Divorce and Freedom No More Homemaker for Him novel Chapter 234

Chapter 234 Three Years Ago

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Finished

With Troy, Ayla could lose it. She could snap, get mean, and show every side of herself without holding back.

But she would never do that with Draven. With him, she was like a machine–polished, neutral, proper.

That quick kiss on his cheek earlier was already wildly out of character for her. It only happened because she was trying to prove she wasn’t going back to Troy, and he still didn’t believe her. She’d been pushed into it.

Of course, Ayla could feel Draven’s kindness, but she didn’t feel anything for him–no curiosity, no interest.

The problem was, she’d promised to repay a favor. And now that he’d said what he did, refusing immediately would seem rude. Still, her mind was spinning with questions, so she decided to test him a little.

“Mr. Storm, are you serious?” Ayla asked lightly. She was clearly prepared to shrug off whatever he said next with a joke and laugh her way out of it.

Draven had been watching her closely.

All he saw in her eyes was surprise–nothing else. Her cool, calm gaze didn’t flicker.

Maybe she really was that composed. But when he caught her with Troy, her emotions clung to Troy, even if she acted like she didn’t care.

She said she’d never go back. But to Draven, it didn’t seem convincing.

He didn’t know if Troy, who’d been competing with him since they were kids, felt jealous. But he knew he was jealous of Troy.

Back then, he’d envied Troy for having a family. But he’d long stopped caring.

He never imagined that, nearing 30, jealousy would return with such force. It was violent and overwhelming, like a storm breaking over his quiet life.

Since he was little, Draven had been confused about so much–like why he had no parents, no proper family, when everyone else did.

Or why his little brother had glared at him with pure hate the first time they met. Troy had smashed a gift Draven had made, called him a bastard, and said he didn’t deserve to be his brother.

Draven understood it all later.

But back then, he was just a kid. Kids had endless questions about the world. He didn’t know who to ask, so he could only endure it.

Maybe enduring became a habit. Over time, it shaped him into someone who barely cared about anything.

All his life, everything in work and in daily living had just gone with the flow. Other people thought he was successful, but there wasn’t anything he desperately wanted.

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18:43 Thu, Jan 8

Chapter 234 Three Years Ago

He’d never been certain about anything.

Deep down, he didn’t know what he wanted.

Wanting something meant desire, and that mattered.

But fame and fortune felt meaningless to him, and he had never met anyone he genuinely liked.

Finished

So, Draven had always seen himself as dull. His life wasn’t like James‘–surrounded by friends, wild nights, and endless indulgence. And work? He worked hard for goals he didn’t even know the purpose of.

Then, three years ago, he was at the beach for a business trip that doubled as a vacation. He happened to notice Ayla lingering there.

At first, he didn’t think much of it. But after seeing her a few more times, he started wondering what she’d been through. She looked fragile, sad.

That was when he started paying attention to her.

One time, he was late and expected Ayla to be there as usual. She wasn’t. He searched and found she’d fallen into the sea.

Draven jumped in immediately, but Troy had already saved her.

Back then, he didn’t know her name, but he felt like he’d missed something important.

After that, Ayla never showed up again.

Not long after, he heard Troy was getting married. They met again at the wedding.

Her name was Ayla. She was Troy’s bride.

Storm Group was planning to expand globally. Draven hadn’t set a date to leave, but he chose that day to go abroad.

Three years passed. He never expected her to get divorced or to end up as his secretary.

After returning, Draven did give Ayla a bit more attention, but only because of that tiny coincidence three years ago. It had nothing to do with liking her.

At least that was what he believed.

Even though he didn’t know what liking someone felt like, every time he saw the ocean, he thought of Ayla. He still remembered the first day he saw her again and clenched his fist at his side.

Maybe he never actually forgot,

It was strange and abnormal.

But with no experience, Draven treated those abnormal reactions as normal.

It was the same as always. Life always pushed him along, and he went.

With Ayla, it was the same. If he wanted to notice her, then he just did.

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18:43 Thu, Jan 8

Divorce and Freedom: No More Homemaker for Him