All Chapters of When I Stopped Running : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Jessica's POV By the time my shift ended, I was exhausted mentally.Roman had somehow managed to occupy an entire corner of my mind without even being present.Every time I looked at the folder in my locker, questions followed.I couldn't stop wondering why now and how much he knew.I locked the locker and headed toward the employee exit.The hotel was quieter now.Most of the evening guests had already checked in and the lobby no longer carried the frantic energy of earlier.I started walking toward the bus stop.The air felt cooler than usual.It was comfortable and for once, my thoughts weren't focused on Jake.That alone felt like a small victory.I was halfway down the block when I noticed the man.At first, I didn't think much of it.He stood near a newspaper stand scrolling through his phone.It was erfectly normal and I kept walking.A minute later, I glanced back again.He was walking too.I decided to wave off the uneasiness stirring within me. It was actually nothing.The

Roman's POV "Your candidate performed better than we expected."The statement greeted me the moment I stepped into the conference room.I looked up from the tablet in my hand.Across the table sat three members of the recruitment panel.The oldest among them pushed a file toward me.I didn't sit immediately, Instead, I glanced at the name printed on the folder.Jessica Wilson.A small smile threatened to appear, but I quickly buried it."She's not my candidate," I said.The woman nearest to me laughed."Could've fooled us," she added quietly.I finally sat down.The file remained untouched before me."You're giving me too much credit," I uttered, my eyes scanning the room."No," another man replied. "We're giving you exactly the amount of credit you deserve."I already knew where this conversation was heading.And I didn't like it.The first mistake people made about me was assuming I enjoyed explaining myself.Because I clearly didn't.The second mistake was assuming I spent my time

Jessica's POV "Miss Wilson, please have a seat."The moment Mr. Bernard said those words, I knew something was wrong.People didn't usually get summoned into management offices before ten in the morning unless there was a problem.My first thought was that I had made a mistake.Maybe a guest had complained, or there was an issue with a reservation.I also wondered if I had forgotten something important during yesterday's shift.I sat down carefully and waited.Across the desk, Mr. Bernard looked unusually pleased with himself.That only made me more nervous."Am I in trouble?" I asked.Mr.Bernard blinked before laughing."In trouble?"His amusement did nothing to calm me."Then why do I feel like I'm about to be fired?" I asked again."You aren't being fired." He said calmly. I released a breath in relief."Then what's going on?" I enquired calmly.Instead of answering immediately, he slid a cream-colored envelope across the desk.The hotel logo wasn't on it and neither was my name.

Jessica's POV"Miss Wilson, there's someone here to see you."I barely looked up from the reservation system when I answered."If it's another guest complaining about flowers, tell them I'm on strike."The receptionist laughed."I don't think this one is here about flowers," She added.Something in her voice made me pause in confusion, I lifted my head to her."What does that mean?" I asked.The smile disappeared from her face.Then she stepped aside and I saw Jake.I wasn't surprised because who else could ruin a perfectly normal afternoon just by standing there?He stood near one of the large windows with his hands tucked into his pockets, dressed in a brown suit that probably cost more than my monthly salary.Several guests glanced in his direction, while few employees recognized him immediately.Jake Stone wasn't exactly easy to miss."What does he want?" I questioned her.The receptionist lowered her voice as she responded."He asked to speak with you."I closed the reservation

Jake's Pov"You've been avoiding us."The moment the words left Lucian Stone's mouth, every conversation around the dining table died.I slowly set my glass down and looked across the table.My uncle sat at the far end, exactly where he always sat.At the head of the table, the position he claimed belonged to him long before my father died and continued to occupy even after I became CEO.Some habits were difficult to break, and power was one of them.The dining room itself was impressive enough to belong in a museum. Crystal chandeliers hung overhead. Portraits of dead Stone family members watched from the walls. The table stretched so far that a person could probably raise a family at one end without knowing what was happening at the other.Growing up, I used to think the room looked beautiful, but now it only felt cold.Everything about the Stone estate felt cold.The polished marble floors, the expensive artwork, and the carefully rehearsed smiles.Even the air seemed different her