บททั้งหมดของ The Heartless Bride: บทที่ 131 - บทที่ 140

"Hey, Ethan." Ayla stepped inside the dining hall, all dressed up and ready to leave at the earliest. "How are you doing?" She walked around the table to settle down in the seat next to the man in question, deliberately ignoring everyone else.    "Good, I guess. What about you though?" He beamed down at her as he began to pass her some of the dishes.    "Meh!" She shrugged it off, not wanting to go into the details. She was barely able to get some sleep last time and spent most of it tossing and turning around. "I have been better." She muttered under her breath as her thoughts drifted to the reason behind her restlessness. It was the man who had promised to do right by her. But there she was, doing everything in her power to avoid even looking in his direction.    "You alright? Everything okay?" He drew his brows together and looked around the table. It was only now that he was able to detect the tension

[Two days later.] "And where might you be going?"  Ayla's feet were brought to a halt at the sudden interruption by her uncalled guest, Selene. She barely glanced in her direction and chose to shrug it off. "What does it have to do with you?" She muttered before continuing with her walk down the entrance hall, dragging her suitcase along.  But her words and actions weren't enough to ward off the evil that was trailing behind, closer than what Ayla would have preferred.  "From the looks of it, you are all prepared to leave for good. Finally." Selene didn't bother to hide how pleased she was seeing the events unfold before her.  "Keep on dreaming, woman. I am only going away for a couple of days." Ayla couldn't help the scoff which left her throat. Giving Selene the satisfaction of winning this round was the last thing she would want.  

Showing her ID card to the bouncer at the entrance, Ayla pushed her wrist in his direction, allowing him to stamp it. It was the first time that she was using the entrance meant for the public instead of just walking straight inside. Well, that was one of the perks she got to enjoy for being with someone as powerful as Claude. That, and the fact that he knew the owner of the place.  Brushing off her though, Ayla stepped inside the place which seemed to be much more crowded than the last time she was here. Her eyes roamed around the place as she searched for a certain someone. According to the text she had received from Ethan earlier in the day, Claude was meeting a new investor here. She couldn't help but wonder why he would do that in a club, especially at this hour.  "Excuse me. Hey." She greeted the bartender as soon as she settled down on one of the empty barstools. "What can I get you, Ma'am?" He replied t

Her eyes were glued to the booth on her right as Ayla relaxed her back against the comfortable back of the couch. A sheer layer of fabric serving as a partition was what separated the two booths. There was a strong urge to jump into the man's arms, but she resisted it with every ounce of willpower she could muster up. Some things were better saved for later. More than that, it wouldn't be a good look on her to do so when her husband was in the company of another man.  Sighing to herself, she downed another shot before pouring herself another. The bitter tang the drink left behind was enough to overcome her sorrows, temporarily. What she craved for, and what could actually provide her with some real comfort was something else. It was the touch of her man that she was craving. Never in her life had Ayla imagined falling for another man like this. Not after what happened to her the last time.  Her train of thoughts were interrupted by

"Ayla?" James spoke up as he tried to get her attention only to be ignored by the woman. "You alright?" He knew that it was really dumb of him to be asking this when looked like she was on the edge of breaking down any second now. Sitting up straight, he followed her line of sight. As soon as his eyes landed on Claude's brooding figure, everything began to click in place for him. Of course, the sudden shift in her mood had to do something with the man behind her worries.    "Ayla?" He brought his attention back to the sullen lady and made another attempt to get her to smile a little.    James reached out to pay her on the shoulder, hoping that this time he would be successful in bringing her out of her thoughts. A small appreciative smile crept up on his lips when her eyes flicked back to his face.   "Hey? Where did you go there for a minute?" He knew the answer already, but wanted her to speak aloud about it.