Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Noah’s POV
The engine of my brand-new red Ferrari 488 GTB roared to life, but the sound couldn’t drown out the echo of Jane’s last message in my head. It was precisely 5:00 PM on a Monday, and the workday had drawn to a close at Hansen Distributing Company. I was ready to head home, but my mind was still stressed by my workload. I turned on the car stereo to hear relaxing music as I prepared to navigate the familiar streets of my hometown, Luxembourg City. Just as I was about to drive off, a message from Jane, my friend, showed up on my phone.
I came from a wealthy family. I was a young billionaire and CEO of one of the leading companies in Luxembourg. Jane, however, was working multiple part-time jobs to make ends meet.
Our paths had crossed downtown one afternoon, and we became friends. As our friendship deepened, Jane’s attachment to me grew beyond friendship, which began to strain our connection. I made the heart-wrenching decision to distance myself from Jane when her feelings became known to me. By avoiding her, I unintentionally hurt her deeply, leading her to consider saying goodbye.
In my mind, Jane’s heartfelt message echoed, “What did I do? Why are you avoiding me now? Can you please tell me where I went wrong? It’s never easy to say goodbye, but I think that’s what we really need.”
My reply was firm, “You better stop acting like that, Jane, or else I will cease seeing you. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, but as you can see, we move in different social circles. I can’t always be with you when you want to be with me. Most of all, I can’t love you; I love someone else. If you want to leave me, the choice is yours.”
Jane’s reply appeared on my phone screen, “I never expected this to happen. I really wish our paths had never crossed.”
I replied, “What do you want me to do?”
Jane’s message read, “You don’t need to do anything for me. It’s not your fault that I acted foolishly. Goodbye, Noah.”
I replied, “Do what you want. It’s up to you.”
I stared at my cell phone screen, waiting for Jane’s reply. A few minutes passed, and I got nothing. I still cared about her as a friend, so I couldn’t bring myself to say goodbye.
And then I remembered my own rules, the invisible walls I had put up. I always avoided women who didn’t have the same status in life as me, fearing to fall for them and facing the judgment of the society where I belonged. Also, I feared that those women were only after my money. I believed I would not find true love in them, and I didn’t want to get hurt if that kind of scenario happened.
But Jane had shattered those barriers, becoming my friend. As I couldn’t face my fears, I found myself retreating, backing away from the connection I had allowed to flourish when Jane wanted more than friendship from me.
The screen blinked, awaiting Jane’s reply. I grappled with the unfamiliar feeling, a heart torn between sadness and relief. Jane’s absence left me sad, but I felt relieved because she had broken our friendship, and I did not need to avoid her.
I still remembered how I met Jane downtown. I was on my way home. It was already late afternoon, and the sun was setting. As I turned onto the highway, the sky began to turn pink, a nice color combination. My GPS showed me the way.
On the way home, I passed a small wedding chapel that caught my attention. I stopped for a moment, got out of the car, and stood there. With my hands in my pockets, I watched a newlywed couple walk out of the church, holding hands and smiling happily at the crowd. I saw happiness, love, and trust in them. Everything was wonderful. I watched them closely before returning to my car.
I saw the couple and imagined walking down the aisle with someone else. But I started to tear up, thinking it would never happen because that someone would never be mine. The woman I loved belonged to another man.
“I was young, and I could find another woman,” I told myself. It was time to get back in the car and keep driving.
I took a handkerchief from my pocket and wiped away my tears before sitting back inside my car. As I pulled it out, I felt something fall onto the street, but I was so preoccupied with my thoughts that I forgot to check what it was. I quickly got into the car, restarted the engine, and drove away.
But I decided to stop at a nearby fast-food restaurant before continuing home. The restaurant was near the church where I had stopped earlier. I was thirsty, so I bought some drinks.
Leaving the restaurant and heading toward my car, someone suddenly bumped into me. Drinks spilled all over my clothes. The sweet smell of soda mixed with the frustration bubbling up inside me. I grabbed the person by the shoulder before he could walk past and snapped, “Hey, watch where you’re going!”
The man froze for a second, unable to move. But when he saw a woman coming behind him, he pushed me and started running again.
The woman caught up before he could escape. “Give me the phone, or I’ll break your neck!” she yelled, her voice sharp with anger. The man froze as she grabbed him firmly by the collar. He quickly handed over the phone, hoping to get away. It was clear he was the thief who had stolen her phone.
She let him go, but her anger took over. She kicked him hard in the stomach and turned to leave. Furious, the man tried to kick her back. Before he could, I grabbed his arm and pulled him away just as his foot swung toward her. Focused on stopping him, I didn’t notice his friends behind me. One of them kicked me hard in the back, making me lose my grip and fall to the ground. Another member of the gang rushed at me, so I quickly got up to protect myself. It might sound cowardly not to fight back and just run away, but at that moment, it was the wiser choice to avoid getting into more serious trouble.
