Mr Efficiency Spent His Life WAITING for My Bestie Chapter 06
Zane had never been one to mince words.
In the past, Susan would inwardly cheer whenever she watched him snap at Nina.
Now, on the receiving end of his unsparing interrogation, her pride crumbled. Voice cracking, she choked out, “Zane, have I said something wrong? I was only trying to remind you that this afternoon’s meeting will make or break the IPO.”
“Did Nina ever complain that I micromanage? Tell her this: I’m cutting you loose the moment we go public.”
Zane rubbed at his ear, annoyed by her constant chatter. “Don’t wait for the IPO. Move out today. I shouldn’t need to spell out why.”
That was classic Zane. He always skipped all the messy middle steps and jumped straight to the final outcome.
Susan had a whole arsenal of soft, deceptive lines ready, planning to chip away at his resolve bit by bit. But Zane’s decisive move had stripped every last one of her tactics away.
“Zane, I—”
Zane hung up on her. He opened the company group chat and saw Susan had posted a message thanking the team for their “support during our engagement,” complete with heart emojis.
He fired off an official group announcement right away: [No personal matters of any kind are permitted during work hours. Violators will be terminated.]
—
The chat went dead silent instantly.
Susan messaged him privately: [Mr. Quinn, everyone got overly excited. I only posted the poll to calm them down. I’m sorry, I’ll reflect on my mistake.]
Zane shot back a reply: [Susan, publicly you are known as Mrs. Quinn, but privately we remain strictly superior and subordinate. From now on, coordinate through Secretary Shen. He will relay my orders. Do not force me to block you.]
Another of Susan’s paths to manipulate Zane had been cut off.
Zane bought the rental apartment outright. When he returned to New York, Susan had already moved out of their home.
While pushing through the final stretch for the IPO, Zane hired private investigators to track Nina down.
He mapped out a straightforward, high-stakes plan. Six months after the IPO, he planned to end things with Susan, dedicate himself fully to finding Nina, and transfer fifteen percent of the company’s shares to her.
But Susan had no intention of walking away from her position as Mrs. Quinn with nothing.
She showed up on IPO ringing-bell day.
At the very first shareholders’ meeting after the listing, Susan waited right outside his office. The second the meeting adjourned, she swept in, distributing expensive pastries and coffee to the staff.
She built connections and curried favor with staff all across the firm.
—
Zane paid little mind to office gossip. Beyond work, every fragment of his thoughts clung to Nina.
Until rumors reached him through the grapevine: “Your wife is apparently expecting, sir. Congratulations.”
Zane summoned Susan into his office.
Before stepping inside, Susan deliberately stroked her stomach, giving onlookers a knowing, overjoyed smile.
Zane sank deep into his sofa and held out an envelope without preamble. “You’re fired.”
Susan’s carefully polished bright features drained of color. Her lips trembled. “Zane, whatever I’ve done wrong, I can fix it.”
Zane had not spoken to her face-to-face for a long while.
Back when Nina had been around, he’d grown irritated by her sensitivity, and found the easy-going Susan far less taxing.
He had never truly chosen Susan. He had only turned to her, someone whose feelings he did not need to coddle, to avoid dealing with Nina.
They had never been physically intimate. The most he’d ever done was rest a hand on her shoulder—a gesture of convenience, not affection.
In that moment, he understood clearly: only by resolving things with Susan could he ever hope to mend what he had broken with Nina.
“I already warned the group chat. Anyone who lets personal business interfere with work gets terminated. Ms. Kelly, consider this your termination notice. Please proceed to HR.”
—
Susan let out a bitter, quiet laugh. “Zane, you dragged me into this mess, and you won’t get to walk away clean.”
She stormed out of the office.