Chapter 9 Breaking Free

Not long after Edward sat down, Robin's voice floated from the kitchen. "Mr. Dunn, the rosemary in the fridge is used up. Could you go to the balcony and pick some for me?" Edward was flustered. Who grows vegetables on their balcony at home? Apparently, Robin does. While other people's flowerpots have flowers, hers are filled with rosemary, thyme, and basil. Even the glass flower rack that was smashed by Norris yesterday was filled with freshly planted herbs pots, not flower pots. Edward walked out to the balcony, looking around at the sea of green herbs that all seemed to look the same. He rubbed his brow. So, which one is the rosemary? "The scissors are on the rack. Just cut a handful. You don't need too much." Robin's voice drifted to him again. Edward pursed his lips, then decisively cut off a handful of what seemed like rosemary, frowning as he brought them into the kitchen. "Mr. Dunn, this looks like thyme." Robin glanced at it, almost speechless. She hadn't expected him to not even be able to tell the difference between thyme and rosemary. How out of touch could he be with basic things? Edward's dark eyes narrowed coldly as he looked at her. "You didn't tell me which one was the rosemary." Robin said, "My bad. I'll go pick them myself. Thanks." Fifteen minutes later, two bowls of lemon garlic pasta with coffee and garlic bread were served on the table. It looked simple but delicious. "Try it and see how it tastes." Robin sat across from Edward, smiling brightly. Edward glanced at her, then elegantly picked up his fork and took a bite. However, as soon as the first bite touched his tongue, his expression changed. How could it taste so awful? It wasn't just the pasta; even the simplest garlic bread and coffee tasted horrible, reaching new heights of badness, ultimately assaulting Edward's taste buds. This stuff, and this woman dared to say her cooking skills were good? Edward took two bites, put down his fork, grabbed his suit jacket from the back of the chair, and said coldly, "I have urgent business and need to leave now. Enjoy your meal." Robin blinked in confusion. "But you haven't finished your pasta." "No appetite," Edward said, his expression darkening. He stood up with long strides and walked out of the apartment. Robin couldn't hold back her laughter any longer. She picked up a pasta fork and ate it, her eyes curving in amusement. Well, at least this cleared up the misunderstanding from last night. After finishing her breakfast, Robin tidied up and got ready to leave. She picked up her phone, which had been on silent, and saw several missed calls from her parents. They must've already found out about her not marrying Norris. She didn't regret what she'd already done. Now, she had to figure out how to return the wedding gift money that the Badmans had given her. If they refused, she'd have to use her savings to repay it. At the office, Robin dropped her things at her desk and was about to start organizing the fashion sketches for the designers when Howen Knox called her into his office. "Robin, I heard you've had a falling out with your boyfriend?" Howen asked bluntly. "And you even sent him to the police?" It wasn't surprising that Howen knew about this—he was acquainted with Nolan, Norris's father. Robin shook her head. "Mr. Knox, I've already broken up with him, and he ended up in the police station because he broke the law himself." Broken up? Howen was taken aback, noticing that Robin seemed severe and not just throwing a tantrum. He felt that Nolan's task would be trickier than he thought. He chuckled lightly. "Even so, he's been locked up for a night. That should be enough. It would help if you calmed down. It's not worth damaging your relationship over something so small, don't you think? "Even if you don't care about Norris, you should at least think about yourself. You have this job because of him. He's the one who told me to give you a lighter workload, to not burden you with too many tasks." Howen didn't say anything harsh, but his words made Robin feel a burning sensation on her cheeks. She suddenly found it absurd. Before joining this company, she had already received an offer from a top-tier design brand. But Norris had constantly complained about how busy large companies were, how he had to travel a lot, and how he wanted to be with her for a short period. In his carelessness, he had even replied to that company's email and rejected the offer for her. She had no choice but to give up on the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Later, she ended up at this company through his influence—less work but lower pay. Occasionally, she would take on freelance design work to earn extra money. Logically, with her skills and experience, she should have been leading independent design projects by now. Still, instead, she had been relegated to menial tasks. Over time, she started to doubt her abilities and even considered resigning. But she never imagined that all of this had been orchestrated by Norris behind the scenes. Robin took a deep breath, but the anger in her heart wouldn't subside. Howen continued his lecture. "You two were about to get married, so having this job shouldn't matter to you, but if Norris ends up with a criminal record, it's not just bad for him. It'll affect your future children, too." "Mr. Knox," Robin interrupted, "I've already broken up with Norris and married the person I love yesterday. If you can, please pass that message on to him."