I Fell for the Man Who Ruined Me, Then He Forgot He Ever Loved Me Back novel Chapter 56

Leona's voice remained as polite and gentle as a caring older mentor.

"Sienna, I was out of the office when all of this went down. Your resignation is partially my fault."

"Selfishly, I really hate to lose you. If you genuinely have personal matters to handle, just take care of them. You can come back to the company whenever you're ready."

Sienna had been resolute in her decision to leave, but the sincere plea made her waver.

She hesitated for a moment before replying, "Director Langdon, I genuinely have matters tying me down right now, and I have no intention of returning to the office."

She heard a soft sigh on the other end.

"However, I won't just abandon the project you assigned to me. Give me one more week, and I'll send the final edits directly to your inbox."

The original deadline was still half a month away, but Sienna had condensed it down to a week.

Hearing her resolve, Leona knew better than to push. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she agreed to Sienna's arrangement.

Jorrod had been standing by her side the entire time.

Although he obeyed her instruction and stayed completely silent, the proximity allowed him to hear every single word of the conversation.

When Sienna hung up, his throat tightened. "Is this because of me?"

Sienna paused, forcing a harsh tone. "You're overthinking it."

As she stood up to walk away, the man grabbed her wrist, his dark eyes looking up at her. "Am I just a burden to you?"

Sienna was speechless.

Honestly, yes, he was.

But she couldn't exactly tell him the brutal truth.

Just look at him.

She hadn't even said anything yet, and the corners of his eyes were already turning a pitiful shade of red.

Looking for all the world like she had brutally bullied him.

She was certain that if she said 'yes,' the tears would start falling immediately.

But behind closed doors, everyone knew it was just a stall tactic to silence the media.

As the days dragged on, the underlying panic grew impossible to suppress.

One day could be excused as a dead battery. Two days could be rationalized as an unexpected delay. But the longer it went on, the harder it became to deny that something catastrophic had happened.

Theron sighed. "Dad, try not to worry. I've re-investigated every rival Jorrod has ever crossed. As long as they aren't tied to this, it's good news."

Heavy with dread, Theodore, the Patriarch, let out an exhausted breath. "Call the police."

Madeline was the first to protest. "We can't do that, Dad! Involving the police is the same as announcing his disappearance to the entire world."

"Don't forget, we are just days away from closing a multi-billion dollar financing deal for the Group. If this leaks now, how will the board react? What about the investors?"

"Even though my brother is managing the Vaughn Group right now, a crisis like Jorrod going missing will absolutely send shockwaves through our stock."

"You'd be throwing the entire Vaughn empire into the fire."

Theodore roared in fury, "To hell with how they look at it! Am I supposed to just sit back and watch my grandson vanish into thin air? How will I face his dead parents?!"