I Refuse to Be Your Second Choice novel Chapter 258

Natalie Watson didn’t say another word. She ignored the man standing outside and slammed the door, shutting Alexander Ramirez out of her life for good.

She slumped against the door, exhausted. On the other side, Alexander hesitated, his hand half-raised like he might knock again. He stood there for a moment, staring at the door as if he could see right through it.

“Alright. I won’t bother you anymore,” he said quietly, his voice barely reaching her.

Then she heard his footsteps. They faded down the hall, each step leaving a dull ache in her chest. The room suddenly felt smaller, the air thick and hard to breathe. She hurried to the table, picked up her phone, and called Arianna Mitchell. The urge to let everything out was overwhelming.

The phone barely rang twice before Arianna answered. “Natalie? Is something wrong?”

Natalie hesitated. “No, not really. I just wanted to check in. How’s your trip?”

The need to vent faded the second she heard Arianna’s voice. She didn’t want to worry her.

“I’m good. Are you sure you’re okay?” Arianna asked, her voice gentle but a little concerned.

“Really, I’m fine.”

“Alright. Can I call you back later? I’m still working overtime and can’t really talk.”

Natalie could hear people talking in the background, Arianna’s voice hushed. It was already nine at night.

“Don’t worry about me. Just go do your thing,” Natalie said, then hung up.

Across town, Arianna glanced at Samuel Thompson, who was still deep in a tense meeting with several team members. The mood was heavy, everyone looking worn out.

One of the Thompson Group’s international projects had hit a snag, and it was serious. Samuel was juggling a video call with headquarters and managing the crisis with the local team.

Arianna wasn’t directly involved with the overseas project, but she’d been handed a pile of tasks to help out. To keep things running smoothly, Samuel had everyone working out of his hotel’s presidential suite.

“Take this to Mr. Thompson,” Arianna said, handing the mug to her coworker before returning to her laptop.

A few minutes later, someone tapped her shoulder.

“Ms. Mitchell, that was incredible. Mr. Thompson actually drank the coffee this time. We used the same beans and everything. How did you do it?”

Arianna smiled. “It’s nothing special. I just remembered how his secretary used to make it for him.”

Just then, the meeting ended and people began to file out. Arianna packed up her laptop, ready to call it a night.

But the head of the tech team stopped her.

“Ms. Mitchell, could you wait a minute? Mr. Thompson wants to see you.”