Chapter 027

~Michelle~

We'd rushed through dinner because, well… Jaxon was called in because of an emergency. So he had to leave. Although I was disappointed he was leaving, I tried not to let it show.

“You can stay in if you want, I'll drop the keys with you,” he said, his gray eyes meeting mine waiting for a reply as he stood by the door.

I shook my head as I stood up. As much as I loved his home.. I couldn't sleep over without him in it. It felt off.

“No, it's alright,” I gestured with my hands. “Go do what you're good at,” I added, and he gave a little smile, hesitating for a moment like there was something he wanted to do, but decided against it at the last minute.

“I'll see you in the morning, then,” he muttered, opening the door as I nodded, brushing past him.

“Hopefully,” I said, as I stood in the middle of the hallway. I caught the woman who stayed at the last apartment, walking into her house.

I turned around and unlocked my door, just when I was about to go in, his voice stopped me.

“Stay safe, Red,” he muttered, an unreadable expression on his face. A part of my heart melted as I gripped the door knob tightly with my uninjured hand.

“I mean it,” he added, and I nodded, swallowing past the bile lodged in my throat.

“I will, thank you.”

By the time I entered my apartment, it felt suffocating. And I regretted not taking Jaxon's offer, curling up on his sofa was way better than being in my apartment all alone.

I should have called Barbie to come keep me company, but it was quite late and... I didn't want her walking around in the dark.

I tried to keep my mind busy—washed the dishes, flipped through channels, scrolled on my phone—but nothing stuck. I slipped under the covers eventually, willing for sleep to come. It didn’t. Instead, my mind replayed that awful moment from a few hours ago: the screech of tires, the world spinning, the blur of headlights too close. My chest tightened, my breath hitched as the memory swallowed me whole.

I must have dozed off at some point, but my dreams were no refuge.

The accident played out in vivid detail, over and over, like a film stuck on repeat. Each time, I woke up gasping, drenched in sweat, my heart hammering so hard it hurt.

By the time the first pale light of dawn crept through the blinds, I gave up. There was no point in trying to rest anymore.

I quickly got dressed, adding more makeup than necessary to hide the dark eye bags under my eyes. I got to work earlier than I've ever been, operating on two hours of sleep.

The office was quieter than usual. Mondays were always slow, but today it felt deserted. Only a handful of staff wandered the halls. I offered them greetings, nodding at familiar faces as I made my way to my office.

When I shut the door, I sagged against it in relief as my eyes took in my space. Nothing was off, everything was in place.

There was no note peeking out anywhere, though it would be ridiculous if there was actually a note from my stalker in here.

I moved towards my seat, ready to get started for the day, as I brought out my sketchbook and the one Jake had dropped by which was technically mine.

At the thought of him, my mood soured a little more.

It was just like I conjured him with my thoughts, because there was a brief knock on the door, before he entered.

He was dressed in black pants and blue sleeves, a dark stubble on his face, with a grin plastered on it. My stomach tightened as his eyes met mine, the grin slipping just slightly.

“Hey,” he stepped forward, shutting the door behind him. Unease crept up my guts.

“I just want to know what you think about the designs. They're what the company needs, and it'd be nice if we started working on any of them,” he said, confidence in his voice.

I came to the conclusion he had absolutely no idea that I recognized my designs. The audacity of him.

My jaw clenched, and I forced myself to take a slow breath before speaking. “I’m not working on that,” I said evenly, though my voice betrayed the anger simmering beneath the surface. “And I’ve already taken back the sketches you stole from me.”

Jake blinked, his expression shifting from confusion to something more defensive. “Stole from you?” he said, his voice rising. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I stood, my hands pressing flat against the desk as I glared at him. “Don’t play dumb, Jake. Did you really think I wouldn’t recognize my own designs the moment I saw them?”

The confusion vanished completely now, replaced by a flush of red creeping up his neck. “Look,” he snapped, “I’m just trying to make a living, okay? You don’t have to be such a selfish bitch about it.”

That did it. Whatever restraint I’d been clinging to shattered in an instant. “Find some other way to make a living,” I shot back, my voice low and cold. “Or go fuck yourself.”

“You know this has always been your problem. Everything is all about you and I don't get a shot. It's just a couple of designs I collected and you're making a big fuss about it like you can't just get others done in a blink,” he said, and I stared at him in disbelief.

Was he gaslighting me? Trying to turn all this into my fault?

Before I had a chance to give a reply, the door breezed open and Hughes stepped in.

His gaze jumped from me to Jake, his eyes darkened slightly. I was already pissed at thinking about what he felt and what he didn't.

He was the cause of this whole fiasco in the first place.

“What's going on?” he asked.

I straightened, turning to face him. “I’m not working on this project with Jack,” I said, my voice steady despite the adrenaline still coursing through me. “And if you insist on pairing us together, I’ll dump the project entirely. When I do, you’re going to give me credit for the device I presented last month, or I’ll file a lawsuit against the company.” I'd had enough of everything.

I was ready to resign if it got to that and take a shot with other big designing companies.

Hughes stared at me like I'd lost my mind. Jake clenched his fists, but I wasn't paying him any thought.

I knew he was here on a mission. So much for us being good together.

If he thought he'd had a chance at manipulating me again, he had a big thing coming.

Hughes turned to Jake.

“Can I speak to you outside for a moment?” he asked, and Jake gave a stiff nod.

Hughes glanced at me from over his shoulder. His expression was defiant.

“We'll talk later,” he muttered before leaving the office with Jake, shutting the door behind them.

I sagged into my seat.

The fight wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. But for now, I’d like to think I won. And that would have to be enough.