Chapter 19 Overreacting
JAMES’ POV
“No, you're not going to do this to me today and think everything would be fine,” Melissa said to me as I stormed down the hallway angry, her heels clicking loudly behind me as she struggled to catch up. Her voice echoed off the walls, sharp enough to slice through the air.
“I didn’t do anything to begin with, Melissa, so let’s not start with this today,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm even though my patience was hanging by a thread. I clenched my jaw as I kept walking, hoping she would just drop it for once, but of course, she didn’t.
“You didn’t do anything to begin with?” she repeated, her eyebrows lifting in disbelief. “I find you flirting with your so-called secretary and you say that you didn’t do anything? In the world you come from is that supposed to be normal?” Melissa said, her voice rising even higher.
I stopped immediately, the frustration boiling in my chest. I rolled my eyes slowly and turned back to face her, my breathing uneven from how irritated I was.
“Don’t do this, Melissa. I wasn’t flirting with her, so stop accusing me,” I said, trying to steady my tone even though it was getting more difficult with every second of this argument.
“You weren’t flirting with her?” she shot back instantly. “I caught you speaking to her in private, in a corner, and she was laughing and I could almost see the blush on her whole face. Don’t stand there and tell me nothing was going on.”
“You’re just overreacting, woman. You always do this each time you suspect I’m cheating on you,” I said, dragging a hand down my face as the anger began to simmer.
“And is that supposed to be my fault?” she asked, moving closer. “How do you expect me to ever trust you again after I caught you red-handed in bed with your last secretary? What do you want to say about that? You two were just signing some papers while naked in bed? Is that going to be your new excuse?” Melissa said mockingly, folding her arms like she had won the argument.
I let out a bitter breath. “Oh, so now I’m the bad guy here? Let’s not even start this today, Melissa,” I said, shaking my head.
“No, we’re going to talk about everything. All the shit you have been doing, thinking I don’t know about it,” Melissa said, stepping even closer to make sure I couldn’t walk away without hearing her finish.
“And what about the shit you’ve been doing, huh?” I fired back, feeling the anger rise from my chest to my throat. “The late-night parties, when you take my money without even asking me? You think I don’t remember all that? I do, but I choose not to say anything about it to keep this household peaceful. But you go around blabbing your mouth all day about my mistakes,” I said, my voice going higher as the frustration finally broke through.
“So you think just because we’re together I should be caged in here?” Melissa asked, scoffing loudly. “Then you’ve got it all wrong. I always loved late-night parties before you engaged me and I’m not going to stop now. And as for the money, didn’t you know you were going to keep maintaining me when you put the ring on my finger? I have justified reasons for my behaviors. What’s the reason for yours?” she said, her eyes narrowing.
“You call those crappy things reasons?” I asked, a cold laugh escaping from my lips. “Tell me something, Melissa, what do you even bring into this relationship? You don’t know how to cook my favorite meal, you don’t know how to do anything in this house, and you don’t have a business mindset. Did I engage you just to keep fucking you and for you to spend my money?” I asked, crossing my arms as I stared at her.
Her lips parted, ready to fire back at me, but just before she could answer, my phone rang sharply in my pocket. The sound cut through the tension like a knife.
I frowned and pulled it out, my irritation shifting into confusion when I saw the name flashing on the screen — my head medical officer.
I raised my eyebrows. Today was a weekend. He never called on weekends. Has something happened at the hospital? At the company? I didn’t know, but the uneasy feeling in my chest grew heavier.
Nevertheless, I needed to hear what he wanted to say, because if he was calling me on a Saturday evening, then it had to be serious.
I picked up the phone and put it to my ear, waiting for him to speak first.
“Hello sir, I’m sorry for calling you this morning but it’s very important,” the man’s voice said, and instantly I noticed how worried he sounded. His tone wasn’t normal, not the usual calm professionalism he always had.
My back straightened. “What’s the problem?” I asked, glancing briefly at Melissa who was still glaring at me like the argument wasn’t paused but simply on hold.
“The medical company called,” he said, a short breath leaving him as if he didn’t want to be the one to deliver this news. “They claimed they have been getting several calls from their patients.”
“So what does that have to do with me?” I asked, still a bit confused, though a small knot of dread was beginning to form in my stomach.
“Sir,” he continued, his voice dropping lower. “They said their patients specifically the patients who have been taking your medications for the past three years came back claiming that they are having symptoms of the same sickness that they took your drugs to cure.”
My eyes widened immediately. A small cold ran through my spine as my grip on the phone tightened so hard my knuckles turned pale.
“How is that possible?” I asked, my voice shaking before I could even control it. My heart was beating so fast I could hear it in my ears.
“Sir, you need to come to the office right now,” he said firmly.
I bit down on my lip, my mind racing as my gaze drifted from Melissa, who still stood in front of me with her arms folded, to the walls that suddenly felt like they were closing in on me. The hallway felt too narrow, too silent except for the ringing in my ears.
Whatever was happening was serious, far more serious than the stupid fight we were having.
“I’ll be right there,” I finally said, forcing my voice to steady even though everything inside me was shaking.