After the divorce, he begged

Chapter 328

85

E55 youchers

Those four words felt like a barbed double-edged blade, cutting into both Jeffrey and Rebecca at once.

They had always been each other's confidant, trusting and knowing one another inside out.

But in that instant.

The strong bond between them started to crack.

“Honestly, before all those things happened, | always felt lucky,” Rebecca said, her words coming straight from

the heart. “You were always playing mind games and scheming with everyone else, but with me, you truly

treatedwith honesty. | never imagined you'd use all your tricks and schemes on me.”

“I've used them,” Jeffrey replied.

“What?” Rebecca blinked in disbelief.

“Since that first t| saw you after we grew up, I've been pulling every trick | know just to get you back home

with me,” Jeffrey confessed.

“That's different,” Rebecca clarified. “I'm talking about the things you did that actually hurt me.”

“I have,” Jeffrey replied quietly.

Rebecca stared at him, puzzled.

‘When did that happen?’ Rebecca wondered.

“When we weren't together, there were several guys who tried to go after you. But | couldn't stand seeing them

around, so | got Gregory to keep them busy with other stuff,” Jeffrey confessed, not hiding any of the shady

things he’d pulled. “I never gave you a chance to pick any of them.”

‘Everyone always says that loving someone means giving her the freedom to choose, so she can go for the

person she really wants, Rebecca thought to herself.

‘But Jeffrey ended up making that choice for me,’ she realized.

“I always knew,” Rebecca replied, thinking this was just the kind of unspoken understanding they shared.

This time, it was Jeffrey who found himself caught off guard.

Rebecca laid her thoughts from back then out for him. “I never needed any of those chances. From the very

start, | already made the best choice for myself-and that was you.”

“Rebecca...” Jeffrey felt his heart ache and warm all at once, the bittersweet feeling washing over him.

“I don’t regret anything from the past,” Rebecca said, her words leaving Jeffrey's heart in pieces. “And now, I'm

holding on to the decision I've made. I've always lived life my own way.”

10:23 Mon, Oct 13

Chapter 328

Her words lingered in the air.

Jeffrey realized she was urging him to let go.

She was afraid of what she'd done herself.

55 youchers

“I hope you can start over too, and stop holding on to the things that end up hurting, everyone, Rebecca said,

shifting the focus to him. “As long as your conscience is clear, not every promise has to be set in stone,”

Jeffrey stayed silent.

The tension hung between them, the silence almost suffocating.

After a long silence.

Jeffrey finally asked, “So, can we still be friends?”

“No, let's just be two strangers after the divorce,” Rebecca said, brutally honest. “Friendship just doesn’t work

for us. You'd never be able to move on, and I'd just feel stuck too.”

“Okay,” Jeffrey said.

“Mm,” Rebecca replied.

“Thank you,” Jeffrey said.

Rebecca stared at him, her eyes filled with confusion.

‘Why is he thanking me?‘ Rebecca wondered.

Rebecca still couldn't figure it out, but she decided not to let it bother her. She pulled out her phone and glanced

at the time.

At the stime, Ryan kept glancing at his phone, practically obsessed with checking the time. Ever since

Jeffrey and Rebecca had left one after the other, he couldn’t stop-ten minutes felt like he must've checked a

hundred times.

“Amelia,” Ryan said, casting his eyes around the room and still not spotting anyone. Unable to hold back his

worries, he muttered, “Rebecca and Jeffrey have been gone for ages... Do you think something might've

happened to them?”

Amelia really didn’t feel like saying anything to him at all.

She couldn't trust most people, but with Jeffrey-her ex-son-in-law-she still had sfaith. Yeah, he’d done

scrazy stuff before, but even after the divorce, he'd never lost control or done anything really out of line.

“Gregory's gone too. Should we go look for them?” Ryan said, sounding a bit anxious.

By now, he'd already started imagining a whole soap opera in his head.

All he could see was Jeffrey desperately pestering his daughter, pulling out all the stops to convince Rebecca

10:23 Mon, Oct 13

Chapter 328

to remarry him.

Amelia ignored him and headed over to Samuel and Riley.

85

55 vouchers

‘Rebecca’s been gone for a while. If there was really anything important going on with Jeffrey, she would've told

Samuel about it, Amelia reassured herself.

“Grandma!” Samuel beamed when he saw her, hurrying up to deliver Stanley’s message. “Mommy and Daddy

are talking right now, but they said they'll cfind us soon.”

Amelia gave his hair a gentle ruffle. “Alright.”

She was about to say something to Ryan, but realized he'd already vanished.

At that exact moment, her phone lit up with a text from him: [I still have a bad feeling about Jeffrey. I'm going

over to check things out.]

Amelia just stared at her phone, speechless.

She just let him do whatever he wanted and didn’t bother to interfere.

If Ryan ended up being a nuisance, Jeffrey would know how to handle him.

Ryan was dialing both Rebecca and Jeffrey as he searched, but after getting no answer from either, his

resentment toward Jeffrey only deepened. Then, spotting Barry and Gregory posted up like sentinels outside, he

felt sure his suspicions were spot on.

“Seen Rebecca around?” Ryan asked, sounding a little anxious as he stopped the two guards.

Barry just shook his head. “Nope.”

Gregory said bluntly, “Upstairs.”

Barry blinked, utterly lost. “...Huh?”

Barry gaped at Gregory, eyes wide with disbelief.

Gregory just matched his expression, both of them staring at each other, equally speechless.

“Why'd you have to tell him?” Barry muttered, feeling a headache coming on. He couldn't exactly block Ryan

with his status. “Mr. Hanson and Ms. Jensen are handling sofficial business upstairs. It's really not the right

tfor anyone to barge in.”

“Where exactly upstairs?” Ryan pressed.

“The changing room,” Gregory replied, keeping his tone formal and serious. “But they're in the middle of

something right now. If you need to pass on a message, | can handle it for you.”

‘The changing room?‘ Ryan thought, instantly on edge,

He couldn’t hold himself back-he strode straight past them, heading for the elevator.

10:23 Mon, Oct 13

Chapter 328

MQ (8)

65 vouchers

Just what is my daughter's ex doing alone with her in the changing room? Ryan thought, suspicion and worry

twisting in his gut.

Mr. Guzman,” Gregory reached out instinctively, trying to block his way.

“I've got official business with Mr. Hanson myself,” Ryan said, stepping into the elevator and pulling the doors

firmly shut behind him, leaving no doubt he didn’t want anyone tagging along. “You guys just stay put and keep

watch.”

Gregory and Barry shared a glance, then hurried into another elevator to trail after him.

After they hit the elevator button, Barry muttered with a touch of annoyance, “I thought you were supposed to

be the expert when it comes to keeping people out.”

Gregory kept his composure. “This guy could end up being Mr. Hanson's father-in-law someday. His status is on

another level compared to everyone else. We can’t be too forceful with him.”

Barry looked uneasy. “What if he goes up and interrupts Mr. Hanson and Ms. Jensen?”

Gregory replied calmly, “Mr. Hanson will know how to deal with it.”

Barry got even more anxious.

If Mr. Hanson gets dragged out this fast, he and Mr. Garcia are gonna be toast.

Not only did they totally drop the ball on matchmaking, now they've got the future father-in-law breathing down

their necks.

“That look on your face...” Gregory picked up on Barry’s nervous vibe right away. “Mr. Hanson and Ms. Jensen

didn’t decide to meet by themselves, did they? Did you actually lock them in there?”

Barry pressed his lips together and didn’t deny it.

Gregory narrowed his eyes. “Was this Mr. Garcia's idea?”

Barry nodded. “Yeah.”

“You guys are insane,” Gregory blurted out as he stepped off the elevator, heading for the changing room, a rare

look of unease flashing on his face. “Trying to pull one over on Mr. Hanson? You think you've got a few lives to

spare or something?”

Barry just stared at him, completely at a loss for words.

By the tthey showed up, Ryan was already posted outside the changing room.

He tried to open the door a couple of times, but it was locked tight. Then he knocked, his tone carrying a sharp

edge. “Jeffrey, | know you're in there. Open up.”

“Mr. Guzman,” Barry cleared his throat, stepping forward.

Ryan fixed him with a stern look.

10:23 Mon, Oct 13

Chapter 328

A

55 vouchers

As a heavyweight in the business world from an older generation, his aura was downright intimidating.

“You can’t open the door from the inside with just one lock undone,” Barry explained as he reached the door. He

flipped the bolt at the top, then unlocked the one down near the bottom. “You've gotta release both locks at

once if you want to get in or out.”

Ryan’s brow furrowed even deeper, an unsettling coldness creeping into his heart.

What the hell is Jetthey doing in there, getting someone to lock the door from the outside like it's skind of

fortress? Ryan thought, his suspicions now on high alert.

There was a loud click.

The door opened.

Jeffrey stepped out, looking completely composed and spotless-as if he'd just cfrom a board meeting, not

the changing room.

0

word

word

mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1

mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1

mmMwWLHI0RAO&1

mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1

mmMwWL1i10f1ifl0&1

mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1

word

word

mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1

mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1

mmMwWLHI0RAO&1

mmMwWLIII0fiflo&1

mmMwWL1i10f1ifl0&1

mmMwWLIiI0fiflO&1