Divorce Me Before Death Takes Me, CEO

Chapter 138

Audrey's POV

“Blake Parker is busy planning his proposal to his girlfriend tomorrow,” | said, frost in my voice. “If you want to

make him angry and ruin his mood, go ahead and call him right now about my divorce

settlement details!”

Richard went quiet. | could practically see him recalculating, unwilling to jeopardize his potential

meal ticket.

| hung up without another word and immediately switched my phone off, tossing it onto the coffee table. The

world instantly fell quiet.

| closed my eyes and breathed in the silence. After a hot shower, | wrapped myself in a soft robe, feeling sof

the day’s tension wash away. When | checked my phone again, the screen lit up with notifications over a dozen

missed calls and texts, all from Victoria..

I scrolled through the messages, each more desperate than the last:

Audrey, | don’t think Laurel deserves Blake. Should you try to win him back?

Let’s work together to get him back, okay?

You were with Blake for three years. There must be feelings there. | think you two could reconcile.

A laugh escaped my lips before | could stop it. The audacity was almost impressive.

Victoria had barely hidden her attraction to Blake during our marriage. Each t| brought him to the Sinclair

h- which | could count on one hand - she'd practically draped herself over him, finding excuses to touch his

arm or laugh at his mildest comments.

Now she wanted us to “work together“? Her intentions couldn't be more transparent if they were

written in neon.

| typed a cold reply: If you like Blake Parker, | support you pursuing him. Just leaveout of it.

Her response cinstantly: Really? Can | really pursue Blake Parker?

| smirked, typing deliberately: Of course. If you like him, go for it.

| pictured her excitement, completely oblivious to the futility of her plan. Either she vastly overestimated her

appeal or completely underestimated Laurel's hold on Blake. Probab

oth.

Still, Victoria had guts. Walking straight into rejection, but at least she had the nerve to try.

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Chapter 138

| pulled up sjewelry design videos with Show purring in my lap. The combination of technical discussion and

my cat’s warmth lulledto sleep.

| woke the next morning with a stiff neck, my phone hot from playing videos all night. As | set it down to cool, |

noticed a message from Ethan.

My heart quickened, expecting more dirt on Parker-Rose Studio. Instead, | found a simple smiley face followed

by: Happy Birthday to you!

| blinked in surprise before replying: My official records have the wrong date. My birthday was two days ago. But

thank you for the wishes.

Then | can only wish you a belated happy birthday, he responded. | have a gift prepared for you though. Even if

it’s not your birthday today, I still want to give it to you.

What gift? | asked, curious despite myself.

You'll find out later, he wrote with a laughing emoji.

Thank you in advance for the birthday gift, | replied and got ready for work.

At Original Studio, | dove straight into my design revisions. Tdissolved as | fine-tuned each element,

adjusting gemstone placements and metal thicknesses. This was my element - creating beautiful things that

would outlast me.

| only snapped out of my design trance when James rapped his knuckles on my desk. Glancing up, | realized the

office had emptied out hours ago. My coworkers had all gone hwhile I'd vanished into my work again.

The clock read 6:30. | rolled my shoulders, wincing at the stiffness, then packed up my things. My phone rang

the moment | stepped outside - Astrid.

“Audrey!” she exclaimed. “You won't believe what | just received. Blake Parker's assistant delivered an invitation

to me! For tonight at Four Seasons Hotel!”

| stopped walking. “What?”

“I know, right? Blake Parker invitedto his proposal to Laurel Rose!”

My mind raced. Blake invitingwas strange enough, but Astrid too? They barely knew each other outside of

me.

“What the hell is he thinking?” Astrid continued, her voice rising. “He’s proposing t

urel but

invites his ex-wife AND her best friend? Does he want the whole world watching? Doesn't he know | have a

temper? What if | cause a scene?”

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Chapter 138

“Let's go see what it’s about,” | said finally.

“What?”

“Let's go. | need company anyway, and since he invited you too, you might as well join me.”

“That's exactly what | was thinking!” Astrid laughed. “I’ve already picked out my dress. | want to see what kind

of proposal Blake Parker has planned a month in advance!”

| thought about the red dress Blake had boughtyesterday, a cold smile forming. “Astrid, cpickup at

my place later.”

The Four Seasons Hotel glowed against the darkening sky as our car pulled up. Astrid whistled low

beside me.

“They've gone all out, haven't they?”

| nodded, taking in the elaborate decorations. White and gold flower arrangements adorned the entrance, but

something seemed off. As we approached, | noticed cards tucked among the blooms, each bearing the same

message: “Happy Birthday!”

Streamers and balloons in the scolor schfloated everywhere, all carrying the sbirthday

wishes.

Astrid froze beside me. “Wait a minute. Shouldn't it say ‘Congratulations on Your Engagement’ or something?

Why does everything say ‘Happy Birthday?”

| studied the decorations, equally confused. “It doesn’t look like a mistake.”

“But whose birthday is it?” Astrid pulled out her phone, checking the date. “Laurel Rose's? | thought her birthday

was in winter, not summer...”

As | stood there, a ridiculous thought bubbled up: Could Blake have planned all this for... me?

The insistence that | attend, the dress he bought me, these birthday decorations - they created a pattern that

made my heart beat faster.

But that couldn’t be right. My birthday wasn’t today. During our three years together, I'd never made a big deal

of my birthday, but I always bought a cake and cooked a nice dinner. Blake's gifts were usually last-minute, but

he had been there for my birthdays.

Could it be possible that after three years of marriage, he still didn’t know the correct date? The thought was

both laughable and painful.

“Well, well, you actually showed up.”

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Chapter 138

Thalia’s cold voice cut through my thoughts. She approached us, wearing the pink dress from yesterday, her

expression smug.

“And brought your little sidekick too,” she added, eyeing Astrid with disdain.

“Such bright colors,” she continued, scanning my red dress and Astrid’s deep blue gown. Too bad you're not the

stars tonight.”

“Should | thank you both on Laurel's behalf for coming to witness her special moment?”

“If thanks are due, Laurel can deliver them herself,” Astrid shot back.

Thalia’s expression hardened instantly. “You think you're honored guests? Letwarn you both my brother is

proposing to Laurel tonight. If either of you ruins this, I'll make sure you regret it.”

| studied Thalia’s confident expression, doubt creeping in. Had | misread everything? Were these birthday

decorations just a strange coincidence?

“Thalia,” | said slowly, “are you certain tonight's event is Blake proposing to Laurel?”

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