Chapter 27 - Leave It
At thirty-four, I left the country for ten days.
For vacation.
Not conference.
Not supplier visit.
Not market research cleverly disguised as leisure.
Vacation.
The distinction required paperwork in my brain.
The plan came from Chloe.
Naturally.
She sent the group chat—
taiwan?
Jane:
when
Chloe:
march
I stared.
March was four months away.
Reasonable.
I checked my calendar.
Not because I was afraid to go.
Because adults needed dates.
Then replied—
game
Jane:
wow
I stared.
what
nothing ??
Chloe:
historical moment
I locked my phone.
I regretted having friends.
Originally, Jane wasn't sure she could go.
Work.
Camille.
Family schedule.
Normal.
Then two weeks later—
approved leave
Chloe sent seven celebratory stickers.
I sent one.
Efficiency.
Camille was not coming.
She had her own work.
Also normal.
Which meant—
the original trio.
Again.
Not because anyone's relationship had disappeared.
Just because sometimes friends traveled without partners.
Revolutionary.
Abigail reacted to the trip differently.
"Ten days?"
"Yes."
"International?"
"Yes."
"Vacation?"
I narrowed my eyes.
"Yes."
She smiled.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You're all very annoying."
"I didn't say anything."
"You were thinking growth."
She laughed.
"Maybe."
The business was much larger than when I'd first hired her.
By then, Abigail was Operations Manager.
Actual title.
Actual authority.
Actual pay to match.
Bea led production.
Claire handled fulfillment and inventory with her own small team.
Ella had moved into procurement and stock control because she was disturbingly good at knowing when things would run out.
Finance had proper people.
Legal had proper people.
Accounting no longer involved me staring at spreadsheets at midnight pretending I was a CPA.
Excellent development.
Still—
ten days.
I had taken shorter trips.
Weekends.
Three days.
Four.
But ten?
Different.
My brain immediately produced a list.
Client risks.
Equipment risks.
Supplier risks.
Staff risks.
Payment approvals.
Emergency thresholds.
Backup signatories.
I stared at the document.
Then deleted half of it.
Abigail watched from across my office.
"Too much?"
"Yes."
"Good."
"Don't sound pleased."
She smiled.
We set actual rules.
Real emergencies—
call.
Major equipment failure affecting confirmed deadlines—
call.
Legal issue—
call.
Banking issue above delegated authority—
call.
Anything else?
Handle it.
Send summary if needed.
Do not send me every routine update.
Abigail nodded.
"Okay."
Then—
"Group chat?"
"No."
"Daily report?"
"No."
Her eyebrows went up.
"None?"
"I said none."
"Who are you?"
"Get out."
She laughed and left.
Mama packed more medicine than I owned.
Papa asked for flight details.
Sofia asked what I was bringing her.
"Nothing."
She stared.
"Ate."
"Fine."
Ate Bianca wanted skincare.
Kuya Nathan wanted snacks.
Ate Vivian wanted something practical.
No one knew what.
Helpful.
The night before the flight, I opened the business dashboard.
Everything normal.
I stared too long.
Then my phone buzzed.
Jane.
sleep
I replied—
i am
you're online
that proves nothing
lia
I sighed.
Closed the laptop.
There.
Vacation apparently started under supervision.
Taiwan was cold enough to offend me.
Chloe was delighted.
Jane complained about her hands.
I complained about both of them.
Normal.
We ate too much.
Walked too much.
Got lost once.
Chloe denied responsibility.
It was absolutely her fault.
On Day One, I checked work four times.
Day Two—
three.
Day Three—
once before breakfast.
Abigail sent nothing.
Suspicious.
I messaged—
everything okay?
She replied—
yes
Then—
go eat
I stared.
Jane saw.
"Work?"
"Abigail is disrespectful."
"Good."
Chloe nodded.
"Promote her."
"Already did."
"Again."
No.
By Day Four—
I stopped checking.
Not intentionally.
We left early.
Train.
Food.
Walking.
Photos.
A museum Chloe wanted.
A café Jane found.
Night market.
By the time we got back—
I realized I had not opened the dashboard once.
I stood inside the hotel room holding my phone.
Jane looked at me.
"What?"
"I didn't check work."
She stared.
Then smiled.
"Okay."
"That's significant."
"I know."
Chloe walked past us carrying snacks.
"Do you want a medal?"
I looked at her.
"Yes."
"No."
Nothing happened at work.
Apparently.
No one called.
No one died.
No machines achieved sentience.
Amazing.
On Day Five, Jane received a video call from Camille.
She answered.
I waved when Camille saw me.
"Hi."
Camille smiled.
"Still alive?"
"Barely. Your girlfriend walks too much."
Jane turned the phone.
"Excuse me?"
Camille laughed.
Then—
"Did she feed you?"
I stared at Jane.
"There. She's selling you again."
Jane groaned.
"I'M NOT."
Camille:
"I cooked before she left."
I pointed at the phone.
"Premium package?"
Camille burst out laughing.
Jane covered her face.
Chloe appeared behind me.
"Very nice legs included?"
"CHLOE."
Some jokes survived international travel.
Unfortunately.
That afternoon, we walked along a shopping street.
Someone passed.
Pretty.
Very polished.
I glanced.
Briefly.
Then—
Jane, beside me:
"Excellent nose?"
I stared.
"We crossed countries and you brought this joke."
"Portable."
Chloe:
"Scalable."
I walked faster.
But mostly—
we just traveled.
Temple.
Food.
Markets.
Train rides.
Stores.
Stupid souvenirs.
Bad photos.
Good photos.
One afternoon where all three of us were too tired and stayed inside longer than planned.
No guilt.
No need to maximize tourism.
Old Lia would have tried to extract full value from every day.
Current Lia took a nap.
Historic.
On Day Seven, Abigail finally called.
I answered immediately.
Too immediately.
"Hello?"
"Ma'am, sorry."
My body went alert.
"What happened?"
"Nothing bad."
I paused.
"Then?"
"We have an offer from Julia's organization for a larger annual contract. Deadline to respond is next week."
I exhaled.
"Okay."
"I can send summary."
"Send it."
"Do you want full files?"
I looked outside.
Jane and Chloe were waiting.
"No."
Pause.
Abigail:
"Okay."
"I'll review the summary tonight."
Then stopped.
No.
"Actually—tomorrow morning."
"Not urgent."
"Good."
Abigail laughed softly.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Do not growth me."
"I wasn't going to."
Liar.
The summary took eight minutes the next morning.
Good opportunity.
Worth discussion.
Not worth interrupting vacation.
I sent one response—
Schedule meeting after I return. No commitment yet.
Then put the phone away.
Done.
That was it.
Old Lia would have joined a video call from the hotel.
Maybe two.
Current Lia bought bubble tea.
By Day Nine—
I realized something worse.
I didn't miss work.
Not in the way I expected.
I missed people.
Mama.
Papa.
Sofia.
My own bed.
But the office?
The dashboard?
The constant decisions?
No.
I liked my business.
I loved what I'd built.
But I did not need to physically touch it every day to prove it belonged to me.
That realization felt almost insulting.
Years of suffering—
and apparently the business had always been capable of existing without emotional supervision.
Rude.
On our last night, we sat somewhere with drinks and tired feet.
Chloe asked—
"Best part?"
"Food," Jane said immediately.
"Predictable."
Jane looked at me.
"You?"
I thought.
Not checking work.
Sleeping.
Walking around.
No emergency.
Friends.
Time.
"Nothing specific."
Chloe stared.
"That is such a bad answer."
I laughed.
"I liked all of it."
Jane smiled.
"Better."
Then I asked Chloe.
She thought.
"Watching you not open your laptop."
I threw a napkin at her.
When I got home, Mama hugged me.
Then immediately asked—
"Pasalubong?"
Love had conditions.
I distributed bags.
Papa got snacks.
Mama got something she'd mentioned.
Sofia got skincare.
Ate Bianca got what she requested.
Kuya Nathan and Ate Vivian got theirs later.
Everyone satisfied.
Mostly.
The next morning, I went to work.
Ten days away.
I expected—
I don't know.
Chaos?
A pile?
Proof that I mattered?
Instead—
normal.
Abigail was in a meeting.
Bea was checking production.
Claire's team was packing.
Ella was discussing supplier delivery.
Someone greeted me.
Then went back to work.
No one dropped everything because the owner had returned from exile.
Excellent.
Slightly offensive.
Abigail came into my office twenty minutes later.
"Welcome back."
"Thanks."
She put one folder on my desk.
"One folder?"
"Yes."
"What happened while I was gone?"
"Business."
I stared.
"That's it?"
She smiled.
"Pretty much."
Then she summarized.
One delayed supplier shipment.
Resolved.
One client revision issue.
Resolved.
One printer maintenance concern.
Scheduled.
Julia annual contract opportunity.
Pending discussion.
Everything else—
normal.
I looked at her.
"You didn't need me."
She frowned.
"Of course we need you."
"That sounded defensive."
She laughed.
"Not every day."
There.
Better.
Not every day.
That afternoon, we met Julia.
Large annual contract.
Worth good money.
Also manageable because—
the team existed.
Systems existed.
Managers existed.
I negotiated scope.
Abigail handled operational implementation.
Finance reviewed terms.
Legal reviewed contract.
No one asked me to personally print anything.
Beautiful.
By thirty-five, I started taking longer trips.
Not constantly.
Not to escape work.
Just because I could.
Some with family.
Some with friends.
One alone.
That one surprised everyone.
Especially Mama.
"Mag-isa?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Why not?"
She stared.
Fair.
The business kept growing while I was gone.
Not despite my absence.
Because it had been built not to depend on my constant presence.
That was different.
Original Lia built herself into every important decision until the company could breathe only when she did.
Current Lia finally understood—
ownership and dependence were not the same thing.
One Friday, Abigail asked—
"Next trip?"
I looked up.
"What?"
"You already have one?"
"No."
"Good."
"Why good?"
"You're here too much."
I stared.
"I work normal hours."
"Still."
"You want to remove me from my own company."
"No."
Pause.
"Sometimes."
I laughed.
That evening, I left at five.
Not because anyone forced me.
Just done.
I went home.
Mama had food.
Papa was there.
Sofia dropped by later.
My phone buzzed.
Jane.
camille made cheesecake
I stared.
Then—
JANE STOP SELLING YOUR GIRLFRIEND TO ME
Immediate response:
HAHAHAHAHAHA
Then Camille apparently took the phone.
premium package now includes dessert
I laughed.
RETURN TO SENDER
Chloe appeared—
excellent nose included?
I locked my phone.
No.
At thirty-five, I had more business than twenty-three-year-old me could have imagined.
More money.
More people.
More responsibility.
But I also had passport stamps.
Family photos.
Trips.
Random meals.
Friends who could bully me across international borders.
And a company that could survive ten days without seeing my face.
That last one might have been my favorite achievement.
Not because I mattered less.
Because finally—
my life could leave the office without the business following me.