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Semua Bab When All Of Me Chose You: She Forgot, He Remembered: Bab 31 - Bab 40

52 Bab

31

ALYONAI rushed, my heels clicking against the pavement as I hurried out of the subway station. The salty air of the coast hit me the moment I surfaced, and my heart gave a sudden jolt. I was late. Not terribly late, but late enough for my chest to tighten.The beach wasn’t far from the city, but coming from the Manhattan suburban area still took me a good forty minutes. Forty minutes of tapping my foot in the cab, glancing at my phone, and watching the time slip away. I had no idea why traffic always decided to crawl when you were in a hurry. The crew had probably already reached the location by now. I could almost picture Damien checking his watch and wondering where I was.But the thought that truly made my pulse race wasn’t the crew—it was Alexander Hunt. I could see his face in my mind, sharp lines softened by the warm glow of the beach sun, his piercing eyes following me when I walked in. The mere image of him standing there waiting made something in my chest stir. Adrenaline sh

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32

ALYONABy the time I got home, my feet were aching, my hair smelled faintly of saltwater, and my patience had officially died somewhere between my second coffee run and Serena’s third complaint of the day. I kicked off my shoes, dropped my bag by the couch, and flopped down with the first things I could grab—Skittles, a half-finished bag of chips, and a giant bowl of popcorn. I didn’t even bother mixing them in separate bowls; I just sat there alternating between chewing sweet, salty, and buttery while Olivia and Ivy stared at me from the armchair opposite.“That queen bee,” I said through a mouthful of popcorn, “Shouted at me for the drape. The drape! Can you imagine?” Olivia tilted her head. “What about it?”“She said the folds weren’t ‘flowing elegantly enough for her vibe’ and made me adjust it three times. Three times! Like I control the ocean breeze now.” I shoved another handful into my mouth before continuing, my frustration spilling out. “And not just that—she made the entire

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33

ALYONAAlexander pulled me into his vanity van with a grip so tight I thought my wrist might bruise. The door slammed shut behind us, the sound echoing in the small space. My back hit the wall, and I froze where I stood. His eyes locked onto mine, “Did you put something in Serena’s drink?”The question hit like a blow to my chest. My lips trembled, but I couldn’t speak. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping stupidly that if I didn’t see him, he wouldn’t see the truth in my face. “Answer me, Marshal,” he said again, this time sharper. I flinched when his hand came down on the small table beside us with a loud crack. The surface rattled, my body shook, every muscle tensed, my hands clutching the hem of my dress.Slowly, I opened my eyes. His face was inches from mine, his shadow falling over me. My throat felt tight, and my voice barely made it past my lips. I gave a small nod. His breath hit my cheek as he stepped even closer. The tension in his jaw was clear, his eyes burning with a kind of

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34

ALEXANDERI sat across from Serena at the pub, both of us holding our drinks. For a moment, neither of us spoke. The noise around us filled the silence until I finally asked, "How are you feeling now?"She gave me a soft smile, "Better. At least the treatment helped," she said, then sighed. "But I’m not happy with how things turned out." I nodded slowly, waiting for her to go on. "I’m sure you’ve already fired her," she added, tilting her head as if expecting confirmation. "After what she did, I can’t imagine you keeping someone like Alyona around."Her tone sharpened when she spoke Alyona’s name, the bitterness clear. I didn’t answer right away. Instead, I stared at the glass in my hand, letting the silence stretch until it grew uncomfortable. I finally looked back at her, "The shoot is over," I said. "It would be good if you took some rest. You need it."Her smile faltered for a second, then she quickly recovered, leaning closer as though my words didn’t matter. She tilted her face

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35

ALYONAI slowly turned, confusion tightening my brows. “I resigned,” I reminded him.In the next instant, he stood up. His tall frame loomed as he crossed the space between us. He held the envelope in his hand—the same one I had left on his desk. Without a word, he ripped the paper in two. The sound of tearing echoed like a slap in the air. My breath hitched as the pieces fell at my feet. He looked straight into my eyes, his voice low but firm. “You cannot leave this place until I say so.”My stomach twisted, my thoughts scattering. What did he mean? What did he want from me?My lips trembled as I forced the words out. “But I quit. I can’t work like this anymore.” My voice cracked, but I pushed through, glaring at him even though my heart was shaking. “You will never accept me. No matter what I do, you’ll always make me feel small… unworthy… like I’ve never achieved anything.”He didn’t even flinch. Instead, he stepped closer, his gaze hard and unbending. “You can’t,” he said flatly.

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36

ALYONAMy head jerked up, surprise flashing across my face. “We were just talking about work,” I said quickly, my tone defensive. One of his brows arched; the look he gave me enough to shut me down completely. My words died on my tongue, and I pressed my lips together, realizing nothing I said would change his mind.I bit down on my lip, nodded stiffly, and closed the notebook. Without another word, I turned and walked out of the office, sadness and frustration mixing inside me. His voice still lingered in my head, making the walls around me feel tighter with every step I took.By the time I got home, I was exhausted. My head was heavy with frustration. Six more months. I had to survive six more months of this… of him. The thought alone made me want to scream. As I set my bag down, I heard Mom and Cassie talking in the living room. Their voices were soft, familiar. I didn’t have the strength to join them, so I slipped straight into my room and closed the door.A little while later, Mo

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37

ALYONAHer profile filled the screen. Model. Former beauty queen. Winner of the International Pageant three years ago. Brand ambassador for luxury perfumes and jewelry. Magazine covers showed her flawless face, perfect smile, and a figure that seemed unreal. She wasn’t just beautiful; she was the kind of woman everyone noticed the moment she walked in. I stared at her picture, my chest tight. Of course, Alexander would go out with someone like her. What did I have in comparison? Just a regular New York girl who took the subway, loved greasy burgers and fries, and worked behind a desk.And then my mind betrayed me, slipping back to that night. The ball. The gown. That kiss. The way he had responded. For one foolish heartbeat, I had believed he kissed me because he wanted me. But what if he hadn’t? What if he had thought the mysterious woman in the blue gown was someone like Veronica? Someone glamorous. Someone who fit into his world. Not me.I wasn’t her. I would never be her. A shadow

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38

ALYONASlowly, I turned back, my breath caught in my throat. His eyes were still on me, My heart thudded as he took a step closer.“What are you doing here?” I flinched a little, my hands rushing to smooth the hem of my skirt. My throat was dry. “I—I was just… passing by. I thought I should tell you the investor meeting went really well.” The words tumbled out awkwardly, my voice shaking.His gaze narrowed as if he was picking apart every syllable. “Passing by? Is your home nearby?”I froze. My eyes flicked around—the luxury cars lined up, the valet, the bright lights of the entrance behind him. This wasn’t the kind of place someone just “passed by.”“Not exactly,” I mumbled, my cheeks heating. “I just thought… I should tell you right away. About the meeting. To be… professional.” I cringed at my own words, wishing I could swallow them back down.One of his brows lifted in that way that always made my chest tighten. “You could have waited until morning.” I looked like a nervous teenag

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39

ALYONAI walked into the office, the coffee cup warm in my hands. I kept my steps steady, forcing a calm smile as I placed it beside his laptop. “Good morning, sir,” I said quietly. For a moment, my stomach twisted. Was he going to say something about last night? Would he ask me what I was doing at the venue? The thought made my fingers curl against my skirt. I wasn’t ready with any answer, and the nerves showed in the way I shifted my weight, my eyes darting toward him and away again.But Alexander didn’t ask. He didn’t even glance at me for more than a second. He gave a small nod, then lowered his eyes back to the schedule on his screen, as if I hadn’t spoken at all. I stood there awkwardly, the silence pressing down on me. His indifference cut sharper than if he’d scolded me. It was as if he was deliberately ignoring that I was in the room.Just then, his desk phone rang. “Esrael,” he added. I noticed the shift in his expression. I couldn’t hear the voice on the other end, but what

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40

ALEXANDERI pushed the door open and stepped in without knocking. The room fell into a different kind of quiet; the client’s shouting hit a wall and sputtered out the moment they saw me. “Alexander, this is unacceptable!” the man blurted, straightening up, his face red. “Your assistant rescheduled without proper notice, and now the models come in with a wardrobe failure? My launch—this is ruined. Do you understand the cost?”Esrael stood beside him, hands flat on the table, trying to keep the man’s fury on rails. “We’re handling it,” Esrael said. “We’re moving them to a backup—”“Handling it?” the client cut in. “Handling it isn’t enough. This is humiliation. I will not tolerate the risk to my brand.”I took my time closing the door behind me, letting them feel the presence that had entered the room. I dropped into the chair at the head of the table, palms folded on the leather. My voice was low when I said, “Sit down.” The man blinked, the heat of his tirade cooling into surprise. Es

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