The lively chatter had ceased momentarily as all eyes turned towards the entrance of the room. When
Jason strode in, the air thickened with a silent reverence. It was no secret to the crowd gathered today
about theplicated ties between him and Estre.
Eventually, Thomas, with a chuckle, broke the awkward silence. “Jason, you’re back, man! Just in time,
we haven’t called it a night yet.”
Jason, hands still buried in his pockets, gave the room a cursory nce, his gaze briefly resting on
Estre before retreating with indifference.
When Estre’s eyes met Thomas’, he hastily exined, “Estre, when I called Jason, he really was
out of town on business. I told him if he could make it back, great; if not, no sweat. And look, here he
is…”
Before Thomas could finish, Estre’s attention had already drifted away, uninterested in his
exnations. Whether Jason showed up or not wasn’t such a big deal to her.
Having not seen him for over twenty days, she noted that Jason looked leaner than when they had
signed their divorce papers, his frame more slender than before.
Grayson, sensing the need to lighten the mood, chimed in with augh, “Well, just in time to join in on
today’s festivities.” He then added, “But Jason, your timing could’ve been better-we’re about to wrap up
here.”
Without waiting for Jason’s response, Grayson continued, “You haven’t had a drink, have you?
Estre’s mom just called, wants her home pronto. Could you maybe drop her off first?”
Estre had a child at home, so every time she went out, Autumn would keep calling her.
As Grayson finished speaking, Jason’s eyes shifted towards Estre once more. She was wearing a
white shirt, ck wide-leg trousers,yered with a light gray cashmere coat. Her hair was tied in a low
ponytail at the back of her head. She exuded a mature, steady, and capable demeanor, and her
presence was even stronger than before.
Jason nced at Estre and calmly said, “Hmm.”
Estre was about to decline the ride, but Grayson had already spoken. “Estre, let Jason take you
home. We’ll catch up another time.”
With Grayson insisting, Estre found it difficult to refuse and agreed.
Bryce, hands in his pockets, looked over at Estre and said, “Drop me a line when you get home,
okay?”
“Will do,” Estre replied.
Nearly a month had passed without a word between Estre and Jason.
Reaching the parking lot, Jason unlocked the passenger door for Estre. As she bent to get in, he
instinctively shielded the top edge of the door, careful not to let her bump her head-a protective gesture
he’d always made whenever she rode in his car.
Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.
After a short while, the car started, and the inside of the car remained quiet. Halfway through the drive,
as Estre flicked through her phone, Jason finally broke the silence. “You let Serene drug me, and
used it as evidence of my infidelity. You really went there, Estre.” He had been waiting for the right
moment to confront her about it.
Estre nced at him, her voiceced with casual defiance, “Well, you pushed me into a corner, didn’t
you?”
If only he had divorced her sooner, she wouldn’t have had to go through such an borate ruse, now
having to dig into the truth behind a fire from seven years ago.
Jason fell silent again, and the quiet returned.
At a red light, Jason nced at Estre and calmly said, “I never got together with Holly back then.”
Estre looked at him but quickly averted her gaze.
Jason continued, “The photos were taken out of context by the media, all fabricated stories. I didn’t
come forward because Korey had just started his tenure, and the Ledford family didn’t want to be
affected.”
Histe exnation was met with silence from Estre. Even if he hadn’t been with Holly, the fact
remained that he had hurt Estre-ignored her calls, left her stranded at the airport for Holly, and hadn’t
even known she was hospitalized. These were all undeniable truths.
Then Jason added, “I shouldn’t have pped you that time. I apologize.” He often wondered if things
might have been different if he had controlled himself back then, an they had talked things through.
Maybe all that followed could have been avoided, and they wouldn’t have reached this point.
To Jason’s bted apology, Estre responded with a faint smile, “Those are old stories, long buried. I
don’t even remember them anymore.” Whether it was the p or any other past scuffle, it was all
history to her. She was content with her life now and had no desire to dwell on the past.
When Estre imed to have forgotten, Jason remarked, “There isn’t a man in the world as cool as
you.”
“We’re divorced, and what else do you want?” Estre retorted. “If you’re after money, I’m telling you, I
don’t have any to give.”
The conversation faltered. Jason’s hands gripped the steering wheel, his eyes asionally drifting to
Estre’s face, which remained untroubled by anything he felt or said. His emotions were a tangled
mess, beyond words.
09.03
Chapter Chapter 223
Soon, the car pulled up in front of the Dorvold family estate. As Estre unbuckled her seatbelt to
leave, Jason’s hand shot out, grasping her wrist.
Estre turned to face him, her eyes questioning, “Is there something else?”
With her gaze fixed on him, Jason confessed, “In ruthlessness, Estre, I admit I’m no match for you.”
Estre let out a resigned sigh and was about to say something when Jason cut in, “Damn, it really
chaps my hide to think about this divorce.”
A month had passed since the whole ordeal, but every time Jason recalled how Estre and Serene
had joined forces against him, a sour feeling gnawed at his insides.
Jason grumbled with resentment, and Estre began, “You’re upset about it, but the
divorce is still-”
She never got to finish her sentence. With a sudden tug on her wrist, Jason’s right hand pulled her
closer, cutting her off mid-sentence. Estre looked up into his eyes, finding him mere inches away.