The Underboss Voted No So I Chose A New Life Chapter 21
“It’s that you never meant to choose me in the first place.”
His lips moved, but in the end, he said nothing.
When I reached the corner, Cameron called.
“Mireille, your return flight was moved up to tonight. Did you see the message?”
“I did.”
“Can you make it?”
I checked the time.
“Yes.”
That evening, I boarded the plane back to Austin.
Outside the window, the city lights slowly drifted away behind us. Hadrian stood far off in the distance. He didn’t chase after me, and he didn’t wave.
I took the new ticket out of my bag, wrote the interview date on the back, and slipped it into my work planner.
The little girl beside me asked curiously, “Why are you writing on your ticket?”
“So I don’t forget where I’ve been.”
“Will you come back?”
I looked out the window.
The lights of New York grew smaller and smaller, until they disappeared into the dusk.
“If work calls for it, I will.”
The flight attendant reminded us the plane was preparing for takeoff.
I closed my planner. I sent no letter and left behind no date for my return.
It was raining lightly when I landed at the Austin airport.
Cameron stood at the exit holding an umbrella, with two hot beef burritos in his other hand.
“How’d the interview go?”
“Good.”
“Eat first or go back to the office?”
“Eat first.”
I took one of them. The warmth rushed up into my face.
Behind us, the plane started moving again, taxiing deeper into the night.
This time, no one was deciding for me whether I got to come along.
Holding my own ticket, I walked out into the rain.
By the time we reached the parking lot, Cameron’s phone rang.
After he hung up, he didn’t start the car right away.
“Head office approved the East Coast railway feature.”
“First stop is New York. The partner hotel just sent over the information.”
He turned the tablet toward me.
On the line marked Hotel Manager, it said: Hadrian Bellini.