The Husband I Loved for Eight Years Never Loved Me-Chapter 17: An Inauspicious Day

Chapter 17: Shouldn’t Have Left the House Today

Rowan Capital was founded solely by Julian Jennings.

It had grown rapidly in recent years, with a market value exceeding a hundred billion, making it one of the few domestic companies that could compete with Cedarwood.

The competition between the two had been incredibly fierce over the years.

Back then, Julian Jennings had been keen on her joining Rowan. Logically, she should have gone. But at the time, she ultimately refused him for the sake of a dream she’d had since high school.

After joining Cedarwood, she even went against Rowan in the corporate battlefield, snatching a project right out of their hands.

’I’ve always felt incredibly guilty about it.’

’I couldn’t even bring myself to face Julian Jennings.’

But Julian Jennings hadn’t been angry or accused her of being ungrateful. He had simply said, "I wasn’t wrong about you. You’ve really impressed me."

They didn’t contact each other for a long time after that.

Not until Julian Jennings suddenly reached out to her recently.

’Perhaps he had known about my situation all along. In the end, the one who extended a helping hand was the very teacher I had betrayed.’

’Love really can blind a person to what’s right and wrong.’

’But I am lucky.’

’It’s not too late to fix things.’

Her two colleagues were still gossiping.

"Department Two was doing great after Rachel Royce took over, landing several big projects. It’s a shame she got pregnant and was reassigned. Otherwise, if she’d been in charge of the Cosmocean project, she might have secured it."

"I heard it wasn’t just because of her pregnancy. It was because she offended President Sterling."

"..."

One of them was about to gossip more, but when she turned and leaned against the windowsill, she saw Rachel Royce getting water. The words died in her throat.

Rachel acted as if she’d heard nothing. She filled her cup and walked out of the breakroom.

On her way back to her desk, she ran into Tristan Sterling, who was also returning to his office. Even from several meters away, Rachel could feel the intimidating and unsettlingly cold aura radiating from him.

He was clearly in a very bad mood.

Rachel didn’t dare to look at his icy expression and quickly stepped aside.

As the man passed, the air pressure in the vicinity seemed to plummet, making it hard to even breathe.

Rachel kept her eyes down, her nerves taut.

Only when Tristan Sterling was far away did she let out a sigh of relief. Back at her desk, she took out her phone and sent a message to Julian Jennings: "Professor, did you guys land the Cosmocean Holdings deal?"

After sending the message, she didn’t get a reply. ’He must be busy.’

「Half an hour later.」

Julian Jennings replied: "Yes. It was a bit of a fluke."

’The current head of Department Two is highly experienced, with many successful major projects under his belt. This failure must be a significant blow to him.’

Rachel: "Congratulations."

Julian Jennings: "Is your resignation finalized?"

Rachel: "I’m just about wrapping things up."

Julian Jennings: "Perfect. Take a couple of days to rest and recharge. I still have some follow-up work to handle on my end."

Rachel: "Okay."

After a moment’s thought, she asked: "Professor, are you and Mr. Quinn free tonight?"

Julian Jennings: "Why do you ask?"

Rachel: "I want to thank Mr. Quinn, so I’d like to treat you both to dinner."

’If I hadn’t run into Ian Quinn that night, I really wouldn’t have known what to do. Plus, since Rowan had good news today, this could count as a celebration for them too.’

Julian Jennings replied: "I don’t have anything planned for tonight. Let me ask him first."

Rachel replied: "Okay."

A short while later, Julian Jennings replied that they could meet.

Rachel immediately booked a table at Orchid Gardens and let Julian Jennings know.

「Around four in the afternoon.」

Rachel had finished handing over all her work.

She informed Sandra Chapman, who signed off on it without much interest in speaking to her.

Rachel went to the HR department to complete the final procedures. Since she had resigned on her own accord, there was naturally no severance package.

The moment she walked out of the building carrying her box, she recalled how she had entered this place with such excitement. It felt like only yesterday. Leaving in such a dejected state felt pathetic.

’But none of that mattered anymore.’

’Life is a process of constant trial, error, and growth.’

The dinner was scheduled for six in the evening.

She drove home for a bit.

She told Florence Preston that she was treating Julian Jennings and the others to dinner that night.

Rachel freshened up.

When it was almost time, she decided to take the subway so she could get a short walk in.

Before she left, Florence Preston repeatedly reminded her to be careful.

「Half an hour later.」

Rachel arrived at Orchid Gardens. While waiting in the private room, she received a message from Julian Jennings saying they would arrive in about twenty minutes.

Then Julian Jennings called. "I’m bringing someone else along, do you mind?"

"Of course not," Rachel said.

"Great. I think you two will get along."

"Okay."

She hung up.

「Twenty minutes later.」

Julian Jennings and the others arrived at the private room.

With them was a young woman with a gentle, graceful face—the kind that naturally puts people at ease. She looked to be around thirty, with shoulder-length hair and professional attire. Her calm and steady demeanor marked her as a corporate elite.

They all exchanged greetings.

Julian Jennings introduced her to Rachel. "This is Joanna Sutton, who was my junior in college." Then, turning to Joanna, he said, "And this is the student I told you about, Rachel Royce." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Rachel took the initiative to greet her. "Hello. Is it okay if I call you Joanna?"

Joanna Sutton smiled. "Of course. I’m just tagging along with my senior to freeload a meal today. You don’t mind, do you?"

"Of course not."

After they sat down and ordered, Rachel expressed her gratitude to Ian Quinn. "I didn’t get a chance to properly thank you before, Mr. Quinn."

Ian Quinn replied, "It was nothing, no need to be so formal. I heard you resigned."

"I did. I’m going to be Professor Jennings’s assistant for a month."

Ian Quinn laughed. "That’s great. Stick with your Professor Jennings from now on."

"You were out in the freezing cold that night, heavily pregnant, and a certain someone couldn’t care less about you. If you ask me, you should just hurry up and get a divorce. There are plenty of good men in the world."

Ian Quinn had known Rachel Royce for years. He trusted her character and knew she would never use underhanded tactics like getting pregnant to secure her position.

Besides, the Sterling Family wasn’t some pushover that would compromise just because Rachel was pregnant. They must have agreed to let her marry in because she possessed sufficient value in their eyes.

Rachel gave a small, smiling "mhm," her heart filled with warmth and gratitude.

The group chatted casually at the table.

Rachel learned that Joanna Sutton had just returned from the United States at the beginning of the year to join Rowan. She had also participated in the Cosmocean Holdings project and was Julian Jennings’s right-hand woman.

The successful IPO of Cosmocean Holdings would bring Rowan Capital at least a ten-figure profit.

They had basically ripped a piece of flesh right off of Cedarwood.

If they had failed this time, it would have been difficult for Rowan to ever compete with Cedarwood again. Now, they had evened the score.

Of course, this failure had a limited impact on Cedarwood and wouldn’t shake its position. After all, Cedarwood was backed by the Sterling Family, and Tristan Sterling’s own power was immeasurable.

However, for the arrogant and lofty Tristan Sterling, who was used to being in complete control, this major failure was enough to throw him off balance.

"Honestly, I’d love to see that eternally unchanging poker face of Tristan Sterling’s actually get angry," Ian Quinn said smugly.

He looked at Rachel. "Rachel, you resigned today. Did you see Tristan Sterling at the company?"

Rachel nodded. "He was definitely angry."

That made Ian Quinn even happier.

Compared to his excitement, Julian Jennings was much calmer and more composed.

During the meal, Rachel chatted with Joanna Sutton. Joanna seemed hard to approach at first, but as they talked, she turned out to be very easygoing and approachable.

When the conversation turned to Rachel’s future plans, she learned that Joanna was also a student of Michael’s. Joanna warned Rachel that while Michael seemed like a gentle and mild-mannered man, he was extremely strict when it came to academics. Graduating under him was no easy feat.

The two exchanged contact information.

At one point, Rachel needed to use the restroom, and Joanna accompanied her.

They left the private room.

As the two of them came out of the restroom, they came face to face with someone: Claire Ainsworth.

Rachel froze. Seeing her, she realized Tristan Sterling must be dining here as well. ’What a coincidence.’

Claire Ainsworth looked at the two of them together, clearly surprised. Her gaze fell on Joanna Sutton, and her lips curved into a smile. "Joanna, long time no see. I didn’t expect to run into you here."

’Claire Ainsworth and Joanna Sutton know each other?’ Rachel thought, surprised.

Joanna looked at her, her tone cold. "I really shouldn’t have left the house today."