The Unveiled Rose

I heard the familiar voice and instinctively frowned, turning to look at the source.

There was Chloe standing beyond the gate, glaring at me with hostility. "You really have no shame, do you?"

Her baseless accusations were almost laughable. She despised me so much that everything I did rubbed her the wrong way. I could understand that.

I kept my tone calm and unbothered. "Go ahead, vent whatever you want to say. Once you're done and enough people have gathered, I'll expose all things Steven has done."

I added with a smirk, my mood lifting with each word. "When his company's stock tanks, your life won't be looking too rosy either."

Chloe snapped back, "Is threatening people all you know how to do?"

Without hesitation, I replied, "Well, you tell me does it work?"

She fell silent, glaring at me. I wasn't planning to entertain her any further and turned to leave.

"Wait!" she called out hurriedly. "Come outside. I need to talk to you."

This family was truly fascinating. Before the divorce, they either avoided me or didn't care about what I had to say. Now that the divorce was final, they couldn't seem to leave me around.

I wasn't foolish enough to play along. "Talk here if you have something to say," I said flatly, not even considering stepping out.

Clearly aware that I wouldn't give in, Chloe relented with visibly displeasure. "Did Steven come to see you this morning?"

I couldn't help but wonder if they'd planned this together.

First, one of them shows up, pretending it is just a casual chat. Then, not long after, the other uses that meeting as an excuse to confront me.

Were they so bothered by the fact that I was happy now that they resorted to these little games just to mess with me?

"Yes," I answered honestly.

Chloe's expression darkened as she threatened, "Do you realize he's with Jessica now? If you know what's good for you, stay out of his life. If you don't—"

I cut her off. "First, do you even know where you're right now?"

Chloe glanced around. "The Huxham Group?"

"Exactly," I replied smoothly. "I come here every day to work, minding my own business. I haven't gone anywhere near Steven. It's you and Steven who keep showing up at my workplace, looking for me. "And then you have the audacity to blame me for meeting with him?"

I didn't bother sugarcoating it. "Don't you think that's absolutely ridiculous?"

Chloe pointed a finger at me, too angry to form words.

"Focus on managing your son first," I said sharply, leaving her fuming as I turned to walk away.

After some thought, I realized I had already run into two annoying people this morning. What if I kept walking and bumped into someone even worse?

I stood there for a long while before finally deciding to head back to the office and just lie down.

Pushing the office door open, I saw Zane glance up at me and ask, "Why didn't you stay out a bit longer?"

I walked into the cubicle obediently and flopped onto the couch without caring about appearances. "I ran into Chloe on my way downstairs.

"She mentioned that Jessica and Steven are doing great together."

When I didn't continue, Zane probed, "Is she worried you might want to get back together with Steven?"

I nodded. "That's exactly what she meant. I figured today's just one of those days where I keep running into annoying people, so I thought staying in the office might be better. So, here I am." "Good timing," Zane said, setting his work aside and walking over to me. "I've got some good news for you."

I sat up straight quickly. "What's it?"novelbin