Texting on my phone, I walked back into my place. This big house – over 1,800 square feet – suddenly felt so empty and cold.

I switched on every light, and the whole place lit up.

“Let’s call it a night, I’m beat after today. Goodnight, guys,” I said, tossing my phone onto the sofa before heading off for a shower.

That night, I tossed and turned in bed for ages before finally drifting off into a deep sleep.

When a relationship fades away, it’s like the ocean tide receding – some feelings always get left behind, like sea creatures stranded on the shore, thrashing around for a bit before finally going still.

I didn’t expect getting over it to drag on this long, but as work kept piling up, I barely had time to dwell on the heartbreak.

We’d originally planned to finish the hotel renovations before the year was out, but things were way too rushed and not everything was ready, so we ended up postponing it until after the new year, deciding to open up shop when spring was in the air.

By the end of the year, the dividends from both companies landed in my account, and when I saw the number, my heart was pounding.

Guess it’s time to figure out how to invest this money.

Real estate was on fire right now, so I decided to put some into real estate and the rest into gold. I’ve always been wary of getting into stocks since I don’t really know the ins and outs and can’t manage the risks. I know Bitcoin’s supposed to be a good investment too, but after thinking it over, I decided to give it a miss.

As long as my money keeps growing, that’s enough for me. Too much money would just be more than I could handle.

I could honestly just take it easy now and live a good life off the yearly dividends alone.

By the end of the year, our company had gotten a few partnership offers from different brands, one of which was a perfume label. We were already in talks with them about teaming up.

Since we were in the luxury hotel business, brand collaborations like this came our way pretty often.

“Ms. Murphy, can I come with you? I know quite a few people in this circle,” said Minnie Wright, the PR manager. She was a local from Braylin, super chatty, and knew how to work a room.

I was originally planning to just have her represent the company, but since I had nothing else going on that evening, I decided to go myself and take her along for company.

We drove over to the place – a pretty stylish hotel – and made our way up to a private lounge on the third floor.

“Whoa, check out all those luxury cars outside! Are they all here for the perfume gala?” Minnie said, wide-eyed.

I couldn’t help thinking, ‘This perfume brand isn’t even top-tier yet. How could they possibly pull in this kind of crowd?’

As we were chatting, we reached the hotel’s lobby, only to find the whole place cordoned off and off-limits.

“Sorry, ma’am, but the lounge on the third floor is only accessible through the back entrance,” a staff member said.

Minnie shot a quick glance around and let out a sly chuckle. “Ha, I knew it. Looks like some big international corporation is hosting a bash.”

I glanced over and realized it was an international pharma company holding a huge conference – the whole thing looked pretty high-profile.

“Alright, let’s head that way,” I said, leading Minnie off.

As we walked down the hallway, I suddenly heard someone calling out to me.

I turned around and saw a black, imposing sedan with its window sliding down, revealing Edward’s face.

Edward looked genuinely surprised, but there was a smile on his face. “What are you doing here?”

Minnie gave me a teasing look.

Ever since Edward whisked me away from the bar last time, all the girls I’d been drinking with could spot his face anywhere.

“I’m here for a perfume brand’s gala,” I replied.