Semua Bab After divorce, He regretted: Bab 31 - Bab 40

In a private room of a city bar, Aaron had been drinking nonstop from the moment he stepped in, downing glass after glass like it was water. Tonight was clearly no casual get-together. He’d only called two people—Frank and Teddy.Teddy, who had never seen Aaron like this before, gave Frank a look. “You gonna say something?”Frank was just as unsettled. Aaron sat there with a stone-cold face, pouring alcohol into himself like he was trying to drown something ugly. The last time Frank had seen him drink like this was five or six years ago—when Amelia’s engagement had hit him like a freight train. He’d locked himself in a bar for three straight days.Tonight was starting to feel the same. Was

It was already late, and Emily had long since changed into her pajamas, ready for bed. She had just transferred to a new team at work, with plenty of adjustments to make. And beyond the changes at the office, she’d been dealing with Aaron—and his family.The way they found out about the divorce still made her feel guilty.But no matter how much her mood was affected, she couldn’t let it mess with her routine.So when her phone rang at that hour, and she saw it was one of Aaron’s friends, she didn’t really want to answer. Out of politeness, though, she picked up—pretending at first not to know who was calling.In the dimly lit booth at the bar, not a single sound was made.Aaron sat off to t

"The location for the bar, have you decided?" Aaron asked."Yeah, I’ve got a spot in mind," Francie replied. He and Jett had checked out a few places, and one stood out—a storefront right on Bar Street, with great foot traffic, perfect for a new bar. Of course, the rent wasn’t cheap."But..." Francie hesitated."Don’t worry about it. Wherever you’ve chosen, I’ll invest," Aaron said, his voice hoarse from all the drinking the night before.Francie was a little surprised. Aaron was still willing to invest in him? But honestly, rent wasn’t his biggest concern right now. His head was a mess. What he really worried about was his sister—if she found out he was still taking money from Aaron, she’d explode.

Amelia walked in with the food she’d spent two hours cooking, feeling pretty damn pleased with herself. She didn’t even need a key card to get into Aaron’s office—reception always buzzed her in without question. But just as she was about to step into the elevator, she caught something that stopped her cold."Yeah, I heard she’s the boss’s ex," the receptionist whispered to someone.Amelia froze, tried to brush it off, but then she heard it. Clear as day."Please, just ex? More like the side piece," the receptionist kept going. "Waltzing in here like she owns the place."Amelia’s face went white. Her hands shook. Without thinking, she stormed back out of the elevator, slammed her palm down on the reception desk, the sound echoing

Emily had been in her new team for two weeks now, and things were going well. She got along with everyone, and the team lead had been giving her assignments that played to her strengths—women’s wear. He even praised her designs as fresh and said her technical skills were solid. Several of her pieces had already been approved.She and Bella had grown closer too. Even though Bella had submitted her transfer request, the company required a one-month handover, so she still had two more weeks under Lilian. But ever since that incident, Lilian had kept a much lower profile.That afternoon, they were just getting back from lunch, chatting as they walked through the lobby and into the elevator. Bella, holding a fresh cup of coffee, was excitedly talking, "My cat’s so naughty, I can’t leave anything on my desk—if she sees it, she’ll just—"Bella stopped mid-sentence, freezing as the elevator doors were about to close. A familiar figure stepped in. It wasn’t until the doors shut that Lilian loo