Chapter 2 A Change of Plan

I could not help thinking back to my birthday three months ago. James had taken me out for dinner.

That night, the restaurant brought the wrong dish, and my pasta was mixed with onions.

I was severely allergic to onions. Even the slightest amount would leave me covered in hives, and in serious cases, make it difficult for me to breathe.

Looking at the onions on my plate, I turned to James with a pout.

At that moment, he was busy replying to work messages and did not even bother to look up as he said, "Can't you just pick them out yourself? You're a grown woman. Do you really need someone to wait on you just to eat a meal?"

The impatience in his voice made my eyes sting.

In the end, I painstakingly picked out every piece of onion, but the sauce had already been contaminated.

That night, I ended up in the hospital for an anti-allergy injection.

After paying the bill, he stood beside my hospital bed, frowning as he scolded me. "Maria, can you stop being such a baby? I can't believe you managed to end up in the hospital just from eating dinner. I'm very busy, you know?"

But now, I finally understood. It was not that he had no patience. It was not that his obsession with cleanliness could never be overcome.

His patience simply had never belonged to me.

Standing outside the window, I watched him casually take a bite of steak with the very same fork he had just used to pick onions out of Serene's plate.

Then, I looked away and dialed the headhunter who had been contacting me.

"Mr. Chafiled, is the director position at Bluming Town that you mentioned before still available?"

The excitement in the headhunter's voice was unmistakable as he replied, "Of course! They've been very satisfied with your resume. As long as you're willing to start, you can start anytime!"

"Okay." I took a deep breath before replying, "I can fly to Bluming Town tomorrow."

After hanging up, I did not spare another glance at the people inside the restaurant. I turned and disappeared into the crowd.

The day before my departure, the city issued a rare super hurricane warning, and the news repeatedly urged residents to stay indoors unless necessary. The sky over the entire city was terrifyingly dark. Gale-force winds swept thick storm clouds across the horizon as though they could come crashing down at any moment.

I stayed in my hotel room, stuffing the last few pieces of clothing into my suitcase.

The moment I zipped it shut, the phone lying on the bed suddenly vibrated, and the screen lit up with one name.

James.

This was the first time he had contacted me during the three days he was supposedly away on his business trip.

The moment I answered, his voice exploded through the phone before I could even speak.

"Maria, you've really got some nerve now, don't you? Why didn't you tell me you moved out of your apartment? Didn't I say we needed more time to think about moving in together? Why were you in such a hurry? Do you have any idea how worried I was when your landlord told me you'd moved out?"

My grip on the phone tightened slightly.

He did not explain why he had disappeared for days. He did not ask where I was staying. He did not offer even a single word of concern.

When I remained silent, he suppressed his irritation and continued, "Alright now. There's a hurricane here these days. Wherever you are, don't come over to my place for now—"

"Don't worry." I cut him off without hesitation. "I won't be going to your place anymore."

After my words fell, there was a brief pause on the other end. It was obvious that he had not expected such a straightforward response from me.

In that split second, James' voice turned cold. "Maria, can you stop being so petty? If you're throwing a tantrum over the moving-in thing, then don't move in for the next half month! Take some time to cool off instead of acting like the whole world revolves around you!"

He had always spoken to me in a superior tone. In the past, whenever he said things like that, I would immediately start questioning myself whether I really had been unreasonable. Then I would carefully coax him, afraid of making him angry.

However, this time, I simply replied, "Okay. I won't move in."

James was obviously caught off guard. He froze for a second before letting out a cold laugh.

"Fine. Since you are so stubborn, suit yourself! Just don't come crawling back to me when you regret it!" Then, he hung up the phone.

I casually tossed my phone onto the bed and continued zipping up my suitcase.

Less than half an hour later, someone began pounding violently on the door of my hotel room.