"Now, if you don't mind, Yve, I want to hear your story. Why did you leave my Vince behind when I can see that you truly love him?"
From the very start, Yve knew that Vince's mother will ask her this question but she never thought that it would be asked on their second meeting.
"Maddie, I'm not sure if you will believe me. But it's because of that same love why I decided to leave Vince."
"Go on...."
Thus, she began telling her story.
----
Flashback
--
Ever since Mr. Smith died, Amira and Airis showed their true colors to Yve and began maltreating her. Luckily, they can't be too severe in abusing her because majority of the inheritance was placed under her name. Still, Yve can't tolerate these things anymore so she left the mansion and decided to stay with Vince. Vince lives alone in a condominium located near the school. Yve was happy that Vince didn't pry much on her reason for her stay with him and just like that, their love for each other deepen as they spend their days together. Vince would sleep on the couch in the living room while Yve would stay in his room.
But one day, Vince left early and wasn't at school. Furthermore, he didn't come back home. Yve was worried so he called Vince which was answered after 3 failed attempts.
"Yve, I'm very sorry I was so busy."
"Vince, is everything okay?"
"Hmm....."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Then can you come back now?"
But there was no response. Yve knew that something may have gone wrong with his family or company.
"I understand. But is there anything I can do to help?"
"No, it's fine. I can handle it. In the meantime, don't worry about me. Just continue your studies. If you need anything, just give me a call, okay?"
"Okay, take care always."
Just when Yve thought that the call, got disconnected, she heard a different voice.
"Young Master, all of our business partners are pulling out. If we can't convince them to retract their decisions, we might need to look for new partners, if not, Gray Group will be forced to file bankruptcy."
'What?! Bankruptcy? What happened with Gray Group?' Yve thought.
She heard Vince gave a response,
"How many days left?"
"One week at most."
Yve ended the phone call and immediately called their family lawyer to ask for his help.
'It's my turn now to help you.' Yve thought.
The next morning, Yve skipped school and went to meet their lawyer.
"Ms. Smith, please have a seat."
"Thank you, uncle. Have you found out what I asked for?"
"Of course. It was very easy. It was actually the talk of the business world."
The lawyer handed out an envelope to Yve. It contains the problems and issues that Gray Group are facing.
"Ms. Smith, are you thinking of helping them?"
"Yes. Do you think that will be possible?"
"That will be a little difficult. You need to have an absolute plan to present to the board of directors."
"I don't quite understand the things here, Uncle. But I really want to help Vince."
"Then, I will hire a tutor for you. You need to learn the basics about business."
"Thanks, Uncle."
"You're always welcome. But what about your school?"
"Ah, can you file a leave for me? I only have one week before the Gray Group's end."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes! Next to my father, Vince is most important man in my life. Even now, he still hasn't asked for my help to encourage Stones Enterprises to help them. He even tried to hide this from me."
The lawyer just smiled and gave Yve's hospital a call.
During the week, Yve would go to the lawyer's office to study basic business and present her plans to her tutor. Her tutor would tell her the flaws and at night, she would work hard to revise the plan. She made about 5 plans before the 6th got a great remark from her tutor.
On the 6th day, their family lawyer helped her set a meeting with the board of directors of Stones Enterprises. She presented her plan and got a standing ovation from them. Majority agreed to help the Gray Group using the plan she presented. Most of all, she gave the rights to the Stones' Planning Department since she wanted to keep it a secret from Vince.
Yve was feeling happy inside.
'Being absent from school and enduring those sleepless nights were worth it!' She thought.
The help that Gray Group badly needs is on its way, just one signature away. But then she miscalculated something, since she was underage and as stated in the will, all the decisions she would be doing needs the signature of her legal guardian which was Amira, her step mother.
On the final day, Yve was reading the newspaper particularly the Business Section. She was also waiting a positive call from their lawyer. Then she heard someone knocking on the door.
'It must be Vince. He's back now!' Yve thought and hurriedly rushed to open the door.
She was petrified to see the person she least expected outside Vince's condominium.
---
Present Time; at the restaurant
--
Maddie was listening silently to Yve's story and can't help but be amazed with what she heard. She knew that it was Stones Enterprises who helped them but she never thought that the plan would come from Yve. Take note, she did the plans while studying basic business.
'I can guess what happened next.' She thought as she noticed how sad Yve looks like as she continues to tell the story.
"Yve if it's difficult for you, you can stop there."
"No, Maddie. I owe this explanation not only to Vince but to the people who loves him and saw how broken he was." Yve said as she wiped the tears which escaped her eyes.
Maddie showed a smile and continued to listen to her story. Another thought came to Maddie.
'This young lady can be very strong if she wants to. Now, I know why the late Mr. Smith treasures her and why my Vince can't get over her.'