"Your resignation isn't valid,

" Dustin declared with an authoritative tone that made him sound like the head of the household., I knew he had the power to override my decision, and even if he didn't, he could get Herschel to step in and nullify Conrad's approval. But I didn't want that., So, I countered,

"Mr. Wagner has already approved it.

", After all, Conrad was now the one calling the shots at Wagner Enterprises, not Dustin., There was a pause on the other end of the line before Dustin finally asked,

"Where are you?

", I had moved to this new place, and only Fanny and Ernest knew about it. But I wouldn't put it past Dustin to figure it out., He cared enough to remember even my unlisted number, so it wasn't a stretch to think he could guess where I was., Still, I wasn't about to give up my location.

"Dustin, I've poured my heart into this amusement park for the last two years. I'll leave the loose ends for you to tie up.

",

"Felicia...

",

"Dustin, let's leave it at that.

", I hung up and turned my attention back to the oatmeal. It smelled heavenly., I didn't have any groceries, so oatmeal it was., I was eating my oatmeal while browsing job listings on my laptop. With my years of experience at Wagner Enterprises, I was confident I'd land a decent job soon enough., After finishing my meal and job hunting for the day, I noticed my neighbor was still bustling about., Full and content, I drifted off to sleep on the couch, making sure to silence my phone to avoid any disturbances., I slept for hours, waking up to a quiet that felt like stepping into another world. I checked the time-it was just after 3 p.m., Time seemed to crawl, a stark contrast to the whirlwind days at Wagner Enterprises., I noticed several missed calls on my phone-from Deborah, Jacqueline, and an unknown number that had tried reaching me three times., No calls from Ernest meant no urgent work issues, which was a relief., Nonetheless, I called Deborah back, and she answered instantly,

"Felicia, why didn't you pick up?

",

"Something up?

" I asked, my voice thick with sleep., Deborah could tell,

"Felicia, did you just ditch us to nap?

",

"Yep, nothing to do, so why not sleep?

" I replied as if it was the most natural thing., Deborah sighed,

"Felicia, come back. I'm struggling here on my own.

", Her voice was hushed, likely not wanting Ernest to overhear,

"Is your dream guy giving you a hard time?

",

"Not really, I just can't keep up with him. He clearly looks annoyed, like he thinks I'm an idiot. It's hurting my ego,

" Deborah's complaint made me chuckle., But after a laugh, I reassured her,

"A strong leader doesn't have weak soldiers. You're not dumb. If he can't see that, it's his loss, not yours. I'll deal with him.

",

"And how do you plan to 'deal with me'?

" Suddenly, the voice on the line changed, catching me off guard., After a moment of awkward silence, I replied with poise,

"Mr. Collins, Deborah needs time to adjust to your pace. Perhaps a bit of patience and understanding would help.

" Ernest remained silent, so I continued,

"Mr. Collins, was there something you needed?

",

"We encountered some issues during testing today. Deborah wasn't sure how to handle them. We need your expertise,

" Ernest's request was unexpected., I replied without hesitation,

"I've resigned. That's not my problem anymore.

",

"But you wanted to see this project through to a perfect end, didn't you?

" Ernest's words stopped me in my tracks., After a brief silence, I conceded,

"Fine, I'll come by later.

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