The Barrister's Love in Town

complained inside. Then, she rejected her without hesitation. “I’m sorry, but no. I don’t

want to have dinner with you guys.” “Amanda, don’t tell me you’re still holding onto the

old story? You should know that relationships can’t be forced. What’s the point of forcing a

man who doesn’t love you to be with you?” Grace reasoned. At that point, Amanda was

beyond speechless. She suppressed her anger and smiled. “Miss Murphy, what makes you

think I’m not over it?” Then, she spotted Aiden’s small figure! Seeing his mommy from

afar, the kid happily ran toward her and parted his lips, ready to shout the forbidden M-

word. With disaster dawning upon her, the frantic lady immediately hinted at Aiden with

her eyes, warning him not to say it. No, no, no, no, no! “Mo—” He had only yelled half the

word when he received his mother’s signal, so he improvised. “Motherf*cker!” After that,

he turned around and hid somewhere Elias could not see. That cute-sounding curse

attracted everyone’s attention, but Elias merely heard it without seeing the owner of that

adorable ‘motherf*cker’. Whose ill-mannered brat was that? How ridiculous. Amanda

immediately stood before the man, stopping him from searching for Aiden at all costs.

“Alright. I’ll have dinner with you!” she suddenly announced. A surprised Grace stopped

looking for the kid and asked, “For real? Since Amanda agreed to eat with us, will you

agree too?” “Sure,” Elias replied half-heartedly. He did not have much appetite, but he

thought it would be nice to steal a few more glances at his ex-wife. … The atmosphere

inside the private room was awkward. Amanda occasionally looked at the time on her

phone, wondering if Helean had brought the ‘ticking time bomb’ away. She picked up her

phone and texted Helean, telling him to send Aiden home and that she would be back

soon. When Elias noticed her uneasiness, he asked, “Whom are you texting?” Has this

woman stooped so low that she’s seducing those old men? He had noticed her strange

tone when talking on the phone earlier, and it sounded like she was doing something

unseemly in secret. “No one. Why hasn’t the food arrived? Let’s get this over with and go

home.” She put away her device. In the meantime, Grace smiled as she poured Elias a cup

of tea, suggesting, “I think Amanda might be seeing someone and is texting him.” His

brows furrowed in displeasure as he retorted, “And how do you know that?” “It’s because

I’m a woman, and a woman’s sixth sense is always right. Am I spot on, Amanda?” That’s

such a fake smile… Amanda was too lazy to argue, so she went with it. “Yes, you’re right.

I’m texting my boyfriend.” “Don’t tell me it’s the old man from the banquet. I warned you

to leave those old men alone!” Elias ordered. That made Grace, sitting by the side,

subconsciously grip the hem of her dress. She reasoned gently, “Elias, don’t be so mean.

Amanda can like any man she wants, and she’s your ex-wife, so it’s not your place to

order her around.” Without saying anything, he felt a rage of fire burning inside him, and

he downed his cup of water in a huff. “I need to head to the bathroom. Excuse me.”

Suddenly, Grace rose to her feet with a courteous smile before leaving the room. In

actuality, she wanted to know the unfiltered situation between Elias and Amanda, so she

left her recording phone in the room, knowing that those two would not let on anything in

her presence. Hence, she excused herself to let them talk it out. As expected, Amanda

looked at the man before her once the door was closed. “How long have you known her?”

Pouring himself another cup of water, Elias took a sip before answering, “Many years.” Her

bright eyes had a trace of surprise. Many years… How many years is that? Did they know

each other since they were young? Did they grow up together? If that was the case, does

it mean he didn’t cheat on me because they’d been together for years? While she was lost

in thought, her eyes dimmed, feeling a sense of bitterness. “Since you love her so much,

why did you agree to marry me and not her?” “Grandpa forced me to.” That answer was

straightforward but hurtful. His tone was filled with resignation and void of any emotion.

When Amanda recalled how Elias pushed her to agree to the divorce, she felt endless

hatred filling her heart. He had kept Grace so well protected and pampered her like a

princess that she did not have to take part in all that fiasco. She suddenly taunted, “Do

you think she would cry if I tell her you brought me home to Grandpa?” “Don’t you dare

make her cry!” He slammed his cup onto the table, making a loud bang. God, no. Her cries

are annoying. Who knows how long she’s gonna whine about it if she finds out? No, I’m

not dealing with that. Yet, in Amanda’s eyes, his strong reaction froze her heart. He’s so

protective over that woman, so kind and gentle. With me, though, he was always angry,

oppressive, and cold. Perhaps, this is the difference between love and tolerating. At first,

she thought she would have forgotten about these feelings after four years, but the pain

caught her by surprise. Drawing a deep breath, she rose and reprimanded, “Please don’t

ever appear before me again. Seeing the two of you makes me want to puke!” With that,

she took her bag and left the room. Bang! The door was closed again, leaving Elias alone

in utter silence. Finally, Grace returned. When she noticed Amanda’s absence, she asked,

“Elias, where’s Amanda? Where did she go?” “Something came up, so she left. Let’s go,

too.” The man stood up and exited the room. “Aren’t you going to eat?” “No.” Grace

grabbed her bag and glanced at her phone before turning off the recorder.