Chapter 17
Simon was right
One night, Lucas‘ condition deteriorated so badly that he was barely clinging on to life. He couldn’t even speak properly.
Susan stayed by his side, citing his terrible condition to refuse all visitors.
Lucas died abruptly at the break of dawn without even having the time to finalize his will.
The board of directors at Bradshaw Corporation paid their obligatory respects for his untimely death before Immediately turning their attention to selecting his
Successor.
One of the older directors suggested appointing someone from the board, while Simon staunchly supported me–Lucille Bradshaw.
After a battle of negotiations, Simon and I were victorious, thanks to Simon’s formidable influence.
Three days later, Lucas was laid to rest, while todticially took over Bradshaw Corporation.
On the day of my appointment, Susan came to see me
She told me that she didn’t want any of the company’s shares. Her only request was to return to her former job. It was the only condition she had for helping me rise to power.
Susan and I had always been at odds for as long as I could remember. We had never once had a peaceful conversation–until now.
She smiled and said, “To be honest, I don’t understand why I had acted like I did in the past.
-It felt as if some mysterious tome was guiding me, leading me to theet Lucas, fall in love with him, and abandon my passion for my career just for hirn.
“I had always prided myself on being rational. My career had been my only priority, but somehow, I ended up here. I never really wanted this, but my marriage with Lucas seemed inevitable.
“After we married, that mysterious force vanished, and Lucas changed. At first, I held on for love, but everything fell apart quickly. I wanted to return to work, but he only cared about himself.”
Susan smiled self–deprecatingly. “I sound contradictory, don’t I? Maybe that mysterious force was nothing but an excuse I made up for my actions.”
But I knew better. It wasn’t an excuse. It was the power of the narrative that had dictated her tate, forcing her onto a predetermined path
Just as 1, who had played the part of the antagonist in her story, had once been compelled to act against her
The author had crafted our personalities for us, woven our stories, and led us to our destined endings.
Yel, as we struggled against fate, we gained souls and independent thought.
The end of the story wasn’t the end of our lives
Not every male lead was noble and virtuous. Not every female lead’s journey had to end in marriage. The female lead and the second female lead could be more than just rivals.
Even as mer
mere supporting characters in the grand narrative, we could still break free and write our own stories.
