Who's Crying Now, Ex-Husband?

Chapter 454 Whether it was her design work or her job at the company, Mila had never avoided talking about Adrian to her son. If he asked about her projects, she would patiently explain, even though Adrian rarely understood much of it. But that was fine.

Exposure, even if only in passing, was still a kind of subtle education.

This time, though, Adrian understood perfectly. "You're drawing a wedding dress?" He absolutely knew what a wedding dress was and what it was for.

"Mom, are you getting married?" Adrian didn't look thrilled.

Mila couldn't help but laugh and shook her head. "No, sweetheart. This is for a client's wedding, not for me." But the question sparked a thought. Since the topic had cup, maybe it was a good tto ask Adrian how he'd feel if she ever remarried. Setting down her pen, she smiled at him. "But if Mom did want to get married again, how would you feel about having a new dad?" Adrian's face fell. "I don't want one." "Mom, I don't want a new dad. I just want..." He trailed off. His father had always been strict, and Adrian never particularly liked it, but if he could, he'd want that dad back. Not wanting to upset his mom, though, he just finished quietly, "I just want you." "And if you get married again, will there be other kids? I don't want that! I wouldn't like it!" All he wanted was for his mom to stay with him.

And he would stay with her, too.

Mila was both amused and exasperated. She'd expected Adrian to resist the idea of a new father, but she hadn't anticipated that he'd already thought about the possibility of new siblings-and was even more strongly opposed to that.

Luckily, she had no plans for another marriage anytsoon. Her last relationship had been exhausting, almost traumatic, and the divorce had nearly broken her. She still hadn't managed to recover.

Maybe she was a bit afraid now.

Marriage was not something to rush into.

After comforting Adrian and promising that if she ever did consider remarrying, she'd ask for his opinion first, the matter was put to rest.

Since Adrian was still hfrom school to recuperate, Mila made tto spend the whole day with him. That night, after dropping him off at her family's old house, her phone buzzed with a new contact request on Instagram. The note read: "Blind date." It took her a moment to remember.

Oh, right-she'd almost forgotten. Her great-aunt had set her up with a blind date, someone from England who'd just arrived in the country. That was fast.

And the guy was nothing if not direct.

She accepted the request. After all, it was the child of her great-aunt's close friend; refusing via text would be too dismissive. She decided it would be more respectful to reject him in person. Her great-aunt had even asked her to pick him up at the airport, so Mila messaged to ask about his arrival time.

Tomorrow night, cthe reply.

The next afternoon, Mila let Cara leave work early, tidied up her own things, and headed out. But when she reached the parking lot, she hesitated and glanced at Leonard, who was following her as usual. She sighed. "I have personal plans tonight. You don't need to tag along." "My job is to ensure Chairman Sutherland's safety." Back in England, Jade was in charge and Leonard had kept his distance. But now that they were back home, and given the current circumstances, he felt it necessary to stick close just in case.

"Fine," Mila relented.

Trying to dissuade Leonard was pointless.

If he wanted to come, so be it.

But when he confirmed they were headed to the airport, Leonard couldn't help but ask, "Are you picking someone up, Chairman Sutherland?" He hadn't received any updates about this.

"Yeah," Mila replied, keeping it brief.

Seeing she didn't feel like chatting, Leonard didn't press further. The sky was tinted gold and the city lights sparkled as they drove toward the airport.

They hit a bit of traffic, and by the tthey arrived, the sunset had painted the sky red. Mila stepped out, phone in hand, and suddenly realized-she'd never asked for his phone number, or even his name. How exactly was she supposed to find him? Awkward.

But she didn't have long to dwell on it. A gentle waft of rose perffloated by, and out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of a slende, elegant hand reaching toward her. Around the wrist was a silver bracelet with delicately cut-out initials, a fine red thread threaded through the silver, winding around a pale forearm.

The cool silver and soft red string made a surprisingly striking combination, with a subtle, magnetic allure.

"Hello, I'm Johnnie." His voice was unexpectedly warm and even.

Mila looked up slowly. The man had a flawless, sculpted jawline, soft

pink lips curved slightly in a smile, and a straight, refined nose. His eyes narrow and long-were on her with a gentle amusement. His black hair was a little long and tousled, tucked behind one ear on one side and falling loose on the other, framing his pale cheekbones. His features were sharp, almost cold, but his smile was kind.

Her great-aunt hadn't exaggerated-he was stunning.

She must have put real effort into finding this one.

Years of artistic training had left Mila with a deep appreciation for beautiful things. She found herself staring for a moment too long, lost in admiration, before snapping out of it, a little embarrassed. She offered her hand, apologizing, "Sorry, you're just... really handsome. I got distracted." Instead of shaking her hand, he gently took her fingers and drew her closer, pressing a light kiss to her cheek-a classic British greeting.

When he stepped back, he smiled and said, "Thank you for the compliment. The pleasure is mine."

It took Mila a second to remember her great-aunt had mentioned that he'd lived abroad foxyears, and Was planning to settle in England. The De cheek kiss must just be a habit. Still, she felt her cheeks flush. He really was that good-looking.