CHAPTER 27: CHAPTER 27: IS SHE YOUR EX-GIRLFRIEND?

Audrey Sutton stared thoughtfully at Shane Warner’s phone, pondering the words spoken by the woman on the call just now.

Could it be... Shane’s old flame?

She had never heard any scandals about him, and judging by his demeanor, he didn’t seem like someone who would concern himself with romance.

Besides, didn’t Chloe Swift say that love was a stumbling block for them?

Recalling Chloe’s words, Audrey suddenly jolted. If she wasn’t mistaken, Chloe had previously said: people like them could forgo love for the sake of benefits...

Could the woman on the phone be the love Shane once gave up?

An old flame with a story and a past is far scarier than any little secretary, and Audrey was starting to feel a bit uneasy.

"Audrey? What are you doing all wrapped up like that? Come on over and cut the cake!" Flora came over to find her and dragged her away.

The evening had been quite enjoyable originally, but that call had disturbed her mood.

Flora, who had managed to find a group of guys — as Barry Barrett mentioned, Flora had just met them, fellow alumni from the school basketball team, all over six feet tall and long-legged.

But in Audrey’s eyes, the light that Shane emitted was too strong, making these sunny boys seem dull in comparison.

Yet, thinking about it, she regarded him as a guiding light in her heart, while she might just be one of the many stars in his sky, and not the brightest one...

Shane came downstairs, scanning the room until he spotted Audrey amidst the crowd.

To be precise, among a group of men.

Shane drew closer and heard them singing a birthday song, so he decided not to interrupt.

Looking at the group of youngsters, they seemed to be her peers.

Mostly boys, but she behaved well enough, sitting on the edge of the group, with her roommate on the other side.

She was still wearing his jacket, which at least showed she was obedient.

Watching them blow out the candles and cut the cake, Shane finally walked over, patting her shoulder from behind and softly asked, "When are we going back?"

Audrey was startled and turned to look at him: "R-right now."

Although their marriage was no secret anymore, talking to him under so many gazes still made Audrey feel a bit pressured.

"Brother-in-law, have some cake!" Barry offered him a piece.

Shane smiled and politely declined, "Thanks, you guys enjoy." Then he looked down at Audrey and said, "I’ll wait for you at the door."

"Okay."

Flora watched Shane’s receding figure without blinking, openly admiring as she said, "I take back what I said earlier; I’d gladly stay in this cage too."

Upon hearing this, Audrey stretched out her hand to block Flora’s view: "No going in!"

Flora laughed and pulled Audrey’s hand away: "I was wrong. It’s not oldness; it’s the charm of a mature man!"

Barry playfully teased, "Alright, Flora, if you keep talking, someone here is going to get jealous."

Immediately a boy wearing a white T-shirt across the room rolled up his sleeve to show off his arm muscles: "Am I not charming enough?"

Flora mercilessly mocked, "That’s just flash and no substance. The charm of others is honed over time; you all need to eat a few more years of rice first."

"Wow, this is the first time I’ve heard someone praise an older man like that."

"Others were young once too; being young now is your advantage. When you get to his age and are even half as outstanding as he is, then you’ll have proven yourself!"

Audrey nodded repeatedly, fully agreeing with Flora’s words.

But as she knew, Shane had always been the exemplary "child of someone else," even during his school days, as a well-known figure on campus.

Considering it in this way, could the woman who called be a part of Shane’s youthful memories?

The more she thought about it, the more it bothered her. Audrey stood up and said, "Flora, happy birthday, but I need to head back now. You guys continue playing."

Flora nodded and added, "If I had such a husband, I wouldn’t be out here playing with you guys; I’d be enjoying my time with him at home!"

Audrey immediately said, "No thinking up those random things!"

Barry: "Hehe, what messy things would you guys do when you go back?"

Audrey glared at them: "You all should head back early too. Don’t forget we have classes tomorrow morning."

"Alright, alright, a moment of bliss is worth a thousand gold coins; don’t waste it with us here."

Audrey picked up her bag and walked outside the bar, only to see Shane leaning against the wall, smoking.

This seemed to be the first time she had seen him smoke, with a slight furrow between his brows as if something was bothering him.

Hearing the sound of her heels approaching, Shane turned to her and discreetly extinguished the half-smoked cigarette: "Not playing anymore?"

Giving him a glance, Audrey grumbled, "With a busy person like the Third Young Master waiting outside for me, how dare I linger?"

Hearing her complaint, Shane replied, "That’s fine. I’ll head back first. You can keep playing, even if you don’t come back tonight."

"You serious?"

"Don’t come back ever again."

Audrey pouted, retrieving his phone from her pocket: "Someone called you earlier."

She paused and added, "A woman."

As Shane took back the phone, he asked, "Who?"

Pretending not to care, Audrey said, "Didn’t say."

Unlocking the phone, Shane glanced at the call log and immediately guessed who it was from the number. He had talked for half a minute.

"What did you talk about?" he asked with a nonchalant tone.

Observing his expression, Audrey noted it was quite impassive, unable to tell if he cared particularly about what the woman said. It seemed he was merely asking out of curiosity.

After a brief silence, Audrey said, "Call back and ask yourself."

As Shane put the phone back in his pocket, he asked, "Your face is written all over with something on your mind. What wild thoughts are you imagining now?"

"Am I imagining wildly? Is she your ex-girlfriend?"

Seeing her fierce look, Shane chuckled: "A college acquaintance. We haven’t been in contact for years."

"Just an acquaintance?" An acquaintance wouldn’t say something like "the future is long," right?

Shane raised his eyebrows and said, "I seem to recall someone saying before marriage that they wouldn’t disrupt my life and would be independent and not clingy."

Audrey was momentarily stunned. Indeed, those were her words.

As she had grown a bit more familiar with him over time, she had become a bit too complacent. What right did she have to question him?

Shane originally intended to tease her, maybe even provoke her to reveal her inner feelings, but upon seeing her dimmed expression and her downcast eyes as she turned away, he realized he had misspoken.

Honestly, he wasn’t skilled at getting along with girls, especially a whimsical and moody girl like Audrey.

She seemed simple, not adept at concealing her emotions, and precisely because of this, he felt at a loss when faced with her sudden change in mood.

While Shane was still thinking about how to appease her, he saw her unbuttoning her suit jacket, removing it, and stuffing it into his hands: "You can go back by yourself."