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I guess a birthday party isn’t complete if the birthday boy doesn’t get up on stage to say a few words. Ace made his way to the podium while the cheering in the venue did not subside at all. It made me feel like Ace was some kind of celebrity and these people were his avid followers and supporters. Maybe that was the case, I had no idea.

Perhaps, like me, there were many people who truly admired his work and achievements. I wondered what Ace was going to say now that he had everyone’s attention and now that he has taken the stage. Maybe he would politely thank the people who came here to celebrate his birthday. A small smile curved my lips when I thought of the present that I had gotten for him.

“Good evening...” Ace said, and his voice was immediately projected through the speakers located throughout the event hall.

Everyone quickly quietened down to pay attention to what Ace was going to say. My heart started racing in my chest as I focused all of my attention on Ace. Although I wasn’t the one about to give a speech, I felt so nervous that it might as well have been me standing up there on the stage instead of Ace.

“Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen. First of all, I would like to thank all of you for sparing your precious time to attend this party to celebrate my birthday. It makes me feel so overjoyed to have your blessing and support, and as my father just said during his speech, there will definitely be greater things happening at Jessen’s and Hill’s and we are hoping that everyone here will stay with us and be a part of that journey...” Ace said calmly and politely before he took a break.

The entire hall was silent as everyone seemed to hold their breath while waiting for his next words. My hands started to sweat, and I felt so captivated by his speech although he hadn’t said anything out of the ordinary at all.

“Since I want everyone to enjoy the party without much interruption, I would like to get straight to the main point of my speech. Working as the CEO of Jessen’s and Hill’s has been one of the best experiences in my career and I have learned so much. In addition, the opportunities offered to me to work alongside all of you and your prestigious companies have taught me so much and have kept me extremely inspired. That only made this decision much harder for me; however, I am firmly convinced that this decision is the right one. We are still figuring out the exact timeline for this; however, soon I will be stepping down from my role as the CEO of Jessen’s and Hill’s,” Ace announced before he paused as if giving the audience the opportunity to absorb his words and their real implications.

...What?

.....

What did he just say?!

The entire hall fell into a deadly silence as everyone seemed too stunned to react to his sudden declaration of stepping down from his position.

“He’s really a crazy one, isn’t he?” a familiar voice spoke up from next to me.

I was too focused on Ace and his speech that I had not realized that someone else had taken the seat next to me at the table. My heart jumped in my chest at her voice and when I turned to my side, I didn’t want to believe my eyes when I saw a beautiful blonde woman sitting in the seat next to me.

“Elizabeth...” I murmured her name in my shock.

Why is Elizabeth Chase here?

Her eyes were glued on Ace who was still standing in the center of the stage. It took a while for her attention to veer in my direction. She turned to face me and then her lips curved into a sweet smile that felt so insincere.

“Ace...is a truly amazing man, don’t you think?” she asked before her smile widened at me.

What did she do this time?

The way my skin seemed to crawl when I came face to face with her told me that Elizabeth must have had something to do with Ace’s sudden decision to step down from his position as CEO. At that moment, it seemed like the audiences had recovered from their initial shock. The silence in the hall was quickly replaced by murmurs and whispers as everyone seemed to gossip and discuss the sudden turn in events together. Just after his father had complimented his role as the CEO of the company, Ace went up there and told everyone that he planned to step down and quit.

Just what on earth is really going on?

One glance at Elizabeth and how she was laughing joyfully at my side told me that she knew about this well in advance. Not only was she not surprised about Ace’s announcement, but she also seemed to be enjoying it.

“What is going on? Do you know anything about this?” I asked her while trying my best to not raise my voice in case I attracted the undesired attention of the people around us.

“So, what if I do?” she asked like it had absolutely nothing to do with me.

She smiled an icy smile my way again and I felt my anger start to boil over. Elizabeth continued laughing and before I could stop her, she had already gotten up from her seat and left. Just as mysteriously as she had appeared by my side, she disappeared into the darkness of the hall and then mingled in with the crowd of the other guests. It was clear that she wasn’t here to celebrate Ace’s birthday.

–To be continued...