His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife Chapter 54: Hidden Plots

"Yeah." Julian's voice was low as he looked at her. "Do you care?"

"No, just asking," Iris said softly.

In this marriage, she'd always been sensible and humble. She never fought for anything, never cried or threw fits. She tried her best to be understanding because she didn't want Julian to think she was jealous, petty or annoying.

If there was no proof of gossip about him, she chose not to believe it.

No matter how wild Julian got outside, she pretended it didn't exist as long as she didn't see it.

Julian's face stayed dark and he said nothing. The car window rolled up slowly, and then he drove off.

Iris took the breakfast back to her office. Her mood lifted, and a smile spread across her face.

Zoe walked over, peeked into her bag and gasped. "Is the sun rising in the west? Julian actually brought you breakfast? It's a little plain, though."

"It's homemade—how fancy can it be?" Iris grabbed the bag back and muttered quietly, "Besides, he can't cook anything else anyway."

"He cooked it himself?" Zoe raised an eyebrow, grinning as she snatched the juice. "Did he squeeze the orange juice too?"

Iris's cheeks turned pink and her ears felt hot. She shyly grabbed the juice back, her voice soft and bashful. "Stop teasing me."

Zoe stopped teasing her, pulled a chair over and sat next to her. "Iris, did he do something wrong? Is that why he's being nice to you?"

"I didn't finish my breakfast this morning. He probably saw it." Iris tapped the egg lightly against the table, her smile growing sweeter.

Zoe rested her chin in her hand and sighed softly. "Ever since you two got married, he's changed. He canceled your wedding and ignored you all the time. He was so cold to you. He had rumors with celebrities, hung out with tomboys, and even often went to clubs with his friends to get wasted. You put up with all of that."

Iris bit into the egg white, and her smile faded.

Zoe changed her tone, looking confused. "But other times, I feel like he's actually nice to you. You leave each other alone when things are calm, but he always steps up when you need him. I remember two years ago, you got infected with the virus you were researching and fell into a coma for seven days. He stayed by your side the whole time, never leaving you for a second."

Iris ate the egg quietly, her heart feeling heavy.

She knew about that, but she'd been in a coma and had no memory of it. When she woke up, Julian was gone, and a nurse was taking care of her.

Everyone was busy with work back then, so no one knew the details.

Zoe patted Iris's head gently. "Enjoy your sweet breakfast. I'll get back to work."

Iris nodded with a smile.

But her heart was filled with a mix of hope and worry.

*****

It was late at night. Inside a private room of a high-end club, the lights were dim and inviting. The music was upbeat, the air smelled like alcohol, and the room was lively.

The escorts were glamorous, making all the men laugh.

Julian was entertaining clients with Ethan.

A woman in revealing clothes leaned against Julian and held a glass of wine to his mouth. He pushed her away gently, whispering coldly, "Don't touch me."

The woman sat back nervously, her smile looking awkward.

"Mr. Whitlow, come on—let's drink!" A fat boss held up his glass and toasted Ethan, who looked stiff and nervous.

Ethan jumped up quickly, holding his glass with both hands to return the toast.

The other men at the table raised their glasses too.

The fat man laughed loudly. "Mr. Whitlow, don't be so tense. You're Mr. Everhart's wife's brother. We're friends now."

"Thank you for your care, Mr. Vinson." Ethan forced a smile, drank the wine in his glass nervously, and sat back down.

Ethan worked up the courage to speak, using the business lines he'd practiced over and over. "I just started a fruit and vegetable supply business, and I..."

Julian put his hand on Ethan's thigh and leaned over. "Ethan, this isn't the place to talk business. Just drink and have fun with them. Once you're on good terms, business will be easy."

Ethan rarely socialized like this, so he nodded quickly.

With Julian leading the way, he relaxed more and more as the night went on.

The men who liked pretty girls chatted with the escorts.

The ones who liked drinking kept drinking glass after glass.

The men who liked bragging got showered with praise.

The party ended late at night. Some men left with escorts, and others were picked up by their assistants.

Ethan was half-drunk and half-awake. Owen, Julian's assistant, put him in the car and sent him home.

Julian had drunk too much. He passed out on the sofa to rest.

Lily stood nearby watching him. She got angry just thinking about him lowering himself to socialize with these vulgar, perverted bosses for Ethan's sake. He even got himself this drunk. She thought for a long time, and a dark look flashed in her eyes.

Lily walked out of the private room and into the bathroom. She took out her phone and called Selena.

"Selena, I have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you. Do you want it?"

"What is it?" Selena asked.

"Julian's drunk. He's alone right now," Lily replied.

Selena scoffed. "Such a good opportunity—why don't you take it yourself?"

"Julian and I are just friends, really. I sincerely hope you two get back together," Lily explained earnestly.

But deep down, Lily knew she didn't want a one-night stand. She wanted Julian all to herself. She wanted his whole life to belong to her.

As long as Julian divorced Iris, he would definitely marry her in the end.

Whether it was family ties or her relationship with Julian, she was the best choice for him.

But first, Julian had to divorce Iris. Otherwise, everything she did would be useless.