Chapter 4

"Alright, now that you've figured things out, hurry home. Mom's made some soup for you," my mom said.

"Okay," I replied.

After hanging up, I stood by the roadside, waiting for a ride.

My phone buzzed again.

This time, it was a message from Olivia: [Where are you?]

I stared at the message, lost in thought.

In the original plot, Olivia wanted Andrew entirely at her beck and call: available whenever she needed him, gone when she did not.

But now, she was actually texting me to ask where I was.

Did my actions earlier throw her off and make her curious?

Or was she freaking out because I threatened to quit?

Or maybe she wanted to chew me out?

I stared at the screen for five seconds, then hit delete.

I dealt with toxic girls by leaving them on read.

The next day, I showed up at Olivia's studio right on time.

It wasn't because I was chickening out. I had to deal with the resignation paperwork.

The studio was right in the heart of downtown, and Olivia had the whole floor to herself. The receptionist's eyes lit up when she saw me walk in. "Andrew, you're here!"

I nodded and headed inside.

All the staff greeted me with almost too much enthusiasm. I knew it wasn't because I was popular. It was because I was Olivia's fiancé. To them, I was the boss's man, and no one dared cross me.

Walking down the hallway, I heard voices drifting out from Olivia's office before I got there.

"Olivia, please hear me out. Last night was really a misunderstanding," Matthew said.

I paused, raising an eyebrow.

Matthew was here this early? Man, talk about eager.

"Seriously, how many times do I have to tell you?" Olivia sounded impatient. "I've got work to do here. Please leave."

"Olivia, don't be like this," Matthew pleaded, his voice desperate. "We grew up together. You know me. I'm not like that—"

"What do you mean, not like that?" Olivia cut him off. "Matthew, I don't want to talk about last night anymore. Please leave."

"Is this about Andrew?" Matthew's voice suddenly shot up. "Olivia, you're not actually into him, are you? A guy like him is not good enough for you—"

I pushed the door open.

Both of them froze.

Olivia was sitting behind her desk, looking upset. Matthew stood across from her, eyes a little red, wearing that wounded, lovesick expression.

When Matthew saw me walk in, his expression shifted, suddenly awkward.

"Andrew," he said, taking a deep breath and trying to act friendly, "just in time. Olivia and I were talking about last night."

"What are you talking about?" I strode up to the desk and slapped my resignation letter down. "Does this have anything to do with me?"

Olivia's eyes flickered as she caught sight of the resignation letter, her expression subtly changing.

"You..." Olivia started, her voice faltering.

"Resignation letter," I said. "Once the paperwork's done, I'm out."

Olivia jumped to her feet. "Andrew, are you seriously quitting?"

"Do I ever joke with you?" I shot back.

"You..." Olivia blurted out.

Matthew, off to the side, couldn't quite hide the hint of satisfaction in his eyes. He stepped forward, acting all concerned. "Andrew, don't be impulsive, man. Let's talk. Olivia did meet up with me last night, but really, it's nothing—"

"Shut up," Olivia snapped.

Matthew froze.

Olivia walked around her desk and stood in front of me, looking up. She was about half a head shorter than I, and the way she had to tilt her head made her seem less sharp than usual.

"Andrew," she said, enunciating each word, "I'm not letting you quit."

"Why not?" I asked.