All Chapters of EX-HUSBAND’S REGRET(The Wife He Discarded): Chapter 171 - Chapter 180

We moved quietly through the crowd.Conversations floated around us.Champagne glasses clinked softly.Laughter rose and disappeared beneath the music.Only after we’d crossed half the room did Reed speak.“I hope I didn’t rescue you from an important conversation.”A small laugh escaped me.“You probably did.”He glanced sideways.“But?”“But I’m grateful for the interruption.”The corner of his mouth lifted.“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”“I’d appreciate it.”He chuckled under his breath before leading me toward one of the quieter corners of the ballroom.It was tucked behind a tall arrangement of white orchids overlooking the London skyline through floor-to-ceiling windows.The music sounded softer here.The conversations were more distant.For the first time all evening…It felt peaceful.A waiter passed by carrying a silver tray filled with champagne glasses.Reed picked up one and looked at me.I glanced down at the empty glass still resting in my hand before placing it gent

I turned toward everyone else.“What do the rest of you think?”The Head of Finance spoke first.“I support it.”“So do I,” the Operations Director added.“Absolutely.”“She deserves it.”One by one…Every voice around the table agreed.Mia looked completely overwhelmed.“I…”She looked around the room before looking back at me.“…Thank you.”I nodded.“Next week…”“I’ll be meeting with senior management.”“We’ll be selecting more employees for promotion.”Several heads lifted.“You’ve all worked incredibly hard.”“And every department has exceeded expectations.”A small smile touched my lips.“You deserve to grow with this company.”Applause broke out around the table.I waited until it settled before standing.“Now…”“Let’s get back to work.”Almost two hours later…I finally stepped into my office.The familiar scent of fresh flowers greeted me.I placed my bag on the desk before sinking into my chair.For the first time all morning…I allowed myself one slow breath.A soft knock i

The door opened quietly.I looked up from my computer.Dominic stepped inside.He had his briefcase in one hand, his dark suit perfectly pressed, his expression controlled.For a second, he looked back at the door.Almost as though he needed another moment before coming any further.Then his eyes found mine.My fingers stopped moving across the keyboard.I swallowed.“Good morning.” His voice was calm.“Good morning.”Mine sounded steadier than I felt.He walked toward my desk.I lowered my eyes to the computer again, pretending to read something on the screen.There was nothing there that required my attention.I clicked through an open document anyway.Anything to keep myself occupied.Anything that kept me from looking at him.Dominic stopped in front of my desk.A folder landed gently on the surface.“Seoul called last night.”My eyes moved to the folder.“About the collection,” he added as he took the chair opposite me.I opened it.The first page contained a list of requests fro

My eyes flicked toward her.She tried to hide her smile behind her glass.“I don’t know.”Ford nodded seriously.“Right.”Pierce laughed again.Hayes shook his head.“Stop acting like a child, Ford.”He reached for another piece of chicken.“You’re getting old too.”Ford pointed at himself.“Me?”“Yes.”Hayes took a bite.“And you’re single.”Ford leaned back.“So?”“So what are you going to do about that?”Ford grinned.“I won’t get married before you, big bro.”Pierce immediately raised his eyebrows.“This is the first time I’ve heard you call him big bro.”Ford looked at him.“I was feeling generous.”Pierce laughed.“You guys need to stop running from your responsibilities.”Hayes groaned.“Here we go.”“We need to extend this family,” Pierce continued, completely ignoring him. “And the both of you aren’t helping.”Ford pointed at him.“Are you not part of the single bros?”Pierce took another sip.“How about you find a way to reproduce and extend the family?”Pierce paused.Then

The first flash went off.Then another.“Chin slightly to the left.”I turned my face.“Good. Hold that.”The camera clicked rapidly.“Now look toward the window.”I shifted my gaze.“Beautiful. Stay there.”My body moved almost automatically.Shoulders back.Chin relaxed.One hand resting lightly against my waist.Eyes toward the lens.The photographer adjusted his position behind the camera.“Give me something softer.”I let my shoulders loosen.The music playing quietly somewhere behind the set faded into the background.For the first few minutes, I could still feel the remnants of last night.The dull ache behind my eyes.The slight heaviness in my limbs.The dryness in my throat.But the moment the camera came up…My body remembered what to do.How to turn a simple glance into something the camera could capture.The headache became distant.Almost irrelevant.“Excellent.”The photographer lowered the camera briefly.“Let’s change the look.”A stylist hurried toward me.The first