The Day I Heard His Thoughts I Stopped Loving Him Chapter 03

The Day I Heard His Thoughts I Stopped Loving Him Chapter 03

After that phone call, Julian and I fell into a deep freeze. I knew he was waiting for me to swallow my pride and come crawling back, just like I always did after every fight we’d ever had.

The cold war lasted three days.

On the third day, as I was heading back to the classroom, Olivia barreled straight into me. By the time I registered what was happening, she was already on the floor, clutching her ankle with a pained expression.

Students in the hallway stopped in their tracks and turned to stare at the commotion. Then, a deep male voice cut through the crowd. “Nora! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

I followed the sound and found myself staring directly into Julian’s disgusted glare.

Olivia bit down on her lower lip and said in a tiny, fragile voice, “It’s not her fault. I was walking way too fast. I wasn’t looking.”

[Even now she’s defending her. Unreal. Olivia’s way too nice for her own good.]

[I ice her out for, like, two days, and she goes straight after Olivia. Same spoiled brat she’s always been.]

[Once I’m running my father’s company, I swear to God, Nora’s not getting off easy. Not a chance.]

Julian’s face was a mask of indifference, but his thoughts detonated in my mind like rapid gunfire.

I swept my gaze over the crowd of students watching the spectacle and kept my voice calm. “She ran into me.”

Julian’s brow furrowed. “Oh, give it a rest. What’s there to deny? You expect anyone to believe she sprained her own ankle just to frame you?”

His voice dripped with sarcasm.

I glanced over at Olivia, who was still wearing that expression of wounded innocence, and said flatly, “Sure. Because she knew some idiot would come running in to play hero before asking a single question.”

The hallway went dead silent for a moment.

Olivia lifted her head, her eyes glistening with fresh tears as she sniffled. “Nora, I know you don’t like me. I get it. But did you have to humiliate Julian like that? He was just trying to stick up for me…”

Julian’s fists clenched at his sides, his knuckles going white. “Do you have to be this cruel, Nora? Clearly a few days of space wasn’t enough for you to figure your shit out.”

I cut him off abruptly. “If that’s what you call cruel, then do us both a favor, cut ties with my family. Completely. I’ll let my parents know tonight. And Julian? Brace yourself for what comes next.”

[There she goes again. Every single time. She gets upset, and boom, she drags out the Ashford name and their money to put me in my place.]

[Ha. It’s all for show. Let her ice me out. Give it a few more days. She’ll come crawling back. She always does.]

[And when she‘s done with her little tantrum? I’m making her apologize to Olivia. That’s non-negotiable.]

His thoughts laid everything bare with perfect clarity.

“Whatever. I don’t care,” Julian finally said, his tone cold and dismissive.

Then he bent down, hooked one arm under Olivia’s knees, and lifted her clean off the ground.

“Just hang on, okay? I‘m taking you to the nurse,” he said softly, his gaze fixed tenderly on her.

Olivia rested against his shoulder, her cheeks still wet with tears. But the corner of her lips curled upward ever so slightly, and the look she shot me was tinged with unmistakable provocation.

I didn’t bother sticking around. I turned and walked straight back to the classroom.

My father wrapped up his overseas business dealings and flew home that same night.

The door to his study clicked shut. He settled into the chair behind his desk and casually tossed a thick stack of documents onto the polished surface.

“Take a look. This came over from the Vances. That East River Plaza project, Harrison’s been after me about it for weeks now. I’ve been holding off. What’s your take, Nora?”

I knew exactly where my father stood when it came to the Vance family. Over the years, Vance Enterprises had managed to carve out a foothold in the business world only by leaning heavily on the Ashford family’s resources and connections.

My father, by nature, was straightforward and honorable. He had little patience for the Vance family’s calculated scheming.

Back when I was still hopelessly infatuated with Julian, my father had indulged me out of sheer love. That was why he kept injecting capital into the Vance family’s ventures and handing them project after project.

Back then, my dad had genuinely viewed Julian as his future son-in-law. But after hearing about everything that had gone down recently, it was obvious his patience for maintaining that relationship had run out.

I met his eyes calmly. “Dad, I was blind before. But I see things clearly now. Let’s just end our business dealings with the Vance family. Enough is enough.”

A faint smile crossed his face as he pushed the stack of proposals aside. “Alright. We’ll play this your way. But I want you to remember something, Nora. You’re an Ashford. The future head of this entire company. You don’t ever have to bow your head. Not to anyone. Ever.”

I looked at the earnest, heartfelt expression on my father’s face and gave him a small, quiet nod.