Chapter 21

Jackson hands Evely his resignation letter. He��s leaving La Mure bright, and her and their fake engagement. He tells Evely that they��re not right for each other. He��s asked her to trust him, yet she keeps turning to Noah, even when he asked her not to. He��s more than jealous; he��s also angry. He thought he was okay with Noah being by her side, but now he��s not. And he knows that it��s not something she can change, so he��s leaving. He doesn��t even know for sure whether she loves him or not. He feels like he loves much more than she loves him and he wishes she would love him more, but also he knows he can��t make her do that. He has plenty of other excuses, like their age difference and how she��ll now be his boss, which makes him uncomfortable. He claims he��s too proud for that.
All his reasons sound plausible, I suppose, but his motive is so opaque. And Evely feels that, too. At first, she thinks he��s joking, but he says he��s not. She apologizes and says she can change, but he says that she did nothing wrong. The classic, ��It��s not you, it��s me.�� He��s just not right for her. He asks her to let him go and escapes to the kitchen, where he locks her out. She cries, banging on the glass for him to let her in.
Evely continues to cry as she walks home, trying to convince herself that this is good. Her mom didn��t want them to date anyway. But she collapses in the middle of the sidewalk, crying. Eventually she picks herself back up and slowly hobbles home. She doesn��t see Jackson behind her, watching her and crying himself while he whispers, ��I��m sorry. It��s better for you this way. This is the right thing to do.��
Noah is on the rooftop when Evely gets home, but she doesn��t even notice him and instead goes straight to her room like a zombie. She sits in the dark and whispers to herself, ��I never want to fall in love again.�� Noah mutters that Jackson has crossed the line and storms downstairs, where Jackson has followed Evely home and is sitting on the ground. Noah immediately punches him and warns him to never show his face again.
The next morning, Evely makes the curry stew that Jackson taught her before he broke up with her. She imagines him there, talking to her, as she cooks. When she tastes the final product, it reminds her of him. She understands why Jackson never wanted to eat white curry before. The taste of the food brings back memories that can sometimes be painful.
Evely removes herself from the group. Noah follows to check on her. He tells her she can just focus on her dream now and forget about everything else. Now that he��s home, he can help her with all his family��s resources. Evely is determined to improve herself. She tells Noah that he seems like he��s grown up these past few weeks. He seems like a reliable man now.
She switches topics to poll her friends for a restaurant name. Noah suggests ��Curry Shop Number One.�� Evely likes it. it��ll work well with expanding into a chain as well.
Time passes. Evely adjusts to her role as a businesswoman, learning business from logan and fashion from Amelia. She tries to balance planning her new curry restaurant with bright company obligations. Meanwhile, Ting En designs a food truck and opens up shop on the streets. It��s an ironic turn of events, because their roles have reversed perfectly since the beginning of the show.
Finally, the day of Evely's restaurant opening dawns. Jackson watches from a distance as she cuts the ribbon and welcomes the first customers in. Once everyone has gone inside, Evely notices a box set on a planter nearby. Inside are some flowers made of chocolate. She seems to know it��s from Jackson, but doesn��t think to look for him until he��s already gone.
Amelia and jayden are now married after she became pregnant. She didn��t get pregnant from that first one night stand, but then they hooked up again after jayden punched Jackson and Amelia took him home to treat his injured hand.
A year later, Noah has a delivery app in the works with the night market family called Yes Mighty, or ��bought at the night market��). Meanwhile, Evely is making international headlines and juggling multiple roles as founder of the Tablel and chain, chairman of bright, and executive chef at La Mure. She runs her kitchen with an iron hand that mirrors the way joh Jackson ran the same kitchen over a year ago.
After another long day, Evely reflects on what Jackson once told her at the cocktail party so long ago. He told her that her life wouldn��t necessarily be easier if she were rich and at the head of a company like him. Instead, she might find that she��s so busy, she has little time to spend with her family and instead will spend most of her time worrying about the many employees she��s responsible for. Now, she realizes that he was right. She thought money would bring her happiness, yet now she just feels alone.
Logan helps Jackson set up his food truck and asks him how long he plans on playing at being a nomad. He thinks Jackson belongs in a Michelin star kitchen, not on the streets. But Jackson says that he finds this life quite fulfilling. He spends a lot of time at the senior community where lily's mother lives and now knows a lot of the residents by name. He and logan lead the seniors in a round of dancing. They paste smiles on their faces while asks why Jackson hasn��t checked on Evely. Does he not love her or has he forgotten her? Jackson responds that he just doesn��t want bother her. He��s seen all the articles. She seems to be doing well for herself.
Later, Jackson is enjoying his lunch break all by his lonesome when he gets a call from logan inviting him to lunch. While digging through his bag for his phone, he accidentally drops a piece of paper and leaves it behind. A little while later, Evely sits down nearby, alone. She notices the paper and opens it to find the handwritten contract she made Jackson sign back on day one at La Mure. Realizing that Jackson must have been nearby, she looks around wildly for him and yells his name. She starts crying, asking why he keeps avoiding her.
Noah, jayden, and Brian all go to Evely's office hoping to get her input on their respective issues. But she tells them that they��re each in leadership positions of their own and she trusts them to make the right decisions. She heads out to grab lunch.
But she barely eats her food at the French restaurant she goes to. She��s eaten at fifty-one different French restaurants hoping to feel closer to Jackson, yet none of the flavors of their food have been close to his style. She cries a bit at how lonely she feels, then leaves without taking more than a bite. Evely walks down the street, still hungry, when she hears and smells the sound of a food truck. It��s Jackson's truck. He��s wearing a cap and mask and immediately recognizes Evely, ducking his head so that she can��t recognize him.
The food truck menu is titled ��The master of Curry,�� which piques Evely interest. She orders, and Jackson motions at her how much she needs to pay so he doesn��t have to speak and give himself away. She gets her food and walks away without realizing who he is. He watches her go. Evely is only a short distance away when she takes a bite of her sandwich. Her eyes widen and she turns to look back at the food truck.
Jackson's sudden decision to break up with Evely was so abrupt and unexplained. when the lead glows up, and main couple lead separate but almost intersecting lives and never quite manage to meet. And then one day they do meet. I love that initial re-meeting. It always feels so satisfying, like seeing an ex after a few years and knowing that you��ve grown so much beyond them. Which is exactly what��s happening here.