Chapter 62 On probation
JAMES’ POV
“Why are you celebrating?”
Her voice cut me out of the little celebration I was having in my head. It came sharp and sudden, making me pause mid-thought. I cleared my throat quickly and forced my expression back into something calm, something composed, like I hadn’t just been riding a wave of excitement.
“I know some people might see probation as a bad thing,” I said, taking a step closer to her, careful not to push my luck, “but personally, I think anything is better than a no. Including probation.”
It was true. More than true. When Mom forced me to come here today, I had been against it. I’d argued that it was better to approach Anna at public events — galas, ceremonies, business launches, places where she couldn’t easily dismiss me. I never imagined I’d end up standing at the gates of her family estate, watching her record me while I knelt on the ground.
And yet… here I was.
Not thrown out.
Not rejected outright.
On probation.
That alone felt like a victory.
I never imagined she’d even consider giving me something like that. If she had truly moved on, truly hated me, she would have shut the door in my face and had security drag me away. But she didn’t. She stood there, listened, tested me, humiliated me even and still left the door slightly open.
If she didn’t say no, then somewhere deep down, she still cared. Somewhere inside her, she still loved me.
And I was going to use that.
“What do you say I get your number?” I asked, keeping my voice calm, steady, friendly. Not desperate. Desperation would ruin everything.
“My number for what?” she asked, her tone flat, almost cold.
“Well,” I said with a small smile, trying to sound casual, “I was hoping now that I’m almost off the hook, we can catch up. Talk more.”
She didn’t hesitate.
“No. Whatever it is you want to talk to me about, my PA’s email is on my company website. Email her, explain yourself, and she’ll let me know.”
That response stung more than I expected, but I didn’t let it show. I couldn’t afford to react badly now. This was a chess game, and one wrong move would cost me everything.
“I thought even if we’re on probation, we can still be friends,” I said carefully. “I mean, you’ve forgiven me now, so there’s no need holding onto malice, right?”
She studied me for a second, like she was deciding whether I was worth the extra effort. Then she sighed, reached into her bag, and pulled out her phone.
“Fine,” she said. “What’s your Instagram? I’ll follow you there, and we can talk — whatever it is you want to talk about, send it there.”
That alone nearly made me smile too wide.
“Thee_James_Reed,” I said quickly, calling out my handle before she could change her mind.
She typed for a moment, her fingers moving smoothly across the screen.
“Alright,” she said. “I’ve sent a message. I have a lot of work to do now, so bye.”
Before I could even respond, she turned around and began walking away, her slides clicking softly against the ground as she headed back toward the house.
I watched her go, her back straight, her posture confident, her presence still commanding even as she walked away from me. That didn’t mean I was going to keep quiet though.
“I’ll see you again,” I called out, raising my voice just enough so she could hear me. “But next time, we’re going to go somewhere nice. Somewhere we can talk properly.”
She didn’t respond.
She didn’t turn back.
She didn’t even slow her steps.
But I knew she heard me.
If she truly wasn’t interested, she would have shut it down immediately. She would have told me to stop, to leave her alone, to never contact her again. Instead, she walked away in silence.
Playing hard to get.
I smiled to myself.
Don’t worry. I know you very well. I know your habits, your patterns, your weaknesses. You’ve always been like this — strong on the outside, soft underneath. You won’t be able to keep this tough act up for long.
With that thought warming my chest, I turned around and walked back toward my car.
The moment I sat inside and closed the door, the excitement fully settled in. I couldn’t even explain how relieved I felt. I wasn’t going to lose my cars. I wasn’t going to lose my house. And soon enough, once this formula issue was fixed, I’d be financially strong again.
Everything was slowly falling back into place.
This called for celebration.
Mom deserved something special. If she hadn’t pushed me to come here today, none of this would have happened. I wouldn’t be this close to getting everything back.
There was this particular bag she’d been talking about for months. I hadn’t wanted to get it for her before, I thought she was too old to be carrying something like that around but today, she deserved it.
So I drove straight into a Hermès store and bought the Birkin bag she wanted.
As I was about to leave, my eyes landed on another Hermès bag. For a split second, I thought it might look good on Melissa.
Then I stopped myself.
She didn’t deserve it.
She’d been rude lately, entitled, always demanding more like I owed her everything. I’d enjoy showing this bag to Mom right in front of her. Let her see who really mattered.
I was actually glad Melissa had gone out today. If she had stayed home, there was no way I would have been able to come see Anna without starting another fight.
Mom had been right. Painfully right.
Her words echoed in my head now, clearer than ever. I was glad we didn’t have a child together yet. There was nothing tying me down. Nothing stopping me from making the right decision this time.
And now that I’d made up my mind to get back together with Anna, I needed to find a way to dump that bitch as soon as possible.