After hours of thorough cleaning, Alex had a clean house and five trash bags of Chad's things, which she dumped in the dumpster. To get rid of his scent, she washed her sheets.
By the time she finished, it was evening, and she collapsed on her bed in exhaustion.
Before she succumbed to sleep, her phone rang, and she picked it up tiredly. "Hello."
"Miss Thompson, where have you been? Have you forgotten about Madison Hearst's birthday party? It's next week and we have problems with the venue. Mrs Hearst keeps calling, and I'm running out of excuses to tell her."
Shit!
Alex's eyes snapped open, and she jolted from her bed. With all the drama, she had forgotten about her client's party.
Madison's birthday was the biggest event of the season. The young lady was turning eighteen, and her mother, Lauren Hearst, wanted a proper introduction for her to high society.
Lauren was her most devoted and influential client, forging a close bond between her and the prestigious family.
After her husband's passing, Lauren took the reins of his small winery and transformed it into the most successful one in the country.
The party also doubled as a stage to unveil their newest lineup of wines to the market, making it a crucial event for the business.
Alex couldn't afford any missteps. How could she have forgotten?
"I am so sorry," she apologized to her secretary, Willa, for her absence. Knowing how demanding Lauren could be, she understood the pressure Willa was under. "How is the planning coming along?"
"Horribly," Willa sighed. "The opera singer caught a cold, the catering service we hired is being sued for workplace malpractice after a mouse was found in their restaurant, the cake is still incomplete, and worst of all... we don't have a venue yet, so nothing else can be set up."
As Alex listened to the growing list of disasters that needed fixing, a headache began to form. There was no sleeping tonight for her.
"Okay. I'll deal with the venue and catering service and also visit the pastry chef to see the cake's progress. You deal with…" The workload was divided evenly between her and Willa.
When the call ended, she delved right into her work, making calls and booking reservations.
By the time she finally drifted off to sleep, it was five in the morning, her head resting against her laptop. But her sleep did not last long.
Just two hours later, a loud crash echoed through the house, startling her awake.
Still half-asleep and gripped by panic, her first thought was that someone had broken into her house.
Heart pounding, she grabbed her night lamp as a makeshift weapon and tiptoed toward the kitchen, where the noise came from.
Her fire alarm was blaring, and the acrid scent of smoke filled the air, making her throat itch.
Through the haze, she spotted a man standing in the middle of her kitchen. Tightening her grip on the lamp, she crept closer, her body full of tension.
Just as she raised the lamp, ready to strike, the man turned.
"Julian!" she exclaimed, her body freezing mid-swing.
In her exhaustion, she had completely forgotten about the extra person living with her. A wave of relief washed through her, knowing it was not an intruder.
The haze from her smoke-filled kitchen stung her eyes, and she coughed, waving a hand in front of her face. Her brows knitted together in a mix of confusion and worry at the chaotic state of the room.
Her gaze, sharp with both surprise and accusation, locked onto Julian. "What happened?" she demanded, her voice laced with concern.
Julian's eyes flicked to the lamp still hovering above his head. With a calm but pointed look, he said, "Put that down first, and I'll tell you."
Clearing her throat in embarrassment, she quickly lowered the lamp before turning to open the windows, desperate to clear out the smoke and silence the blaring alarm.
When the haze cleared a little, her breath hitched at the sight of the devastation of her kitchen.
Shattered mugs and fine china littered the floor, fragments glinting under the dim morning light. The microwave let out thick plumes of smoke.
The once cozy kitchen was now destroyed.
With a sheepish look, Julian scratched the back of his head. "I just wanted to boil water, but your microwave broke. I was grabbing a mug when it happened, and the explosion startled me, and the plates fell from the cabinet."
He paused, then dared to flash her a disapproving look. "You should take better care of your kitchen appliances. What if I had gotten seriously hurt?"
Alex's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. Was he serious? The microwave had worked flawlessly for years... until he touched it. And now, he was blaming her?
Steeling herself, she moved closer to inspect the damage, but the moment her gaze landed inside the microwave, her fingers curled into fists at her sides.
Sitting in the ruined appliance, plain as day, was her kettle.
Alex's breath came in sharp, uneven gasps as she struggled to maintain her composure.
Slowly, she turned to Julian, who stood there without a trace of guilt, as if he hadn't just blown up her expensive microwave and tried to gaslight her into believing it was her fault.
"Why would you put the kettle in the microwave?!" she snapped, her voice sharp with fury.
"How else was I supposed to boil water?" He retorted. "Just admit it. Your microwave is faulty."
"You should have used the stove." She grabbed a spoon and hurled it at him, but he dodged it effortlessly.
"Or better yet," she seethed, launching a pan past his head, "not put a metal kettle in my microwave!"
"Don't yell," Julian said. Realizing his mistake, he quickly pressed a hand to his bandaged forehead, feigning pain. "You're making my head hurt."
Alex froze, lowering the pot she was about to throw at him. She bit her lip, crying inwardly at the loss of her expensive microwave.
It was one of the first things she bought as a celebration of her successful business, and it held a special place in her heart. And now it was gone.
Who in their right mind puts a kettle in a microwave? Did amnesia make people dumb, or was Julian just a special case?
If only she knew Julian had never stepped into a kitchen in his life, talk less of boiling water.
Reluctantly, Alex swallowed her retort, despite knowing he was faking his pain. Too drained and sleep-deprived to argue, she grabbed a broom and started cleaning the mess while Julian sat in the corner and watched.
"Don't be mad," He finally said. "I'll pay for your microwave once I regain my memories."
Alex didn't even spare him a glance. She simply kept sweeping.
A beat of silence passed before Julian added, "I'm hungry."
She shut her eyes, grinding her teeth together to hold back her words.
What crime did she commit to be stuck with him? Was this some divine punishment for stealing Chad's car? God wouldn't punish her for that, would he? That was totally justified.
With a heavy sigh, she dumped a bowl and a pack of cereal in front of him. "Enjoy your meal." Her words dripped with sarcasm.
"I'm not eating this."
Alex ignored his rebuttal and started walking away.
"Do you want to add malnutrition and starvation to your list of crimes?" Julian leaned back, arms crossed, his tone laced with mock innocence. "It seems you are forgetting that I'm the victim here. What you owe me costs far more than a broken microwave."
His gaze drifted lazily down her body before his lips curled into a smirk. "I'm doing you a favor here, not the other way around. If you're not ready to provide basic nutrition, I don't mind going to the police. It's your call, Miss Doe Eyes."
Alex's brows furrowed at the nickname, but she chose to ignore it. Catching his gaze briefly, she glanced away, pretending not to notice the way he studied her.
Freezing in her place, she narrowed her eyes. "You wouldn't dare."
"Try me." Julian tilted his chin, his piercing gaze making it clear that he wasn't bluffing.
Alex swallowed hard. She had a party to plan and couldn't afford to go to jail right now. Gulping, Alex reluctantly opened her empty fridge in dismay.
Suppressing a groan, she moved to the cabinet and pulled out her emergency stash of instant noodles.
Ten minutes later, two plates of steaming noodles and two cans of coke sat on the table between them.
"This is all I have to offer." She muttered, arms crossed.
Julian inspected the plate like a judge before smiling. "I guess this will do."
So they ate in silence.
From the corner of her eye, she watched Julian carefully, wondering if he truly lost his memory or was pretending to extort money from her. But from his well-kept appearance, she doubted it was the latter.
Regardless, it didn't matter. She had bigger things to focus on, like planning the most extravagant birthday party their country had ever seen. Her business depended on it.
And she couldn't let anyone distract her from that. Whether it be Chad or…Julian.