I didn't understand how she still had the nerve to order me around.

"Ms. Matthews, I already resigned, didn't I?"

"Correct. And?"

Her voice turned cold. "2:30 p.m. My office."

She hung up without waiting for a response.

At 3:00 p.m., my phone rang again. Still Kate.

"Where are you? It's already three—why aren't you here?!"

"Since you can't understand, I'll spell it out. I resigned five days ago. I'm no longer a subordinate you can summon whenever you want."

Silence. Then her voice came through.

"The agreement has a clause stating that even after leaving, you're still obligated to return and resolve matters within your scope."

"You didn't just sign it without reading, did you?"

I really hadn't looked carefully. And I'd guessed she wouldn't let this go.

So I told her to wait—I had no idea when I'd arrive.

For once, Kate didn't blow up. She just told me to hurry.

By the time I got to the company, it was almost end of day.

The moment I entered the conference room, I realized Kate and Nolan weren't the only ones waiting. There was also a middle-aged man I'd never seen before.