Lost Me, Gained Regret (Jane and Bryant Ferguson)

Outside, Bryant was escorting Margaret to the director's office door.

"Come on, what's there to worry about? With that scowl of yours, who'd dare approach me?" Margaret playfully nudged Bryant, her tone teasing with fake affection, but her face was full of genuine smiles. I took a sip of my coffee, which tasted incredibly bitter.

Seeing my frown, Linda took it over to taste it and said, "It's not bitter. I even added two sugar cubes today, hoping to sweeten your day."

Knock.

Margaret shooed Bryant out, and Bryant turned, heading to my office.

I watched him intently, wishing I could see through to his heart.

"I'll go make you another cup," Linda said, seizing the opportunity to escape.

Bryant sauntered in, shutting the door behind him, and explained calmly, "It's her first job. She was a bit nervous and asked me to help her settle in."

"Really," I replied with a smile, "I hadn't noticed."

First, Bryant, no less than the CEO himself, introduced her. Then, with her easy banter, she made it clear her relationship with Bryant was no shallow pond despite her saying she was easy to talk to and things like that.

But it was like revealing a royal flush at a poker game. Who would dare bluff after that?

"Look, she might be older than you, but in terms of work, you're her senior. And you're more skilled in design. The team respects you more," Bryant said as he came up behind me, massaging my shoulders to soothe me. "You don't need to bother with her. Just make sure she's not getting bullied, okay?"

For the first time, I felt an uncontrollable anger toward Bryant.

I shrugged off his hands and stood up abruptly, asking pointedly, "Well if that's true, then why is she the director and I'm not?"

The words came out more directly than I intended.

Even Bryant, usually so composed, showed a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

Yes. Three years into our marriage, we had lived in mutual respect rather than passionate love. We had never fought or argued. He probably thought I was too meek to get angry. But I didn't regret saying those words.

If the director's position had gone to someone more capable than me, I would have accepted it without question. But it went to Margaret, and shouldn't I at least be allowed to ask why? It was the first time Bryant saw the sharp side of me, his lips pressed in a thin line. "Jane, are you angry about this?"

"Shouldn't I be?" I asked him back.

In front of others, I could pretend everything was fine, putting on a generous façade. But in front of my husband, wasn't our marriage a failure if I still needed to hide my feelings? "Silly, aren't you?" He grabbed the remote, turned the glass from clear to frosted, and pulled me into his arms. "The Ferguson Group is all yours. Why care about one position?" "The Ferguson Group is yours, not mine." I retorted.

I could only cling to this little piece of land before me.

He lifted my chin, looking stern. "We're husband and wife. Whatever is mine is yours."

"Then how about transferring some shares to me?" I joked. I watched him closely, not wanting to miss any hint of his reaction. Surprisingly, there was none.

He raised an eyebrow, asking, "How much?"

I said, "Ten percent."

If I were serious, that would be asking for the moon.

After marrying me, Bryant took over the already massive Ferguson Group and expanded its business empire several times under his leadership. Not to mention ten percent, even one percent would be worth a fortune.

I never expected him to agree. It was just a random figure I threw out.

"Okay," he said.