Page 136 of Begin Again, Part 2

"But now that you've resigned, I thought of you." Zara jumped in. "Your CV mentioned you're an illustrator, and you have a background in graphic design."

It still sounded too good to be true, but the longer Eden thought about it, the more she liked the idea of freelancing for Anderson Logistics.

"Here's everything you need to know." Zara pushed the file at her. "Your salary won't be as much as what you're getting now, but you'll be working fewer hours, so it balances out. You won't have any company perks, either. And you'll work remotely, but there are times you'll be required to come in once or twice a week."

Eden read through the document, her smile growing wider the longer her eyes stayed glued to the pages. It sounded like her dream job sans the company perks.

"Who will I report to?" she asked.

Sarah frowned at her. "Me, of course. Look, Eden, Julian has tasked us to cut costs, and my design agency budget is the first to go. It makes sense to bring you in as our in-house designer. You already know a lot about the company, and I'm impressed with how you're handling Lydia's onboarding."

Eden beamed at the high praise. She could get used to this, being appreciated and fulfilled in her role.

She stood up and tucked the file under her arm. "Thank you. I'll look it over and get back to you soon."

"We need your portfolio urgently," Zara called after her as she shot out of the room.

She flew straight into Liam's office and dumped the file on his desk. "Did you know about this?"

"So you've decided to stop avoiding me?" he said, barely looking up from his screen.

"I wasn't avoiding—" Eden was about to deny his accusation, but paused when she realised he was right. She'd avoided him the whole morning.

"I'm sorry," she apologised. "I just have a lot on my mind."

"A lot like what?" Liam peeled himself from his work long enough to gaze at her.

"I'll tell you tonight," she said, tapping the folder again. "Now, did you know about this?"

He reached for the file, flipped through the pages, and scowled at her. "So you resigned? Even after I told you not to? Even when I told you I'd reassign you?"

"I don't want to be reassigned, and you know why I had to resign!"

"Why?" He rose from his seat, sending her scampering to the couch. "Because a bunch of stuffy old men told me to fire you?"

"No!" Eden shook her head as she fell on the leather plushness in a clumsy heap, intimidated by his raw presence.

"Why did you resign then, Princess? I thought you loved being with me."

"Don't confuse our relationship with my job, Liam." Eden clenched her hands on her lap. "I love you, and I love being with you. But I'm not happy here. I came here for one goal, and it's time for me to move on. I can't type another PowerPoint presentation and report. Every day I sit in a board meeting, I die a little."

"What do you want to do?" Liam plopped on the coffee table, took her hands, and kissed them. "I don't want you to be unhappy, Princess. So tell me what you want to do."

"I want to paint and finish Aiden's book. I want to hang my first painting at Fugue, and if I'm lucky and it's good enough, sell it for a million rands."

"That's got to be some piece of art." Liam smiled.

"Good or bad, you are not allowed to buy it. Your family, friends, and associates too. None of you will be allowed to buy it."

"Why?"

"Because I want to earn enough money on my own, Liam. I don't want to depend on you for everything. Now I'll ask you again, did you know about Sarah's offer?"

"I didn't even know you resigned," he grunted as he returned to his desk and pushed a pharmacy bag in her direction. "I got you this. I hope it will help. But if it doesn't, we're going to the hospital."

"Thank you." Eden smiled, stood up, and dashed to his desk to grab the bag and file. "But I've made a doctor's appointment for this afternoon."

"And when were you planning to tell me?" Liam asked as he crossed his arms. "Did it not occur to you, I might want to go with you?"

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