“So sudden? Maybe I just won’t show up then,” she said, putting on a pout.

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Edward immediately reached out and grabbed her arm. “Don’t be stubborn. We’re going to have to meet eventually.”

“Then make itter,” she replied. “At least give me a little time to brace myself.”

Edward just gave her a helpless look. She slid into the car, nced back at him, and saw Edward waving at her.

Back in Hachester, Victoria got a call from one of the top executives at Hayes Corp. They told her there were going to be some changes to the board of directors at May Company and asked her toe to the meeting to

vote.

She agreed, but at the same time, she could sense that things were shifting beneath the surface.

If this had been before, Nathan would have been the one to let her know right away.

But now, it was one of his people reaching out instead, which only made it clear that Nathan had truly let go.

Like it or not, that night Victoria ended up having dinner with Jared and Yvonne again. It had pretty much be their default way of meeting in private.

All for Yvonne.

Even after the divorce, there was still a tie they couldn’t cut–being parents kept them connected.

At dinner, Jared was helping Yvonne with some food when he asked, sounding all casual, “You’re going to that Hayes Corp board meeting, right?”

“Yeah, I am,” Victoria nodded.

“Was it Nathan who told you about it?” Jared asked, giving her a meaningful look.

“Why do you care?” she replied, raising an eyebrow at him.

“No reason, just asking,” Jared said with a little smile,

“Stop always trying to dig into my business,” Victoria muttered.

“Are you mad at me?” Jared asked, his voice low.

“Why would I be mad?” she replied, giving him a puzzled look.

“Because I told him about your stuff in the UK, and now he can’t even be bothered to manage our group anymore,” Jared said, with a look that said he was just here for the drama.

chat

Victoria shot him a re, gritting her teeth in annoyance. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you? With that smug look on your faceb./bb” /b

52

b55 /bvouchers

“I was just sharing a bit about my life in the UK,” Jared said with a grin. “Nathan invited me out for coffee, and before we knew it, we were talking about you.”

“How about you stop making me the topic,” Victoria said, her tone firm.

Jared leaned back, swirling his coffee cup with azy smile. “Probably won’te up again–Nathan’s out of the running now.”

Victoria paused, caught off guard. “And what about you?”

Jared’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Why don’t you take a wild guess?”

From the look in Jared’s eyes, Victoria could already tell what he meant. There was this fated, never–ending game between them now–they knew each other inside out.

“I don’t want to guess,” Victoria mumbled, keeping her eyes on her food.

Yvonne was totally used to their back–and–forth by now. She’d just tune in sometimes, never bothering to say anything herself.

On the way back, Jared had a few drinks, so Victoria ended up driving him and Yvonne back to Sally’s ce.

“Victoria, Quinn’s been hanging around Hayes Corp a lottely. Looks like she’s trying to chase after Nathan,” Jared suddenly remarked as they were almost home.

Victoria thought about Quinn, that calcting little sister–inw of hers. She was always looking out for herself.

“Really? Do you think they’d be a good match?” Victoria asked, sensing Jared was trying to test her. She didn’t want him to know what she was thinking.

He nced at her and chuckled. “Nah, they’re not a good fit. Nathan wouldn’t give her the time of day.”

“If you really think they’re not a match, and you’ve got someone better in mind, why not set him up?” Victoria said coolly.

“Oh? You’d actually let that happen?” Jared grinned, clearly pleased he’d gotten her to show her real thoughts.

“Do you just love messing with me or what?” Victoria shot him a re, not hiding her annoyance.

Jared arched a brow. “What can I say? Old habits die hard.”

“Well, it’s about time you ditched that bad habit,” she huffed, clearly irritated.

Jared paused, his expression faltering for a moment. He murmured, “Wait, that sounds familiar. Didn’t I used to say that to you?”

Victoria’s eyes stung as she nodded. “Yeah, you did. In our previous life, I used to call and remind you toe home. I said it was my responsibility as your wife, and after a while, it just became second nature.”

Jared went quiet.

b14:44 /bbMon/bb, /bbSep /bb22 /b

?(5)

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When they reached the house, Jared gently carried the nearly–asleep Yvonne out of the car. “Get some rest,” he said softly.

This th

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