When She Chose Another Man, I Chose to Leave

Blake Rowe had just finished selling us another pipe dream. Once the company went public next year and secured financing, everyone in this room would be considered a founding shareholder.

The very next second, his wife's voice sliced through the air.

"Rose, my son is out of school. Go pick him up."

I tore my gaze from the document on my screen and tilted my head, fighting to keep my voice steady. "Joanna, this content pitch is urgent. Mr. Rowe needs it by end of day."

Her brows knitted together. "If it's due today, then come back and work overtime! During work hours, isn't it normal for a leader to assign additional tasks?"

Pressure tightened around my ribs. I had joined this company before I even graduated. In two years, my salary had crawled from 3,500 to 4,500 dollars. I was the copywriter, editor, operations manager, and client liaison all rolled into one. Yet it felt less like I was a marketing professional and more like a high-end nanny who happened to bring her own laptop.

I grabbed my coat. Before I could reach the door, Joanna barked another order.

"Pick up some meat for dinner, too."

"Okay." I nodded. "But Joanna, I'm reminding you one last time—my job title is Operations."

——

Her forehead creased, her tone sharpening into a blade of reprimand. "Isn't operations just working for someone? The kindergarten is right downstairs. You could have been there in the time you spent arguing!"

I saw the impatience in her eyes.

Swallowed my retort.

Outside, the temperature had plummeted ten degrees. The wind cut straight to the bone.

The elevator descended. First floor: the studio. Eleventh floor: the boss's private residence. Two years ago, they lived in an 80-square-meter two-bedroom apartment. Now they occupied a sprawling 200-square-meter luxury flat.

Blake loved to encourage me. He swore that once the company went public, he'd give me stock options. He promised that if I followed him and worked hard, I'd be driving a Benz and living in a villa sooner or later.

But in reality?

My salary had barely budged.

Rent was 1,000. Daily expenses were 1,000. I sent another 1,000 to my family. In a year, I couldn't even save 20,000. I had to agonize over buying a simple 100-dollar down jacket.

When I tried to resign last time, Blake had earnestly persuaded me to stay.

"Ms. Floyd, this company treats you like family! After the IPO, you'll be a founding elder. You'll achieve financial freedom! We're just in the darkness before the dawn right now. We have to break through it together!"

Now he drove a Porsche and lived in a luxury flat.

I was still making 4,500.

If I got sick, a single month of medical bills would wipe out my earnings.

Haohhao attended the kindergarten near the residential complex. Ten-minute walk—not far. The round trip took half an hour at most.

After picking him up, I took him to the commercial street to buy the meat Joanna demanded. While waiting for the elevator, I ran into an older neighbor from the 7th floor bringing her granddaughter home.

She chatted me up. "You're the nanny hired by the family on the 11th floor, right? I see you all the time." She leaned in conspiratorially. "To be honest, you're a smart girl. You know there's money in nannying. The one my family hired doesn't even do overnights, and she costs me 6,500. I see you leaving at ten every night. You must be making eight or nine thousand, easy."

The polite smile on my face froze.

I gave a vague, noncommittal response.

Only after she exited with her granddaughter did I let out a heavy sigh. Working overtime until ten was the norm. I also had to help Joanna watch the kid and mix formula. Now I had to come in half an hour early for school drop-offs and pick-ups.

And yet, I didn't even make half of what a standard nanny earned.

As soon as I walked through the company doors, Joanna stood there, hands on her hips.

"Rose Floyd, did you use picking up the kid as an excuse to slack off? You're a full fifteen minutes later than yesterday! I didn't send you out to play! It's freezing outside—what if Haohhao gets sick?"

A deep breath. I forced down the rising bile of irritation. "Joanna, it's five hundred meters from the kindergarten to the shops. A fifteen-minute round trip is reasonable, isn't it?"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't think that just because you've been here two years, you can be disrespectful. This is a professional relationship. You need to respect your superiors when you speak."