Chapter 6

The moment the thought popped up, Wendy shook it off. "No way! That can't be right! Zachary has nothing to do with Yel Corporation. Why would they cancel the partnership just because he and I got divorced?" she wondered. Wendy couldn't help but ponder who Yel Corporation held in such high regard. Just then, the HR manager burst in, looking worried. "Ms. Jennings, we've got a big problem. Our lead pharmaceutical R&D engineer just quit! "Our new medication still has some issues, and the optimization project is only halfway done. We can't move forward without her!" The double whammy of bad news caught Wendy off guard. Everything had been going smoothly since she joined Jennings Corporation as general manager. This was the first real crisis she had to deal with. Her mind went blank, and she was at a loss for what to do. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Ethan remained seated on her office's couch. Wendy's eyes lit up as she asked hopefully, "Ethan, do you have any suggestions? With your extensive network and connections, you must have a way to help me, right?" Ethan was just as shocked by the news, his face showing disbelief. Losing the partnership with Yel Corporation would hit Jennings Corporation hard in terms of revenue, but losing that brilliant pharmaceutical R&D engineer would be a blow to their core competitiveness in the industry. Ethan realized that trying to grow a company without a solid competitive edge was just a pipe dream. But with Wendy staring at him, all hopeful and desperate, he couldn't bring himself to say he had no way to help her. He tried to keep his cool, furrowing his brow like he was deep in thought as he said, "Wendy, don't worry. These problems just popped up out of nowhere, so I need some time to figure things out. But I promise I'll come up with a way to help you!" But it was a different story in his mind. He thought, "I'm just saying I'll try to find a solution. I'm not promising I can fix everything, so you can't hold it against me if I can't make it work in the end." "Alright. I trust that you can do it! You have so many connections. I'm sure you'll find a partner to step in for Yel Corporation!" Wendy felt a little relief wash over her. She decided to meet with the pharmaceutical R&D engineer who wanted to resign for a face-to-face chat. Resignations typically arose from issues with pay and benefits or other factors. If the engineer shared her concerns, Wendy was ready to do whatever it took to address the issues and keep her on board. With that thought in mind, Wendy slowly pulled herself together. Once she sent the two managers off, she quickly looked for the lead pharmaceutical R&D engineer who was thinking about resigning. She set up a meeting with her at the café downstairs to talk things over. … At the café, Wendy sat by the window and focused on Evelyn Hart, the woman sitting across from her. Evelyn was in her early 30s, with short, neatly cropped hair and glasses. Wendy gave her a warm smile. "Ms. Hart, I heard that you handed in your resignation this afternoon. Can I ask if it's because you're not happy with the pay, or is there something else going on?" Evelyn was a graduate student at a medical university abroad. She had earned several awards and scholarships during her studies. After graduating, she returned home without a second thought. She landed her first job at Jennings Corporation, and now, five years later, she was seen as a veteran and a key player in the company. Wendy figured that Evelyn had probably formed some attachment to Jennings Corporation. Wendy thought that if she really made an effort to persuade her—by appealing to their emotional bond and offering a better deal—Evelyn might choose to stay, no matter what her reasons were for wanting to go. "Ms. Jennings, I know why you wanted to meet. Just to be clear, I didn't resign on a whim," Evelyn said, taking a slow sip of her coffee with a confident smile. Her words instantly deflated Wendy, but she didn't give up. "Can you tell me the exact reason?" Evelyn grinned. "Ms. Jennings, are you asking me as the company's general manager or as a friend?" "Is there a difference?" Wendy asked, confused. "Definitely," Evelyn said, putting down her coffee cup and locking eyes with Wendy. "If you're asking as the company's general manager, I have nothing to share. But if you're asking as a friend, I'll be honest. "I never really belonged to Jennings Corporation. If you want to know why I joined in the first place, you should talk to the person who matters most to you." Her words left Wendy completely confused. She couldn't understand what Evelyn meant when she said she joined Jennings Corporation but never belonged to the company. And what did Evelyn mean by saying the answer was with the person who mattered most to her? Was Evelyn talking about Ethan? Did Evelyn join Jennings Corporation because of him? But if that was the case, why would she quit? Did something go wrong between them? Wendy figured she'd talk to Ethan later to find out what he did to Evelyn that led her to resign. "Ms. Jennings, I've got to head to my new company soon, so I can't stay any longer. Here's a little advice as a thank you for the coffee—cherish the people in your life while you have them. Don't wait until they're gone and end up regretting it. "That's all I wanted to say. Goodbye, Ms. Jennings." Evelyn grabbed her bag and left. She had only been there for a few minutes. Wendy wasn't oblivious. She realized Evelyn had set aside time just to meet with her. But Wendy was confused. She didn't get the dynamic between Evelyn and Ethan. She was even more puzzled as to why Evelyn would tell her to cherish Ethan. Was Ethan thinking about leaving her? No way. Just today, he told her he'd always be there for her. So why would he suddenly bail on her? Feeling confused, Wendy called Ethan. "Ethan, I'm at the café downstairs from the office. I need to talk to you about Ms. Hart resigning." "Wendy, I'm sorry, but I've got something urgent at home. I might need to take some time off to head back. Can we talk when I'm back?" "Are you in such a rush? When are you leaving? I can give you a ride." "No worries. I'm on my way to the airport now. Don't worry about me. I can handle it. My mom's calling. Talk later." With that, Ethan suddenly ended the call. Wendy felt a weight settle over her. She sat alone in the café for a bit before finally getting up and driving home. When she got home, she heard some rustling from the bedroom. Curious, she opened the door and found Zachary crouching on the floor, carefully packing his neatly folded clothes into a suitcase. Wendy was already overwhelmed, and spotting him only added to her irritation. Her expression hardened as she asked icily, "It's late. Where do you think you're going?" "We're divorced now, so it's not right for us to keep living together. I'm moving out tonight," Zachary said, not bothering to look back as he continued sorting through his stuff. His words set her off. Jennings Corporation was in deep trouble, but her husband, at least on paper, wasn't any help. She was fine with that, but he continued to pile on her stress—first pushing for a divorce and now planning to move out. The more Wendy thought about it, the angrier she got. "Fine! Just pack your stuff and get out of my house! And don't forget to leave your keys. I don't want random people walking into my place." With that, Wendy turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind her. Zachary was alone in the room, crouching as he packed his belongings into his suitcase.