I Refuse to Be Your Second Choice novel Chapter 15

His words were another sharp stab to her heart.

He couldn't even remember their wedding anniversary...

Natalie took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm inside her, and said coldly, "Whatever."

If he could give away their marital home to another woman and forget their anniversary, did the code even matter anymore?

On the top floor of The Ramirez Building, in the CEO's office, assistant Aaron Shaw stood nervously across the desk, not daring to meet his boss's eye.

"Mr. Ramirez, someone on my team was careless and let a reporter get photos of you and Ms. White. It's my failure. I've already called them and had the trending topic taken down."

His boss had warned off the tabloids long ago, and no one had dared to publish anything about the Ramirez family since. That had made Aaron a little complacent. Now, some fearless idiot had walked right into the line of fire, and the oversight was on him. Aaron silently prayed his boss wouldn't banish him to some remote outpost.

The office was deathly quiet, the only sound the slow, rhythmic tap of Alexander's fingers on the desk.

"If it happens again, it won't be settled so easily."

"Mr. Ramirez, rest assured, it will never happen again!"

Alexander opened a file on his desk. "Call Natalie Watson," he said, signing a document. "Tell her to bring me lunch."

"But, sir, you told her not to bring you lunch anymore..."

Before Aaron could finish, Alexander shot him a look that could freeze fire. Aaron immediately pulled out his phone, not daring to waste another second.

Natalie had gone to the south side of the city, to the old house where her parents had lived when they were young. When she sold off all the Watson family assets to pay off debts, this was the one place she couldn't bear to part with. It was filled with memories of her childhood—her father playing games with her, her mother teaching her nursery rhymes, her grandmother cooking her favorite treats.

But all the people who had loved her most were gone. Now, with her departure imminent, the Watson family legacy would truly fade. There was no reason to keep the house any longer. One had to learn to say goodbye to the past.

Alexander stared at a black gift box in his hands. Inside was the gray meteorite slice. He snapped the box shut and put it in a nearby drawer. Then he picked up his phone and sent Natalie a text: [Forgot my words so quickly? Seems you're not that eager for a divorce after all.]

Natalie saw the message and let out a heavy sigh. Her fingers flew across the screen: [I'll be at your office on time.]

Alexander was a picky eater, with only a few dishes he truly enjoyed. Natalie packed them into a thermal container and headed out.

At the ground floor of The Ramirez Building, Aaron was waiting. Just as he was about to lead her to the elevator, Natalie remembered she had left the insulated thermos of soup behind. Alexander loved soup, and if she lied and said she hadn't made any, he would use it as another excuse to mock her.

She asked Aaron to take the food up first while she went back for the soup. Luckily, it wasn't far. Twenty minutes later, she was back at The Ramirez Group.

The elevator doors opened on the top floor. It was lunchtime, so the executive office was mostly empty. Even if anyone had seen her, they would have assumed she was just another woman trying to win Alexander's affection.

Her footsteps were muffled by the thick carpet as she approached his office. The door was ajar. As she looked inside, she stopped dead in her tracks.