I wasn’t bothered by Jared’s mood, but just after his team walked into the conference room, one of his assistants hurried over to me. “Ms. Murphy, Mr. Holcomb wants you in the meeting.”

I was a little caught off guard and asked, “What’s the meeting about?”

“All the executives are here. We’re discussing the company’s strategy for the rest of the year,” the assistant explained.

I grabbed my notebook and went over right away. The conference room was already buzzing with conversation, everyone deep in discussion.

No one seemed to mind when I walked in, and the assistant quickly found me a seat.

I wasn’t part of the core leadership yet, so I was more of an observer at this meeting. For someone like me, who was eager to learn and grow, opportunities like this were rare.

I listened carefully, but at some point, my eyes accidentally met Jared’s across the room.

Jared looked exhausted, his eyes bloodshot. He raised his empty coffee cup, and his assistant rushed over to refill it.

As Jared sipped his coffee, he glanced at me over the rim of his cup. His eyes narrowed as he stared at me.

At that moment, it felt like I was being watched by a predator. It was uncomfortable, but I was not afraid.

Men, at their core, were possessive. They liked to mark their territory, claim what was rightfully theirs, and hold exclusive rights. So, when they thought something that belonged to them was being taken away, they got angry and might even lash out.

In my previous life, I wanted to be the woman in Jared’s arms, the one who had all his love and attention, as his exclusive possession.

But now, thinking about it, I thought if I had truly wanted to escape, there was no way he could’ve kept me. The only thing that held me back was myself.

Just like now, I wasn’t following his script, and he was getting annoyed, starting to lose his patience.

People always said that one had to accept things as they were. But when I was given a second chance at life, I knew I wasn’t going to let anyone walk all over me.

I ignored all of Jared’s subtle moves and kept my focus on taking notes, listening carefully, and thinking things through.

The meeting wrapped up at half past twelve, and my notebook was filled with notes. They would be like streetlights, guiding me on the road ahead.

As I was finishing up my summary, I felt someone standing next to me. The light above seemed to flicker.

I looked up and saw Jared standing there with his arms crossed, staring at my laptop screen. I quickly saved my work and closed the lid, not wanting him to see.

Jared let out a quiet chuckle. “You never paid this much attention in class before. Why the sudden change?”

I frowned and replied coolly, “I was a good student back in school. Don’t you remember, Mr. Holcomb?”

Jared paused and then nodded. “Yeah, I remember now. Your parents had all your awards on the wall, along with trophies from every school event and competition.”

I smiled. “Thanks for letting me observe the meeting today. It was really valuable. I’ll head out now.”

As I started to stand, he suddenly pressed his hand on my shoulder, pushing me back into my chair.

“Stay for lunch,” Jared said. “If you’re planning to build your career here, you need to blend in. My company doesn’t allow people to go their own way.”

“Sure, I’ll just drop off my laptop first,” I replied. I wasn’t trying to stand out or anything, and Jared didn’t matter to me anymore.

Sometimes, running away from something I was afraid of wouldn’t solve the problem. I had to face it.

I told myself I didn’t love him anymore, but every time I saw him, I still wanted to run. I guessed that meant I was still a weak coward.

I needed to be stronger and braver. The only way was to face my fears and crush them.

As I stood up, a thought crossed my mind. The room was nearly empty now, and it felt like everyone had left on purpose, giving Jared and me some space.