Lahat ng Kabanata ng After the CEO Dumped Me, He Came Crawling Back: Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

She looked as if she were summoning all her courage, lifted her chin toward Selena, and said, enunciating each word, “If being young means you can say whatever you want without consequences, then what’s the point of having laws at all?”Merrick lounged lazily on the sofa, glanced at her tense profile as she swallowed, and curved his lips, quietly watching her performance.Elise raised her chin. “Besides, I’m only nineteen.”A faint laugh sounded behind her, barely audible. Her ears warmed as she remembered that moment in Borderfall when she told him she was twenty.Merrick carried the effortless authority of someone born to command, and the people around him instinctively yielded, reassessing whatever they thought they knew about Elise and him.“Miss Jones is young and certainly straightforward,” Selena said smoothly. “How about this? I’ll apologize on Hannah’s behalf. Since it’s my birthday, let’s not make things awkward for everyone.”Her words sounded gracious, but the implication

Merrick’s eyes were bottomless and cold, as if he were looking at an insignificant ant.He spoke to the man behind him. “Desmond, clean this up.”“Yes, sir.” Desmond stepped forward, blocking the man who still wanted to argue. Deputy Director or not, he wasn’t even worthy of polishing their boss’ shoes.At Grantwell Group, Desmond was known as the wolf in a tailored suit; his polite smile held steady even as a chill crept into his voice.“Mr. Warren, congratulations. Your good days are over.”Inside the Rolls-Royce on the way back.Elise sat with Merrick’s suit jacket draped over her shoulders, her hand holding his the entire time, unwilling to let go.Ever since returning to Crown City, the cool, aristocratic sharpness in Merrick’s demeanor had only intensified. Even leaning lazily against the seat, he emanated a presence that made people hesitant to breathe too loudly around him, just like Elise now.He hadn’t tightened his hand around hers once. Even someone oblivious would have

Was having a child between them really not the right thing, or was it just her he didn’t want a child with?That sudden, sharp rush of emotion almost tore through her restraint. She nearly let the accusation slip out, but at the last second, she swallowed it back down.Elise repeated softly, “So, if there really were a child, would you want it?”Just a brief exchange of looks was enough. He saw straight through the question and the probing underneath.His lips pressed together, and when he exhaled, the seriousness in his voice left no room for argument.“If there is one, we won’t keep it.”Merrick’s gaze was dark and fathomless, bright with a warning that made her chest tighten.The stone that had just begun to lift in her heart came crashing down again, crushing the breath out of her. In that moment, she understood that he had never once imagined any kind of future with her.She lowered her eyes, a faint edge of self-mockery flickering across them.After a moment, she looked back up

That night, she waited in the lounge as a backup.About an hour later, Flora’s voice came through the earpiece, calling her over.When she arrived at the designated spot, she found a pretty girl crying, the right side of her face swollen.She had clearly been slapped hard.Elise recognized her as one of the sommeliers.Flora barked, “Keep your dirty thoughts to yourselves! Otherwise, this is what happens.”Only after Flora left did Elise learn the girl had tried to throw herself into the arms of the most important man in Room 001, and his date had kicked her to the floor.Just then, the private room called for service again, and Elise entered with two other sommeliers.The lighting inside was perfectly dim. The moment she half-kneeled at her assigned spot, she saw a familiar pair of black leather shoes.Her chest tightened; her breath stuttered, and her hands instinctively tensed.Elise lifted her gaze ever so slightly toward the seat of honor.In the muted light, Merrick lounged back

Elise silently endured every attempt Selena made to make things difficult for her.Even with her feet numb from kneeling, not a trace of impatience appeared on her face.The lighting in the private room gradually grew dimmer.Merrick’s glass emptied and refilled again and again, and just then his phone vibrated. He rose and stepped out onto the balcony to take the call.Her feet prickled like needles from kneeling too long. She stood briefly to open another bottle, using the motion to ease the pain.Just as she lowered herself again, Selena kicked over a wine bottle beside her, sending it rolling toward Elise’s feet.Elise’s entire body pitched toward Peter.In that split second of chaos, she caught the smug triumph on Selena’s face.Peter’s hand was already reaching out to catch her, but Elise twisted midair with sheer force and fell in the opposite direction instead.Two empty bottles clattered to the floor, shattering in pieces.Her palms landed directly on broken glass, instantly s