Divorced CEO's Forgotten Wife Strikes Back (Riley and Bryce) novel Chapter 207

**Dreams Refuse Gravity by Leo Arden Knox**

Despite Bryce’s insistence that his devotion to the company was fueled by a deep-seated love for her—a love that was supposedly meant to secure a better future for her—Lara knew better. Love, she thought, was an emotion that couldn’t be feigned or manufactured. It was a force that radiated authenticity, its truth unmistakable to anyone who dared to look closely.

In stark contrast, Lara found herself in a much different situation with Vince, who she had practically dragged to a nearby bar. Well, perhaps “dragged” was too strong a term; he was already well on his way to drowning his sorrows in a haze of alcohol. She felt a twinge of guilt at the thought of leaving him alone, vulnerable and lost in his own world of intoxication.

As the evening wore on and the effects of the alcohol became increasingly apparent, Lara sighed deeply, her patience wearing thin. “Alright, that’s enough,” she declared, her tone firm yet caring. “I’m calling a driver to take you home.” She had indulged in a couple of drinks herself, so the thought of getting behind the wheel was out of the question.

“Yeah… go home… I’ll call someone to pick me up,” Vince mumbled, fumbling with his phone as if it were a foreign object. “I’m drunk. I’m at the bar next to your law firm. Come get me.” His words slurred together, revealing just how far gone he really was.

With a sense of urgency, he hung up, only to reach for another drink almost immediately.

“Knock it off,” Lara warned, her voice laced with concern. “Keep going like this, and you’ll end up in a world of trouble.”

Just as she spoke, she jumped back, barely avoiding a splash of his drink that threatened to ruin her shoes. The sofa, however, was not so fortunate, nor was Vince’s suit, which bore the brunt of his reckless behavior.

Then, as if a switch had been flipped, Vince slumped sideways, his body going limp as he passed out cold. Lara stared at him in disbelief, her frustration bubbling to the surface. “Seriously?” she muttered under her breath.

To add insult to injury, he was now in a state of disarray, covered in his own mess. With a resigned sigh, she decided to take action. She dragged him over to the clean side of the sofa, unbuttoning his coat with deft fingers and shrugging it off his shoulders. His shirt was no better, so she loosened the top two buttons to give him some relief.

Just as she was about to undo the second button, the door to the private room swung open with a loud bang.

A familiar, icy voice sliced through the air like a knife. “What—have you set your sights on Vince now? Going to make a move on him the way you did on me back then?”

Lara froze in place, her heart racing as she recognized the voice.

Vince hadn’t just called anyone—he had called Shawn.

Life, it seemed, had a twisted sense of humor.

With a mix of dread and resignation, she turned to face him.

There he stood, tall and imposing, his broad shoulders encased in a tailored black suit that hugged his frame perfectly. He was strikingly handsome, the kind of man who could make any woman forget her own name in his presence.

Shawn Morris. Her ex.

A silent groan escaped her lips as she forced a smile, trying to mask her discomfort. “What a coincidence,” she replied, her voice strained.

“Yeah. Quite the coincidence,” Shawn replied, stepping inside, his tall figure filling the doorway as he regarded her with an inscrutable expression.

Lara’s tongue darted out to moisten her dry lips, a nervous habit she couldn’t shake. His features were sharp, every angle defined, and his eyes—those piercing eyes—held a depth that both intrigued and intimidated her.

And that presence—so commanding, so authoritative—made her heart race in a way she hadn’t expected.

His gaze shifted from her to the unconscious Vince sprawled on the sofa. “If I hadn’t walked in, were you planning to strip my nephew bare? After all, you pulled the same stunt with me back then, didn’t you?”

Heat surged to Lara’s cheeks, embarrassment flooding her system.

How could he even draw a parallel between the two situations?!

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