Year Five The Perfect Goodbye Plan novel Chapter 10

Shipley let out a sudden, low chuckle and, with deliberate slowness, pinched Silvia’s porcelain cheek.

His voice held a trace of amusement, and his lashes were as dark and long as raven’s wings. “Then, from now on, I’ll have even more reason to adore my sweet Silvia.”

Silvia’s lips twitched in a faint, untraceable smile as she subtly turned her head aside.

His hand met only empty air.

His fingertips brushed her soft hair, but caught nothing.

For a heartbeat, his easy smile faltered. Still, his voice remained gentle and affectionate, though beneath it lurked a chilly undertone. “Sweet Silvia, you’re still upset?”

Yes.

She’d never had much hope, but even so, her heart felt hollow.

She didn’t even want to stay here another moment.

Every second was a kind of quiet torment.

“No,” Silvia murmured, lowering her gaze. “This is a workplace. If anyone sees us, it won’t look good.”

She stepped back, just half a pace, but her eyes remained calm and unreadable. No matter how intently Shipley studied her, he couldn’t see through her composure.

He stood quietly in front of her, watching.

There was a strange, lingering sense between them—something unspoken.

“Are you shy?” Shipley’s eyes darkened slightly, his lips curving in a teasing smile. “You weren’t nearly this shy before.”

Silvia’s lashes fluttered for a split second.

The memory flashed through her mind.

Vianne had just returned, and Silvia, feeling unsafe in the office, had begged for a kiss through her tears.

Shipley had pushed her away.

Back then, he’d looked dignified, his face coldly amused. “Sweet Silvia, this is the office.”

Silvia let out a bitter laugh, pulling herself out of the memory. “I haven’t finished the project report yet. I should get back to work.”

Before Shipley could react, Silvia had already walked away, heels clicking briskly on the floor.

Naturally, no one dared slack off around her.

Silvia remembered her own early days at the company—burning the midnight oil on projects, drinking herself sick at client dinners. Most of these same people had simply watched in silence.

Friendliness was one thing; knowing where loyalties truly lay was another.

As she sat back at her desk, that cold emptiness crept in again.

She stood and made her way to the restroom, only to find Vianne by the mirror, carefully applying lipstick.

Vianne wore a crisp white dress, nearly identical in style and fabric to Silvia’s own.

Silvia pressed her lips together, saying nothing.

That dress had been Shipley’s anniversary gift to her. Now, it seemed, it was time to let it go.

“Silvia, I heard this supervisor position was supposed to be yours,” Vianne said, capping her lipstick and turning with an easy, dazzling smile. “But Shipley said I was the better fit. You’re not upset, are you?”

Once upon a time, Silvia might’ve exchanged polite words, but now, with things as they were, she had no energy left to play these games.