Ignore Hubby and Son's Regret Shining Now novel Chapter 2

Chapter 2 I’m Done Playing This Ridiculous Game

The noise outside slowly faded away. Demi didn’t care what was going on. She just put on her earplugs and eye mask and slept until morning.
She’d decided to go home and took over the family business. That meant she had to quit her job here.
Since giving birth to Orion, she had rarely appeared at the company. But back when Nevin took over the Blackwell Group, she was right there beside him, helping build everything step by step.
Blackwell Group wouldn’t have become the country’s top firm without her.
So even though she hadn’t worked in the office for years, she still received a large annual bonus and dividends.
Early that morning, Demi stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her long wavy brown hair framed a delicate face, but her pretty charming eyes carried no trace of a smile.
She was beautiful. No one could deny that. Even after years as a stay-at-home wife, all the exhaustion and stress hadn’t taken away her charm.
But the emotional abuse at home and the stress of pregnancy had drained the light from her eyes, making them look lifeless and dull now.
At the top floor of Blackwell Group, Demi was waiting for her resignation papers to be printed.
Behind her, she overheard a few employees chatting.
“Did you see Rhea’s Instagram?”
“Not yet. What did she post this time?”
“Plenty. Looks like she was celebrating someone’s birthday. You’ve got to see it.”
They laughed, but when they looked up and saw Demi standing there, their smiles froze.
“Uh—M-Ms. Snow?”
“Ms. Snow, you’re back at the office?”
Demi gave them a polite nod. They quickly murmured a goodbye and rushed off.
As they disappeared down the hall, she could still hear them whispering.
“Ugh, what bad luck. Why’s Demi here?”
“She’s already married Mr. Blackwell. Why show off in front of us?”
“Please, I bet she and Mr. Blackwell aren’t doing great. Wouldn’t be surprised if they’re getting divorced.”
Demi wasn’t bothered with this. She was used to this kind of talk. Her coworkers had never liked her much.
If it hadn’t been for all the office bullying she faced early on and Nevin stepping in to help, she probably would’ve never fallen for him.
Bored from waiting, she unlocked her phone and opened Instagram.
The first thing she saw was Rhea’s new post. A collage of nine pictures.
The first one was from Orion’s birthday party last night, lavishly decorated with balloons and a huge three-layer cake right in the center.
But what caught Demi’s eye was a hospital photo. Three hands of different sizes stacked together. It looked warm and cozy.
A trip to the hospital again? Just for a burn?
Demi let out a dry laugh and scrolled through the comments. They were all full of envy and well wishes.
[Wow! A birthday party for the little one? So sweet!]
[Another lovey-dovey post! Who’s your mystery man, girl? Show us already]
[Doesn’t matter what happens—as long as the family’s together, that’s happiness.]
The comments went on and on.
She knew exactly what Rhea was doing. Rhea was trying to get under her skin, trying to make her lose control, run to Nevin, and demand answers.
Once upon a time, that would’ve worked. She couldn’t stand seeing that fake sweetness or how her husband and son would rather be with a woman who copied her every move.
But now? She was leaving soon. None of it mattered anymore.
Demi let out a faint smile and tapped the little red heart beneath the post.
A moment later, with her resignation letter in hand, Demi went straight to the CEO’s office and handed it to Nevin’s personal assistant.
The people in the secretary department were whispering behind her back, mocking her for showing off at the office as if she owned the place. But the moment they saw the resignation letter, the room went silent. Then someone gasped.
“”What—wait, am I seeing this right?!”
“Ms. Snow is resigning?!”
The assistant froze, panic flashing across her face. “Mr. Blackwell is in an important meeting. Maybe we should wait until he’s done—”
“Don’t bother,” Demi said with a calm smile. “I’m just the chief of secretary in name only, remember? You have the authority to process it. No need to trouble him.”
People around whispered in low voices. “Could the rumors be true? Did Demi and Mr. Blackwell break up? Is Ms. Dunn turning out to be a homewrecker?”
“Why did you assume it’s Ms. Dunn? Isn’t she married?”
“You’re clueless. Did you see that hand on Instagram? That Rolex costs a fortune. No one in all of Yraka could afford it except Mr. Blackwell.”
“Exactly. Didn’t you notice that Ms. Dunn took over all Ms. Snow’s work after she went on maternity leave?”
“And now that she’s quitting, maybe it’s because she’s stepping aside for good!”
Demi could hear every word of it. They’d always loved gossiping. In the past, she would’ve been crushed, hiding under the covers and crying into her pillow.
But now? She suddenly realized none of it mattered anymore.
She smiled at everyone as if she hadn’t heard a thing, bowed politely, and said, “Thank you all for your hard work over the past ten years. I hope Blackwell Group continues to grow and thrive.”
The office fell silent. No one knew what to say. Demi walked back to her desk and began packing up her things.
After ten years, her workspace was filled to the brim. Ten years’ worth of memories were stacked neatly in front of her—books she bought when she first joined, binders filled with notes, and her old planner from when she became Nevin’s secretary.
Flipping it open, she saw her handwriting still crisp and clear.
“1. He drinks a cup of hand-ground coffee every morning.”
“2. He hates people being late.”
“3. He can’t stand women who wear perfume.”
Page after page was filled with small details about him—his habits, his preferences, and his temper. Every line represented her dedication.
Only God knew what Demi had gone through to be a good secretary. People always thought being a secretary was easy, that it just meant being pretty and pleasing a man with their body. They had no idea how wrong they were.
Nevin was the only one who’d ever seen the truth. He’d seen her stay late night after night, reading contracts until her eyes hurt, building presentations from scratch, and researching every single competitor the company ever had. She could list every company’s data and performance by heart.
It was because of her relentless effort that the untouchable Ice Prince of the Blackwell family finally stepped down from his pedestal and became the man everyone admired today.
Demi once believed Nevin understood her better than anyone else in the world. She thought their bond went deeper than love, that they shared the same dream, the same fight. She was wrong.
Ten years of devotion, ten years of struggle and love—all of it had turned into nothing but ashes.
Demi quietly focused on cleaning up her desk when the meeting ended. Rhea was the first to step out.
She looked quite cheerful at first, but the moment she saw Demi, her smile froze.
What is she doing here?
Did Demi see the post on Instagram? Is she here to confront me?
Rhea grew excited just thinking about it. She couldn’t sit still as she went back to her desk, waiting nervously for the storm to hit.
She lowered her head, eyes red, looking like she’d just been terribly wronged.
Nevin was the last to leave the conference room. As he passed the secretary department, he noticed Demi sitting there.
Her desk was the closest to his office—a symbol of trust and affection back in the days when they were still in love.
But now, just the sight of her made him irritated.
What made it worse was how cheerful she looked. Demi was flipping through a book with a small smile on her face.
Across from her, Rhea sat miserably, dabbing her tears with a tissue.
Nevin frowned.
He tapped the edge of Demi’s desk and said coldly, “Come in.”
Demi looked up, her expression composed. “Okay,” she replied simply.
The moment she stepped into his office, his voice turned icy.
“The company doesn’t need you here anymore. Unless there’s something important, don’t show up in the office again.”