Page 34 of Ansel

I wasn’t sure anymore.

I glanced at Neha, who was sitting next to me on my couch. She was reviewing a presentation on her laptop, one we’d just worked on together—because it was her firstbigone at work.

She loved her job.

Iused tolove mine.

Now, I woke up every morning with a pit in my stomach, dreading what fresh bullshit Sterling & Co. Investments had in store for me.

Even with Vanessa gone, the backstabbing and internal politics hadn’t disappeared. The same toxic cycle continued—people clawing for power, manipulating their way to the top. And for what? Another corner office? Another round of soul-sucking meetings?

I was so fucking tired of it.

Neha must’ve felt my restiveness, because she asked, “What?”

I didn’t hesitate. “I think I’m ready to quit.”

She set her computer on the coffee table and turned to face me, focus on me. I loved this about her—she would set aside everything, no matter how important, to pay attention to me, and she’d taught me to do the same for her.

Her brows lifted slightly, but she didn’t look shocked. “I figured this was coming.”

I huffed a small laugh. “That obvious?”

She took my hands in hers. “You’ve been miserable for months. I mean, if you want to keep spending your days arguing with finance bros about who gets the biggest cut of a deal, go for it. But…do you?”

I shook my head, letting out a ragged breath. “No.”

She tilted her head. “So, what should we do about it?”

We!

“I’m scared that I’ll become a bum if I quit.”

“Right!”

“I worry that I’ll never work again and…what will I do with my time?”

Neha watched me for a moment before grinning mischievously. “You could always work at Penny’s café, she’s once again lost a barista.”

I didn’t dismiss the idea right away. “That’s not an entirely bad suggestion.”

Neha arched a brow, amusement flickering in her gaze. “I was kidding.”

“I don’t know, Neha. Working in a place with no stress, no corporate bullshit, no endless meetings designed just to stroke someone’s ego—that sounds tempting.”

What would it be like to work in a place where your colleagues weren’t constantly undercutting each other for a slightly bigger paycheck? Would that give me some peace? At least for a while—until I figured out what came next.

“Ansel, you can just quit. Take some time off.”

“I have some money saved.” I waved a hand around the apartment. “And once I sell this place, we’ll make some money.”

Neha studied me. “Honey, you do whatever you need to do, I have a job and I’ll carry the financial burden for as long as needed.”

Relationships were not fifty-fifty, they never could be. Sometimes someone had to carry more, but in the long run it all evened out. I loved being in a relationship with Neha where that reality existed for us.

The past six months had been perfect. We all lived together, mostly at my place, which gave us more privacy since she shared her apartment with Penny.

“I can pay my way, baby.”

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