anything right now."

"Well, you can call me if you do."

"Renee," Leila Jennings said, taking out her phone. "Let’s add each other. Thank you so much for looking out for me during my time here."

"Of course." Renee Scott scanned her code and they became friends on the app.

Leila Jennings returned to her desk with the ID badge and double-checked that all her chat logs and browsing history on the computer had been wiped clean.

Finally, she closed the laptop and put everything in order.

Caine and Gwen both gave her a hug and mentioned the dinner at Eden tomorrow night.

So, as they parted, they all said, "See you tomorrow night!"

Leila Jennings had barely stepped out of the company building when Sean Sinclair’s call came through.

"Are you all done?"

"All done."

"Good." Sean Sinclair’s tone was even more cheerful than it had been that morning. "I’m working late tonight, so I might not come home. Make sure you have a proper dinner and get some rest. You don’t have to wake up early to make me breakfast tomorrow, and you don’t have to worry about work. Just sleep in, understand?"

Faced with Sean Sinclair’s concern, Leila Jennings’s heart no longer stirred.

"I’ll be back in a couple of days."

"All right." Sean Sinclair didn’t rush to hang up. He said gently, "Leila, you haven’t been home in almost a month. You need to come home. You can’t just keep staying at someone else’s house. Your mentor’s wife may be like kin to you, but I’m your family. We’re the ones who will be together until the end."

Leila Jennings waved down a taxi. She muted the call before telling the driver, "No. 9 Norsen."

Sean Sinclair continued, "Leila, once we win this bid, I’ll get you a gift. Is there anything you want?"

Leila Jennings typed a reply on her phone: "You’ve already given me what I wanted from you."

Sean Sinclair, on the other end of the line, froze.

His heart filled with emotion.

’Leila Jennings really loves me.’

Ever since they met, whenever he’d asked her what she wanted, Leila Jennings had always said:

"I wanted a home, and you’ve already given me that."

"I wanted you to come back to the orphanage with me every year, and you’re already doing that."

"I wanted you to be healthy. Your stomach problems are gone now, so you’ve already given me what I wanted."

Snapping back to reality, Sean Sinclair said gently, "Since there’s nothing you want, I’ll just pick something out for you myself."

He hung up.

Sean Sinclair immediately instructed his assistant, "Sign Leila Jennings up for driving school. Then buy her a car—a sedan, something suitable for a woman to drive. Get one with a large trunk so she can go grocery shopping."

「Meanwhile.」

Leila Jennings dialed Mr. Sinclair’s phone number.

It was answered after two rings.

Leila Jennings got straight to the point. "The divorce certificate should be ready by now, right?"

Mr. Sinclair replied, "It is. I just picked it up. Do you want to come get it yourself, or should I have a courier bring it to you?"

"No need for a courier." Leila Jennings’s eyes lit up, and her voice was tinged with nervous excitement. "I’ll come get it in person!"