Chapter 171 The Promotion

Chapter 171 The Promotion
ZARA

I stood in the middle of the hallway at Evercrest, staring at the official promotion letter in my hands, unable to stop the massive smile breaking across my face.

It was Friday morning, and the usual noise of ringing phones and clicking keyboards surrounded my desk. For months, I had worked myself to the bone at this firm. I had spent weeks editing difficult texts alone and breaking company records on feature articles side by side with Kai. But nothing could have prepared me for the sudden announcement Marcus Sterling had just made to the entire floor.

"Listen up, everyone," Marcus barked, his voice carrying a rare grin as he stepped out of his office. "Effective immediately, Zara Corven is our new Assistant Features Editor. She has shown the best editing instincts this department has seen in years, and the board voted unanimously to promote her."

The entire floor erupted into cheers.

"Oh my god, Zee! Assistant Features Editor?!" Chloe Evans screamed, running over to my desk and throwing her arms around my neck, nearly spilling her iced coffee. "I knew it! You are a literal queen, girl!"

"Thanks, Chloe," I laughed, my heart hammering with sheer excitement as the weight of the good news finally hit me.

Kai walked through the crowd a second later, his dark eyes full of a genuine, quiet pride. He didn't make a big scene. He just stepped up to my desk and shook my hand, his grip warm and steady. "You earned every single bit of this promotion, partner. Congratulations."

"Thank you, Kai," I whispered, our eyes locking for a quick second before Chloe pulled me away to show me the new project files.

The rest of the afternoon was completely busy. As the new Assistant Features Editor, my computer was flooded with incoming manuscripts, and I spent hours handling the layout schedules. By three o'clock, things finally slowed down, and the first person I wanted to tell was Damon. I pulled out my phone and dialed his number, my pulse racing with excitement.

The line rang until it went straight to voicemail. He didn't pick up.

I let out a breath, a tiny pang of disappointment hitting my chest, but I shook it off. I opened our text thread and typed a quick message.

~Babe! I just got promoted to Assistant Features Editor! Everyone at the office is celebrating. I am coming over to your apartment tonight so we can celebrate together! I love you.~

I hit send and waited, but minutes passed in total silence. Still no response. It made me feel a type of way, especially since we had been doing so well lately, but I didn't want to get stuck in my own head.

"It's fine," I said to myself, closing the screen and focusing back on my work. "He’s probably just caught up in a meeting. Once he sees my message, I know he will reply."

By six o'clock, the workday was over. Chloe, Kai, and a few of our other colleagues had organized a celebratory dinner for me at a rustic downtown restaurant called The Foundry. We sat around a long wooden table, laughing and talking over appetizers. Before our main meals arrived, I decided to check my phone again. I sent Damon one more text.

~Babe, you could also come over to The Foundry right now. My colleagues want to celebrate me and I would love for you to be here.~

This time, my phone vibrated almost instantly and it was Damon. He replied with,
~Sure thing, baby. I will be there in 30 minutes. Let me just finish up over here.~

A relieved smile broke across my face, and I put my phone away, completely relaxing into the dinner conversation. Thirty minutes passed. Then an hour. The waiters brought the menu to us once again, but the front doors of the restaurant never opened.

"Zara, I don't think he's coming anymore," Chloe whispered quietly, leaning over to look at my face.
"It's been almost an hour, Zee. Let's just order food and eat. You shouldn't let your big night get ruined."

"Yeah, sure, let's order first," I said smoothly, forcing my voice to stay calm even though my stomach was twisting with a sudden knot of worry. "I know he'll still come. The traffic on Friday nights is always terrible."

But time kept moving, and there was absolutely no sign of him. We ended up celebrating without him. My coworkers raised their glasses and toasted to my success, and Kai kept making me laugh over office jokes, but Damon's empty chair hung over me the entire night. He had promised he wouldn't let his father's drama ruin our time anymore, yet he had left me stranded.

By nine o'clock, the dinner finally ended. Everyone said their goodbyes on the sidewalk, including Kai, who gave me a supportive nod before walking toward the subway.

I stood alone under the restaurant awning, the cold wind hitting my face as the cabs drove past. He hadn't texted to cancel, and he hadn't called. Insecurities were trying to creep in, but I set my jaw. I wasn't going to let his family's schemes ruin the best day of my career.
I opened my bag, flagged down a taxi by the curb, and gave the driver the address to his penthouse and he drove straight to Damon's apartment that night.