Chapter 5
The departure hall buzzed with the restless energy of people traveling for various reasons.
Jasmine had arrived at the airport pretty early. So she sat down waiting for the time of her flight. She genuinely hoped Dante hadn’t caught on. Not that anything would change if he had indeed caught on.
Would he come here?
No. He was too busy with Elle.
She had thought leaving would bring her relief. Instead, her heart felt strangely empty.
Her phone vibrated.
The caller ID displayed Miguel Cruz. She answered after a brief pause.
“Hello, Miguel.”
On the other end of the line, Miguel sounded unusually tensed.
“What went wrong, Jas?”
“What do you mean?”
“I got told few minutes ago that Dante has officially appointed Cole Diaz as the new General Manager.”
Silence stretched between them.
Although she had already chosen to leave, hearing Dante’s decision still left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Miguel let out a cold laugh. “I truly don’t understand what he’s thinking. He actually believes Cole is capable.”
Jasmine lowered her gaze. “It’s his company at the end of the day. So he can make whatever decision he wants. Whether the company succeeds or fails has nothing to do with me anymore.”
Miguel remained silent for several seconds before speaking again.
“Jas, I’m not calling just to tell you the appointment. You know Cold better than most. He isn’t just incompetent. His character is rotten.”
Jasmine’s expression darkened.
Of course she knew. Even Dante knew of Cole’s character as well.
Years ago, Cole had been involved with a young actress whose career was just beginning.
To protect himself from a scandal, he had forced the woman into silence.
Unable to endure the relentless pressure, she had eventually driven off a cliff after leaving behind only a brief suicide note.
Although there was not enough evidence to convict Cole, everyone in their social cycle knew the truth.
Jasmine instantly realized why Dante was doing this. Since she worked for his entertainment company, she had been doing all she could to ensure the growth and prosperity of the company. He had chosen Cole instead of her candidate to reel her up and get her to come to her.
Jasmine scoffed, wondering why she hadn’t seen him for who he truly was.
He was the one who offended her, yet, he was trying to get her on his knees in front of him.
Well, her days of wanting to be loved by anyone were over! He could ruin his company. She no longer gave a fuck about him or about anything concerning him.
“Shouldn’t you talk to him, Jas? I’m worried Cole will drag KT entertainment down with him.”
Jasmine looked through the glass toward the runway. The engines of a departing aircraft roared in the distance.
“I no longer work there. Also, Dante and I are no longer together.”
The line fell completely silent.
Miguel seemed stunned for a moment.
“Are you for real?”
“Would I lie about something like that?”She asked, calmly.
After several moments, Miguel finally laughed softly.
“Then I should congratulate you.”
She blinked. “What?”
“Congratulations. You finally escaped.”
His straightforward words caught her off guard.
“Miguel…”
“I’ve wanted to say this for years.” His voice grew firm. “I’ve seen how that man treats you. He was never good enough for you.”
Jasmine’s eyes became warm.
Miguel had seen that Dante didn’t treat her well? She couldn’t blend Miguel for not telling her about it before. She was sure she would have cut him off for slandering Dante.
But now that her eyes had finally opened, she wondered how many people saw her a total fool for Dante, his friends maybe?
Well, that didn’t matter anymore.
“I’ll be fine.” She let out, more to herself.
“I know you will.”
Just then, the airport announcement echoed through the waiting area.
“Passengers traveling to Madrid, please proceed to Gate Twelve for boarding.”
After hanging up, she looked back one last time, this city contained too many memories, some beautiful, most painful.
She took a deep breath before walking confidently toward the boarding gate.
After fastening her seat belt, Jasmine switched her phone to airplane mode.
Just before doing so, another message popped onto the screen, it was from her mother.
Mom: [I hope you haven’t changed your mind. I already told your father, and I informed the Madrigals that you were returning today. You can’t change your mind, dear and we’ll be done for.]
Jasmine sighed. It seemed her mother just couldn’t wait to marry her off.
She sent a reply.
Jasmine: [I’m not changing my mind. I’m already on the plane.]
