Chapter 7 His Secret Crush
“This is an entirely different matter! You know damn well that this company is the product of my years of sweat and blood, yet you deliberately sold your shares to Jared. You’re out to destroy me. You couldn’t be more ruthless if you tried!”
With that, Micah lunged to grab me, but I stepped back just in time.
His hand missed, and the rage in his eyes ignited even more. He clearly hadn’t expected me to dodge him.
Back when he was struggling at work, he’d lash out at me without warning. I forgave him repeatedly, telling myself it was just the pressure getting to
him.
In doing so, I only reinforced the idea that it was okay for him to unleash his anger on me whenever he pleased. I put up with it because I loved him.
But now, he meant nothing to me.
“Micah, if you so much as lay a finger on me, I’ll call the police. You’ll be the one humiliating yourself.”
Micah let out a cold, bitter laugh. “And do you really think the cops would care?”
“Remember that trending topic from last night? You probably thought it would last for days, didn’t you? But look, it’s already gone.”
Micah’s expression tightened. His eyes were sharp with contempt.
“Damn, I almost forgot you went to Jared’s place last night. What kind of deal did you strike for him to back you up? Let me guess… Did you sleep with him?”
His face twisted into á disgusting, leering sneer, and I felt nothing but a wave of revulsion.
But in a way, I was glad Micah finally showed his true colors. It made breaking free from the heartbreak a little easier.
A scumbag like him was never worth holding onto.
“If you’re done with your little tantrum, then get the hell out.”
Every time I looked at Micah, I wished I could go back and warm myself never to fall for him.
“You destroyed me, for heaven’s sake. Do you really think I’ll let you walk away from this that easily?”
With that, he shoved me aside and made a break for the door.
But before he could cross the threshold, Greta stepped out of the kitchen. She was clutching a knife firmly in her hand.
1
“Take one more step, and I’ll tear you apart!” she snapped. Her eyes were burning with fury.
Micah instinctively flinched, shocked by her sudden appearance.
Before he could recover, Greta slammed the door shut in his face.
On the other side, Micah stood fuming and helpless.
With no choice left, he turned and stormed off.
“Tabitha, are you okay?”
The concern in Greta’s eyes stirred a warmth inside me.
“I’m fine, Greta. Thanks.”
“We’re friends. There’s no need to thank me.”
After sending Micah away, she went back to the kitchen and soon returned with several dishes and a steaming bowl of stew.
Taking in the vibrant spread before me, I let out a sigh. A wave of regret crashed over me as I glanced at her.
If only Greta were a man, I probably wouldn’t have ended up with Micah.
Catching my gaze, Greta couldn’t help but frown. “What are you staring at? Eat up!”
“Okay.”
After dinner, I moved to clear the table, but Greta stopped me. She handed me a plate of freshly washed blueberries and told me to rest on the couch.
When she finished cleaning up, she joined me on the couch and asked what my next steps were. ‘Micah’s company is off the table. I’m going to update my résumé and start job hunting.”
Greta gave me an encouraging nod. “With your skills, you’ll find something soon enough.”
Noticing that I was calmer, Greta stayed to chat for a bit before heading to work that afternoon.
After she left, I opened my laptop and started updating my résumé.
When I finished, I sent applications to several companies that had stood out to me. A couple of them replied quickly, inviting me for interviews as soon as the next day,
After confirming the dates, I shut my laptop and prepared to unwind.
Out of nowhere, my phone buzzed. It was Jared. He was asking me to dinner.
I sighed inwardly. Jared had always been distant and cold, so this sudden invitation threw me off.
But considering everything he’d done for me, I knew I owed him a proper thank–you in person.
After confirming the location, I changed into fresh clothes and headed to the restaurant.
Thanks to rush hour, what usually took half an hour stretched into over an hour.
I parked quickly and made my way inside.
Jared was sitting by the window. His expression was calm and collected. There wasn’t a flicker of anger in his eyes. When he saw me, a warm smile spread across his face, and he waved gently.
I found myself quietly admiring his emotional restraint.
No matter how heated things got between him and Micah, he never once lashed out.
As I sat down across from him, I apologized quickly. “Sorry I’m late, Mr. Porter. Traffic was worse than I expected.”
Jared smiled and passed me the menu. “No worries. I just got here myself. I probably should’ve messaged you. Take your time and pick whatever looks good.”
I flipped open the menu and glanced at him. “Do you have any dietary restrictions I should keep in mind?”
He shook his head. “None whatsoever.”
I chose three dishes and handed the menu back to him so he could add a few picks of his own.
After he finished ordering, I looked at him and said, “Thank you again for what you did online, Mr. Porter. Dinner’s on me tonight.”
“There’s no need to be so formal. Just call me Jared. We were classmates, weren’t we?”
Micah, Jared, and I had all gone to university together, but Jared’s difficult personality always made it hard for me to see him as anything more than a colleague.
“Alright, Jared,” I said.
He flashed a smile and stood to pour me a glass of red wine.
I hadn’t planned on drinking, but after everything he’d done for me, I didn’t object.
To my surprise, Jared seemed to pick up on my hesitation. Without saying a word, he took the glass from me and asked the waiter to bring juice instead. “It’s okay, Mr. Porter… I mean, Jared. I can handle a drink.”
Jared didn’t respond. He simply placed the glass of juice before me and said in a calm, steady tone, “When you’re with me, just be yourself. If you don’t want to do something, don’t. There’s no need to force it.”
His words caught me off guard, and a surprising warmth spread through my chest.
During my time with Micah, his business was flourishing. Whenever he attended meetings or dinners that involved drinking, my feelings were consistently dismissed.
To him, my discomfort was a minor inconvenience compared to sealing a deal.
I’d grown used to accepting that. But now, Jared was telling me I didn’t have to push myself.
No one had ever said that to me before. It wasn’t until now that I truly understood how much even the smallest act of kindness could matter.
Nonetheless, my experience with Micah had left me wary of relationships. Starting something with Jared was out of the question.
“There’s something else I wanted to talk about today, we-”
Before I could finish, Jared cut me off.
“I know what you’re going to say, but… can I go first tonight?”
My hand tensed involuntarily against the table’s surface. After a brief pause, I nodded. “Alright. Go ahead ”
With that, Jared began sharing why he liked me. It was then that I realized his feelings dated all the way back to college.
“There was this one time during our freshman year when I forgot my cash, and you covered for me. From that moment, I couldn’t stop noticing you….
“I remember you always sat by the window in the fourth row. You’d sketch that little cartoon panda on the first page of every book like it was your trademark. You were constantly busy, juggling several part–time jobs day after day…”
Chapter 8 Flaunting It
As Jared spoke, memories from college came rushing back.
Back then, iny relationship with my family was difficult. My mom didn’t want me to attend college and refused to give me any financial support. I had to earn every cent for tuition and living expenses on my own.
I juggled multiple part–time jobs to get by, all while studying hard to qualify for scholarships.
The only reason I helped Jared pay for lunch that time was because he was right there in front of me. I knew him from class, so I acted without a second thought.
Besides, he paid me back later.
“Jared,” I said, “I only helped you because you were in my way. And you did pay me back afterward.”
Jared smiled. “I know. But that moment didn’t make me fall for you. It just made me start noticing you. After that, I kept catching myself looking your way. That’s when I realized I had feelings for you.
“And, well… one of the reasons Micah and I had our fallout was because of you.”
I stared at him, completely taken aback. “Because of me?”
“Yeah. He knew I had feelings for you, so he went after you on purpose. I told him how I felt before you two ever got together.”
Jared spoke earnestly, and a flicker of anger showed in his expression. It was clear this was something he hadn’t fully let go of.
“Micah never told
me any of that.”
Jared gave a bitter chuckle. “Of course not. He was terrified that if I ended up with you, he’d lose his hold. You’re the one with the real ability. Being with you was his way of staying on top. As long as you were with him, he could keep controlling everything at the company.”
I looked down. The weight of his words was settling in my chest. It would’ve been a lie to say it didn’t hurt.
All those years with Micah, and it turned out he never cared for me the way I thought he did. From the beginning, he was with me, not out of love, but because I gave him leverage in the company.
I wanted to laugh at how ridiculous it all was, but instead, all I tasted was bitterness.
I took a deep breath and met Jared’s eyes. “Thank you for telling me, but we’re just not meant to be. I don’t believe in love anymore, and I don’t plan on being with anyone again.”
Jared didn’t seem discouraged. “That’s fine. I have plenty of time to help you believe again.”
I frowned slightly. Just as I was about to say something, the waiter brought our meals.
Dinner passed in silence. When it ended, I reached for the bill, but Jared was quicker. “I’ve already taken care of it.”
I sighed softly. I’d come tonight specifically so I wouldn’t owe him anything. Yet here I was, indebted again, even if it was just for a meal.
“Jared, let me get it next time, alright? You’ve already paid above market price for the shares I sold you. I don’t want to owe you any more.” “So if you had paid tonight… would that have been your way of saying goodbye?”
I lowered my eyes. That was exactly what I’d been thinking.
After all, I had no plans to move things forward with him. There was no reason for us to keep seeing each other,
In the silence, a gentle female voice suddenly cut through nearby.
“Micah, let’s sit here. It’s the same table we chose when we came last year-”
Before she could finish, Piper’s eyes fell on Jared and me.
She watched me with a cold, guarded expression. Her gaze was filled with scorn.
Standing beside her, Micali’s face grew dark. If this hadn’t been a public place, I was certain he would have gone straight for Jared.
I didn’t want to waste my breath on either of those clowns. Without a word, I turned and began to walk away.
