Chapter 4

Truth was, I wasn't in a rush at all.

I went to the coffee shop just around the corner from our apartment.

Julian and I used to be regulars here.

I used to think that a man as noble and wealthy as Julian would only eat breakfast served by a housekeeper at a grand dining table, never at a local cafe.

But this was the exact place he had brought me to.

After Julian left, I always came here alone.

The owner had asked me before:

"Where's your husband?"

"I haven't seen you two together in ages."

I made up a lie on the spot.

"We're temporarily separated."

The owner took that as us getting a divorce.

Today, the owner suddenly tried to set me up on a blind date.

"Since you're divorced now, right?"

"My younger brother is single, and he's a doctor."

I gave a polite, awkward smile.

"Thank you, but I'm not really looking right now."

She kept pushing:

"He's really handsome and tall. Honestly, he doesn't look any worse than your ex-husband."

Suddenly, a tall shadow blocked the light in front of me. I looked up and locked eyes with Julian’s cold, narrow gaze.

My luck lately had been truly terrible. Every single time I talked about him behind his back, he caught me.

Julian’s face was incredibly dark.

"Hello. She has a husband."

The owner gasped, completely taken aback.

"You got back together?"

Julian said flatly:

"We never divorced."

The owner looked at me in pure embarrassment.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry."

"I really thought you guys were divorced."

Julian's expression looked even worse now.

When we stepped out of the coffee shop, I still ended up sitting in Julian’s passenger seat.

He didn't hesitate to pop my little bubble.

Staring straight at me, his lips curled into a faint, knowing smile.

"Chloe, the company your team is pitching to today is mine."

"If I recall correctly, you don't have any off-site assignments today."

It was him?

So when I lied to him earlier, he had just been quietly watching me put on a show.

I was instantly choked up, letting out an incredibly awkward laugh.

When we arrived at the office, it was peak rush hour.

There were colleagues everywhere.

I stepped out of his passenger seat, trying to look around discreetly to see if anyone I knew was watching.

But from somewhere in the crowd, someone called out, "Mr. Reed."

My spine went instantly stiff.

A large group of people was walking straight toward us, including both Julian's team and people from my own company.

Julian walked around the hood of the car and stood right beside me.

Five or six pairs of eyes immediately locked onto the two of us.

I had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk alongside them toward the elevators.

When the elevator doors opened, everyone crowded inside.

Julian was surrounded in the center, while I stood in the very back corner.

Since it was rush hour, the elevator was packed. Just as the doors were about to close, two more people squeezed in.

I lost my footing slightly, my body swaying.

In the next second, a firm hand wrapped around my waist to steady me.

The entire elevator fell into a sudden, dead silence.

Practically by instinct, I immediately shrank away, pushing Julian's hand off me, and explained with a bright, professional smile:

"My heels are just too high, I almost slipped."

"Thanks for the catch, Mr. Reed."

My attempt to keep a distance was so blatant that the smile on Julian’s face instantly vanished, his expression freezing.

This collaboration project was indeed with Nova Tech.

Julian was the lead investor.

The proposal was designed by my department.

And the presenter was me.

As I stood at the front of the room, I didn't pay much attention to Julian.

Only when our eyes occasionally met would I quickly look away.

After the presentation ended, we spent another half hour discussing details.

By then, the entire morning had passed.

Julian left with his team.

The moment he was gone, my colleagues immediately swarmed me for gossip.

"Chloe, why did you get out of Mr. Reed's car this morning?"

I blinked innocently.

"Oh, we worked together on a project in the past, so we're somewhat acquainted. I ran into him on my way here, and since he was heading to our company anyway, he gave me a lift."

My colleague nodded in understanding.

"Ah, Mr. Reed is surprisingly down-to-earth."

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