The next morning, Mary arrived at the company with her travel suitcase. Although her eyes looked slightly puffy and sleepless, she tried to keep disappointment off her face. She headed straight to Mr. Connor's office.
She knocked and entered with his permission.
"Good morning, Mr. Connor. Do you have a moment?"
Mr. Connor looked up, his gaze kind and tinged with concern. "Yes, Mary. Come in and have a seat."
Mary remained standing. "No, thank you. I won't stay long. I just came to tell you that I've made my decision… I'll go on the mission. But only because of you. I don't want Rachel and her uncle using this opportunity to give you a hard time."
Mr. Connor took a deep breath and rose from behind his desk. "You've made the right decision. And rest assured, this will be the last time you suffer because of the company. I have to find a solution to this bullying, even if it puts my job at risk."
Mary frowned slightly. "Please don't take any risks because of me. I don't want you to regret it someday."
A faint smile formed on Connor's lips. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. Especially now that this has happened… During the mission, there are some tasks you need to do without Rachel knowing. This time, it all has to end."
Mary was taken aback. "What do you mean, tasks?"
"Nothing too special. Just routine work. But it has to be done quietly, without Rachel or Mr. Richard interfering. First, I need to coordinate with the holding company."
"Alright. Then after the work is done, I'll go with Rachel. I won't bother you."
"Thank you, Mary. I'll talk to you about the task details once you arrive."
Mary nodded and returned to her desk with her suitcase. As soon as she sat down, she noticed Rachel smirking at her. Rachel immediately picked up her phone and made a call.
"Hi… I just wanted to say it looks like Mary agreed to come on the mission. We did it."
Mary glanced at her own phone screen; the background was still the photo of their half-finished painting. A lump formed in her throat.
During lunch, Mary was eating quietly when Rachel sat across from her. Mary stared at her coldly.
With a fake smile, Rachel said, "I just heard you're coming on the mission too… That's great. The two of us, together."
Mary lowered her gaze. "So you didn't know my name was on the list?"
"No… How would I know?"
Mary tried to stay calm. "Rachel, I think you'd better sit at another table. And just so you know, we won't be working together on this mission. Everyone will do their own job. No interaction."
Rachel shrugged. "Geez, why are you so angry? Fine, I don't really want to work with you either."
She stood up proudly and moved to another table. Mary clenched her fists and took a deep breath. Just then, her phone rang. Deniz's name appeared on the screen.
"Hello? Hi, Deniz."
"Hey Maryyy! How are you?"
"Same as always. How about you? Having fun?"
"Yeah, not much work here. We're mostly exploring. I'm at a street restaurant right now. James went to get some food. It's super hot, and you should see his outfit—his shorts look like SpongeBob!"
Mary laughed. "Aren't you ashamed of mocking your partner?"
"I told him too, and we laughed a lot. But seriously, Mary, everything is calm here. But your voice sounds off… Is it because of the mission? What happened in the end?"
"I accepted. I had no choice... As for the painting… never mind. We'll talk when you're back."
"No, tell me now. What happened?"
"The kids will be at the art school in the mornings too, starting this week. With that schedule, I couldn't be part of the collaborative painting anymore. I guess it wasn't meant to be."
Deniz encouraged her warmly, "Don't worry. It'll work out. By the way, I've got a great plan for Rachel. Just wait till I'm back."
"Come on, just don't tell James."
"Nope, haven't said anything yet. But Rachel's behavior won't go unanswered."
"Forget it… You also left for the southern province because of me."
"It worked out well for me. James is just what I wanted—he looks like me but acts like you… always worried about me. And he's a great cook too."
Mary chuckled. "Looks like we all need to learn from you!"
"No need to learn. Sometimes good things just come to you on their own."
"Then your luck must be incredible… Unlike mine."
"Don't say that. You're lucky too—you'll see it later."
"Sure, super lucky! I dropped out of the painting project and now I have to go on a mission with Rachel."
"There's a blessing in every hardship. Maybe this mission will change your fate."
"Doubt it… Well, I have to go. Say hi to James for me."
"Will do. Take care."
After the workday, Mary got into the company car. Rachel was sitting next to her, and in a three-hour silence, they arrived at the mission city. In front of the hotel, Rachel quickly got out and arrogantly told the driver:
"Take my suitcase to my room. I'm going to the restaurant for dinner."
Mary grabbed her suitcase and entered the lobby. She was about to get her room key when a familiar voice behind her said:
"What took you so long? Do you know how many hours we've been waiting in the lobby?"
Mary turned around in surprise. "Nicholas? What are you doing here?"
Nicholas smiled. "Better question is—what are we doing here."
Mary followed his gesture and saw Yong and Helen sitting on the couches, waving at her with smiles.
"What… Why are you all here?"
Nicholas grabbed her suitcase. "Obviously—because of you."
"What do you mean? What about the painting?"
"Come on, let's join the others, and I'll explain."
When they reached the group, Mary said in disbelief, "Hi… Nicholas didn't say anything… Why are you here?"
Helen: "Hi, dear. We came to have a little getaway—and to keep going with you."
Mary: "Keep going with what?"
Yong smiled. "The painting. We brought all the materials. You go to work in the mornings, and in the afternoons, we paint together."
Tears welled up in Mary's eyes. "I don't know what to say… Why didn't you tell me last night?"
Helen and Nicholas looked at Yong, who said, "Nicholas wanted to surprise you."
Nicholas looked at Yong in surprise.
Mary smiled at Nicholas. "So this was your idea?"
Nicholas looked slightly embarrassed. Helen came to his rescue. "Yes, Nicholas wanted to make you happy, so he asked us to bring the painting project here."
Yong nodded with a smile. "Don't be shy, Nicholas. Mary knows she matters to you."
Nicholas: "That's right… I thought this might cheer you up."
Mary held his hands. "Thank you so much… I never expected this."
Nicholas smiled, while Yong and Helen looked at them kindly.
"By the way, where's that colleague who was bothering you?"
"She went to the restaurant… But how do you know about her?"
Helen: "Deniz called. She was worried about you and told us everything."
Mary's eyes widened. "So Deniz knew you were here?"
Helen: "Yeah. I told her this morning."
Mary laughed. "She didn't say a word!"
Nicholas: "She didn't want to ruin the surprise."
Yong: "Now that we're all together, let's grab dinner and talk about our plans…"
They all, full of energy and smiles, headed toward the restaurant. The night city had come to life under the streetlights, and their laughter dissolved into the crowd. After a few minutes, they settled at a cozy table by the window and excitedly placed their orders. They had barely taken their first bites when Mary sensed a piercing gaze from across the room. She turned her head. It was Rachel — standing there with her usual posture, eyes gleaming with curiosity. After a brief pause, she forced a smile, rose from her seat, and walked toward Mary's table.
"Mary? I thought you'd have dinner later. If I had known, we could've come together."
Mary met her gaze without letting her smile falter.
"I'd rather eat alone than with you."
Rachel didn't flinch. Her smile only deepened.
"But you're not alone now... Aren't you going to introduce your friends?"
Nicholas stood up calmly and extended his hand.
"Hi. I'm Nicholas, a friend of Mary's. You must be Rachel, right?"
Rachel (surprised): "Yes, that's right. Do we know each other?"
Nicholas (with calm confidence): "I've heard your name more than once. If I'm not mistaken, you're Mary's colleague?"
"Yeah, we work at the same company. But I don't think I've seen you around… not even in the holding group."
Nicholas (with a steady, penetrating look): "Mary and I know each other in a different way. We share... dreams. (He turns to Helen and Yong.) Isn't that right, guys?"
Yong (with a half-smile): "Definitely."
Rachel, suddenly more reserved, tried to compose herself.
"So Mary has friends like you too… May I ask what you do?"
"We run an art gallery. Mary's interested in art as well… Are you into painting?"
Rachel (eyes widening in surprise): "No, not really."
Nicholas (raising an eyebrow and flashing a sly smile): "What a shame… I was going to invite you to join us for dinner. But, well, we usually don't include people who don't care about art in our group."
Rachel, her smile now completely gone, replied coldly:
"No worries. I already had dinner. I won't bother you... Good night."
"Good night... I'm sure we'll see each other again."
Rachel turned and walked away briskly.
Nicholas calmly sat back down.
Yong (with a mischievous grin): "You really hit a nerve there."
Nicholas shrugged: "That was just the beginning. I know exactly how to make her regret the way she treated Mary."
Helen (teasingly): "Oh wow... Look at Nicholas getting all protective over Mary!"
Nicholas paused, his smile fading.
"Protective? No... I just want someone like her to finally learn how to treat people with respect."
Mary, who had been quiet until then, spoke gently but firmly.
"Let it go… Just ignoring her is enough for her to realize she's not in control anymore. (Then with a soft smile) Come on, let's enjoy our dinner. Let's not ruin the night."