Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Samantha called Timothy a third time but received a robotic message: 'The phone number you dialed has been switched off.'

She was a little surprised.

Since she and Timothy decided to start over and live their lives happily together, Timothy rarely left her calls unanswered, unless he was very busy at work. It was even less likely for him to ignore her first call, reject the second, and switch off his phone before the third one came.

What was the meaning of that?

Could he have ignored her calls simply because he was spending the so-called 'special day' with Harmony?

Samantha clenched the phone tightly until her fingertips were drained of blood.

Her sleepiness was all gone and she sat up while covering her body with the blanket.

After hesitating for only half a second, she lifted the blanket and got out of bed. She headed for the dressing room, quickly changed into a loose jumper and shorts, then grabbed her bag and left the room.

Both Old Madam Barker and Aunt Julia were sleeping at that time, and even though Samantha was feeling frustrated, she made sure to tread lightly when she went downstairs because she did not want to wake them up.

Once she exited the house, she got into the little white car that Timothy had gifted her. After starting the engine, she stepped on the accelerator and drove the car out as fast as she could.

There were very few vehicles on the road, and Samantha practically kept her foot on the accelerator throughout her entire drive. 30 minutes later, she finally arrived at the Barker Group.

She sat in the car for a moment and did not get off.

Her gaze remained fixed at the large and quiet entrance. She bit her lower lip and had a conflicted look.

She wondered whether it was better to live in ignorance or see everything with clarity.

A question like that would forever remain a tricky one to answer.

In the past, she would probably decide to avoid it and choose ignorance.

However, she could no longer be ignorant and act as if she did not know anything.

When her marriage was suddenly broken off two years ago and she was abandoned, she constantly over thought and doubted herself because she did not know the reason behind that decision. Her mind constantly replayed the events and caused her to go through a long period of suffering.

A good analogy would be a needle stuck in her flesh. It was not fatal, but it would be very painful if pulled out. On the other hand, it would continue to ache if it was not pulled out.

Had she not forced herself to snap out of it and face it sometime later, she would have either gone mad or lost her life while in a foreign country. It was a painful experience, but at least she managed to survive.

Samantha eventually decided to open the car door, get out of the car, and step into the Barker Group.

There was usually only one elevator in operation during the night and she did not give herself a chance to hesitate. As soon as the elevator door opened, she walked in and pressed the button for the top floor.

The ten or so seconds it took to reach the top floor felt like a century.

With a ding, the elevator door proceeded to open.

Samantha clenched her hand slightly and released it. She only lifted her foot and stepped out after taking a deep breath.

The first place she went was Timothy's office, which turned out to be completely dark inside. She even walked in and went to the lounge to have a look, but there was no one there either.

Not one to give up, she left the office and walked towards the conference room.

There were conference rooms of various sizes and she peered into them one by one from one end of the corridor to the other.

She pushed open the door to the last conference room but did not find who she was looking for.

Timothy was not in the company office, so the chances of him being busy with work-related stuff had dropped to 50%.

However, if Timothy had to socialize for work purposes, he would at least send her a text or a WeTalk message even if it was inconvenient for him to answer the phone.

Instead, her three phone calls to him went unanswered, and the phone was turned off too.

Samantha was unable to stand straight and held onto the wall to calm herself down before turning to leave.

Back inside the car, she started the engine and drove towards the five-star hotel that Timothy frequently stayed in outside.

She did not want to suspect Timothy just like that and she still wanted to believe him.

She sped along the road and reached the hotel entrance in about 15 minutes. After getting out of the car, she walked straight in.

The lobby manager recognized her and greeted her enthusiastically. "Mrs. Barker! What brings you here today?"

Samantha's heart froze when she heard that.

The lobby manager would not have been that surprised if Timothy was there.

She nevertheless insisted on seeing everything herself.

Samantha said bluntly, "The keycard, please. I'd like to head upstairs."

The lobby manager did not dare to ask any further after seeing that her expression was somewhat off. He nodded quickly and said, "Hold on, Mrs. Barker. I'll get it ready for you."

A few minutes later, the hall manager respectfully handed over the keycard.

"Thank you." Samantha took the card and walked into the elevator.

The elevator brought her to the floor in no time and Samantha was so on edge that she showed no sign of calming down anytime soon. It was difficult for her to control all the jumbled-up and chaotic thoughts in her mind.

When she opened the door with the keycard, she walked into the suite and saw that there was no one there either. Her mind went blank in an instant.

It was as if her heartstrings which had been pulled taut had snapped at that moment.

Samantha staggered to the sofa beside her and practically collapsed as if her entire body had been robbed of its strength.

…

The next day, Ronald was having the sweetest of dreams. He dreamed about going on a date with his crush from high school, and they were holding hands with each other as he was about to kiss her dainty lips.

When the dream was reaching that climax, he felt that he was being stared at by a penetrating gaze that caused his hair to stand on end. He raised his eyes and saw the headmaster standing in the distance while giving him a death stare.

Ronald was so frightened that his heart began throbbing. His eyelids then snapped open as he woke up immediately.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he made eye contact with another penetrating gaze. His heart began pounding and he nearly passed out.

Luckily for him, the person staring at him was Samantha and his wildly-beating heart could finally slow down again.

He had it easy because he was still recuperating.

However, Ronald raised his eyes and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was only eight in the morning, even if she was worried for him, there was no need for her to visit him that early.

It had been a close call earlier and he could have given away his first kiss!

Ronald scratched his head and asked, "Mrs. Barker, why are you here so early?"

Samantha pulled the chair and sat down. She chose a big round apple from the fruits she brought and picked up a fruit knife to peel it slowly.

She replied in a soft and gentle voice, "I'm here to visit Corey, so I might as well come over and visit you too."

Corey happened to be hospitalized at the same hospital Ronald was in, so he assumed that she came early because she had spent the night with Corey.

"You're very kind to your little brother," he praised. "And you're very kind to me too."

Samantha smiled, handed over the peeled apple to him, and said casually, "Was it a special day yesterday? I can't quite remember..."

"Yesterday?" Ronald stretched his hand out to pick up the apple and blurted out unconsciously, "Isn't it when Mr. Barker...."