Chapter 109
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“It was a defamation case. We were representing the plaintiff,” Charlotte said, taking a sip of her drink. “You have no idea how hard it was to gather evidence for that one, Sean. The client barely gave us anything to start with. I ended up spending over a month helping him piece everything together.”
“A month?” Sean placed a peeled shrimp into her bowl. “That was right before our engagement, wasn’t it? Sounds exhausting.”
“Yeah, it was during that stretch.” Charlotte dipped the shrimp into sauce. “It was tough, but totally worth it once we got the ruling in our favor.”
As she spoke, Charlotte pulled out her phone with a bright smile. “Oh, right! My client actually sent me a thank–you gift after the case. Look!”
She opened her photo gallery and scrolled to a picture of a beautifully arranged gift basket, complete with a handwritten card. Her eyes sparkled with pride. “It’s the first time a client’s ever done something like this for me.”
She looked just like a kid who’d gotten a gold star in school–grinning with excitement, her whole face lighting up, clearly hoping for a little praise.
Sean’s expression softened, his voice warm and full of affection. “Our brilliant attorney. I’m so proud of you.”
Charlotte blinked playfully and grinned. “It’s no big deal. Just doing my job.”
Across the table, Zac felt his chest tighten. His back stiffened.
He had always assumed that Charlotte and Sean were in a marriage of convenience, a cold business arrangement. He thought if he cleaned up his act, he still had a shot at winning her back
But now, he realized how wrong he had been.
They were acting like a couple deep in love.
Back when they were in Harbor City, Charlotte would sometimes talk to him about her work too. But he had only found it laughable at the time.
He once told her she was wasting her time working so hard for a monthly salary that couldn’t even cover one night out with his friends.
What he never knew was that she came from wealth. She didn’t need a job. She wanted to work to challenge herself and find her own value.
Now, as she spoke about her case with Sean, her eyes were lit with joy. She glowed from within, like a flawless gem sparkling under the light.
But that gem no longer belonged to him.
Watching her sitting so close to Sean, laughing and chatting like nothing else in the world mattered, Zac felt jealousy eating him alive.
These were the little moments she should have been sharing with him.
Her joys, her thoughts and her smiles used to be his.
And now?
Now she didn’t even look in his direction.
He suddenly regretted following her here.
At first, he just wanted to stir the pot, mess with Sean’s mood, maybe drive a wedge between them.
But in the end, the only person left shaken was himself.
He sat there, watching the woman he loved show affection to another man. His heart twisted with jealousy and bitterness. Each beat felt like a sharp, painful tug in
his chest.
Just then, the waiter brought out the food.
Eugene picked up his utensils, ready to dig in.
Suddenly, Zac across from hiro stood up with a loud scrape of his chair against the tiled floor.
The harsh sound turned heads. Diners all around the restaurant glanced over.
Zac got to his feet and walked out without saying a word, not even looking back.
Even from behind, it was clear just how furious he was.”
In the end, it was Zac who couldn’t take it anymore.
Eugene let out a sigh, picked up a bite of food, and mumbled, “If he’s not eating, I will. Haven’t eaten all day…”
Zac returned to lus car and lit a cigarette.
The city lights had just come on, and neon signs flickered outside the windows, casting a dizzying glow.
Inside the car, smoke curled into the air.
Zac stared out the window, his mind drifting back to all the times he and Charlotte used to eat together. She always sat across from him.
Chapter 109
Back then, he never thought anything of it.
But tonight, he saw her sitting on the same side as another man.
The table wasn’t big. It looked a little cramped for two on one side but still, she chose to sit close to Sean.
He even saw her casually resting her leg across his.
She had never shared that kind of closeness with Zac. Not once.
He kept replaying the scene in his mind like some cruel punishment, over and over again.
It wasn’t until the cigarette burned down to his fingertips, stinging his skin, that he finally snapped out of it.
He pulled out his phone and sent a message.
“I’m in. I’ll work with you.”
