Lahat ng Kabanata ng Mr. CEO, Your Ex-Wife Is Absolutely Killing It in the Research World!: Kabanata 1051 - Kabanata 1060

Under the lights, Hayden’s face looked pale.For the past seven years, Xena had always been like this with him. In front of him, she would pour her heart out over Felix one moment, then turn around and keep Hayden hanging with just enough mixed signals to stop him from walking away.Every time he was on the verge of giving up, she would throw him a little hope.And then there were all those things she did that seemed careless on the surface but somehow always made her look fragile and in need of protecting.The more Hayden thought about it, the more he felt the helpless anger of realizing he had been played and lied to all along. He tossed back the rest of the liquor in his glass. Then, in the next second, a surge of anger he could not hold down made him slam the glass hard onto the floor.“I’m a complete damn idiot,” Hayden growled, his voice full of pain and self-mockery.He could have accepted that Xena loved Felix and never got him. But the fact that she had also tried to g

A knowing look flickered in Leo’s eyes. “Felix has always been better than the rest of us at carrying the weight on his shoulders. There’s no question about that. But...” He paused. “He really did hurt Miranda.”Hayden suddenly looked up, as if something had just hit him. Then he slammed a fist against the table. “Speaking of hurting Miranda, I did something stupid too.”A flash of guilt crossed his eyes. Looking back now, he felt like he must have been out of his mind. He had let Xena influence him completely and had even said things to Miranda that never should have come out of his mouth.Leo looked over at him. “You mean Vivian’s birthday?”“Yeah. That night.” Hayden’s face tightened with regret. “I didn’t even want to bother you guys in the first place, but Xena said she had already bought a gift and would leave right after dropping it off, so I took her there.” He paused, then said bitterly, “I was such an idiot. Honestly, I’d bet Xena had a hand in Felix and Miranda’s divorce

“So does that mean yes?”A message from Sera came back.“Yes to what?”“To being my girlfriend.”Hayden took a deep breath and hit send.One minute passed. Then two. Then three.Still nothing.So he called her.“Hello?” Sera answered.“Sera.” Hayden’s voice was rough with nerves and excitement. “I... I like you. Will you be my girlfriend?”“Hayden, it’s almost two in the morning. Are you drunk? Did you get the wrong person again?” Sera asked, sounding serious this time.Hayden’s head buzzed. He thought of that night before, when he had mistaken her for Xena. His voice turned urgent and sincere. “No, Sera. I didn’t get the wrong person. I want to tell you myself. The person I like is you. You, Sera Yates. I want to ask you properly, seriously, to be my girlfriend.”That made Sera laugh. In the end, with a mix of amusement and helplessness in her voice, she said, “I’ve never seen anyone confess in the middle of the night like this. Whatever you want to say, say it tomorrow.”

It seemed she would have to wait for the doctor and Gavin to arrive before she could leave.Miranda stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, forcing herself to be patient as she waited. Outside, the sky was a clear blue, with white clouds drifting by lazily.Even with his eyes closed, Felix could feel wave after wave of dizziness and headache from the fever. Still, he knew Miranda was nearby. He forced his heavy eyelids not to close completely. He didn’t want to fall fully asleep.He let out a low cough.Miranda turned and saw that he had somehow pushed himself upright again. She walked over to the counter, poured a glass of warm water, and handed it to him.His face looked pale. The fever had left a faint flush at the corners of his eyes, and there was less sharpness than usual in his deep-set gaze.Felix took the glass and looked up at her. “Thank you,” he said quietly.“The doctor should be here soon,” Miranda said evenly.Then, almost without thinking, she stepped back to the

There was nothing personal in Miranda’s tone. Every word came from a calm, rational place, and there wasn’t a trace of private emotion in it.How could Felix not understand? From a medical standpoint, she was right.“I understand what you mean,” Felix said hoarsely. But then his voice turned low and firm. “I still don’t need her.”There was a final, unmistakable edge to it.Miranda’s voice, steady until now, suddenly carried a note of frustration. “Felix, relying on you alone as the donor is risky enough already. And you got sick after only a few blood draws. Don’t overestimate your own health.”The tightness in Felix’s brow slowly eased. A faint smile even rose to his lips before he could stop it.So the reason she insisted on keeping Xena wasn’t purely professional after all. She was worried about his health too.“Are you worried about me?” Felix’s voice softened without meaning to, and there was a trace of pleasure in it.On the other end, Miranda’s tone only turned colder.