Do You Still Love Me When We Meet Again? (Aubrey and Damon) novel Chapter 226

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Chapter 226: Miles Apart

Aubrey stayed still in his warm embrace, not pushing him away. The raw sincerity in his voice made her chest tighten. “You don’t

think I’m too mean?”

“I like the fire in you,” he murmured. “It keeps things interesting.”

Aubrey slowly reached up and wrapped her arms around his waist. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, a sweet warmth spreading through her.

But for some reason, the man holding her felt… sad. His voice was low, and he clung to her as if he were afraid to let go. It gave her the strange feeling that he was drifting away, even though he was right there.

He held her like that for a long, long time. When he finally let go, he gave her head a gentle pat, his gaze soft as silk. ‘Goodnight,

Bree.”

With that, he picked up the cardboard from the floor and walked out.

Aubrey followed him.

He tossed the cardboard into the storage room and headed back to his bedroom without another word.

Aubrey packed up her files and went to bed, too.

When Garrett Miller’s case finally went to trial, Aubrey was there in the gallery.

Since her memory was a blank, she had to rely on small details to piece together the past.

Garrett Miller wasn’t being prosecuted for drugging her. Instead, the charges were bribery and obstruction of justice.

For a case this minor, the plaintiff’s side had actually brought out the big guns: Vincent Hall.

She had a feeling Damon was the one who made that happen.

As she left the courtroom, Aubrey ran into Vincent at the exit. He gave a thin smile. “Lawyer Hayes? I’m surprised to see you here. This is a pretty open–and–shut case for you to be sitting in on, isn’t it?”

Aubrey offered a polite smile of her own. “The fact that such a ‘simple‘ case required someone like you, Mr. Hall, just shows how nuch the person pulling the strings hates the defendant.”

Vincent chuckled and nodded, but didn’t say another word.

Aubrey spoke up again. “Mr. Hall, I heard Garrett Miller drugged me once. Is that true?”

‘It is.”

Then why wasn’t he charged for that, too?”

‘Lack of evidence, for one. But mostly, he wanted to protect your reputation. Even though Garrett didn’t get what he wanted, he didn’t want people whispering or making assumptions about you.”

Aubrey frowned. “He‘? Who are you talking about?”

Vincent gave a goofy grin. “Come on, Lawyer Hayes. We’ve worked together long enough. I know how sharp you are. Don’t play dumb. It’s exactly who you think it is. He didn’t want to show his face, so let’s just leave it at that.”

Aubrey pressed her lips together and nodded. She gave a faint, calm smile.

Right. He always kept a low profile.

As a top–tier aerospace researcher, he never went looking for trouble. But he wasn’t the type to just take a hit, either. When it came to taking care of business or dealing with the people who crossed him, he never hesitated.

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Yet, his public image remained that of a refined, polished gentleman.

First Caleb Taylor, now Garrett Miller.

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Every man who’d tried to pull something with her was already rotting in prison. Honestly, that was the best–case scenario for

hem.

After saying goodbye to Vincent, Aubrey made time to meet Lily Moore,

She had already drafted the civil complaint for Ryan. Before officially filing it with the court, she wanted to see if they could settle

his out of court.

The cafe was quiet.

Aubrey and Lily sat across from each other, both with a cup of hot coffee in front of them.

Aubrey placed a thick folder of evidence on the table and pushed it toward Lily. It was packed with chat logs from the Grid, bank tatements, Zelle screenshots, and a stack of shopping receipts.

ily Moore barely glanced at the thick stack of documents. Her eyes flashed with contempt. She didn’t even bother flipping hrough them, instead choosing to take a slow, dismissive sip of her coffee.

Aubrey Hayes spoke up, her voice steady. “Lily, this is an open–and–shut case. We’re going to win, a hundred percent. There’s no eed to drag this into a courtroom and make an embarrassing scene. You’re the one at fault here. Just give my client his money ack, and we can end this right now.”

He says I cheated?” Lily scoffed. “Where’s his proof?

actually have it right here.” Aubrey tapped her phone screen, lighting it up. “Want me to hit play?”

ily’s face dropped. She stared at the phone, her entire body tensing up.

Aubrey remained perfectly composed. “If we settle this now, I won’t have to play this in open court for everyone to watch.

ily was stunned. “Where… where did you get that?”

The security cameras in your house. Did you forget what Ryan does for a living? Setting up a hidden camera you’d never find is hild’s play for a guy like him.”

ily’s fists clenched tight, her knuckles turning bone–white. Her gaze turned sharp and hateful, her jaw locking as she ground her

eeth in silence.

Aubrey tapped her finger on the stack of evidence. “I’ve done the math. Minus the basic daily expenses, Ryan spent a total of 825,000 on you. He’s only asking for $700,000 back. You can keep the rest for your daughter’s medical bills.”

ily’s expression soured. “Why didn’t he come to see me himself?”

Oh, come on. Why do you think?” Aubrey scoffed. “He’s repulsed. He was played for a fool. He divorced his wife for you, thinking le was marrying his ‘innocent‘ first love to make up for the past. He had no idea you were cheating on him every chance you got. While he was away at the base, you brought three different clients back to your new home. Three big contracts, three different ;uys in his bed. I guess that’s how you hit your sales targets–by sleeping with every man who signs a check?”

Lily’s face turned a sickly shade of gray, then flushed red. She didn’t even try to deny it. She just stared into her coffee, silent. After a long moment, she looked up at Aubrey. “Ryan betrayed your best friend. Why are you even helping him?” Aubrey shrugged. “Ryan could have hired any lawyer and won this case. He came to me to put money in my pocket, so why wouldn’t I take it? I’m not a child. I’m not going to pass up a paycheck just because of some friendship. Once I get the money back, I’ll make sure he pays Buddy’s child support for the next eighteen years in one lump sum.”

“I don’t have any money anyway. It’s all gone,” Lily said, leaning back with the classic look of a deadbeat. “Even if you win the lawsuit, I still can’t pay you back.

“When you got divorced, your ex gave you that apartment back in your hometown. It’s a bit old, but it’s still worth about $500,000

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to $600,000. We can auction that off, along with your jewelry and those designer bags your ‘clients‘ gave you. Adding it all up, it should be enough.”

Lily snapped. She slammed her hands on the table and stood up, glaring at Aubrey. “Sell my apartment? Where are my autistic daughter and I supposed to live? You’re heartless! Aren’t you afraid of God’s judgment?”

Aubrey took a calm sip of her coffee, completely unfazed. “If we’re talking about being heartless, I’ve got nothing on you. I’m a lawyer. I don’t believe in spirits, and I don’t believe in God. I only believe in the law and myself. So no, I’m not worried about judgment.”

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No wonder Ryan says you’ve turned into a cold–hearted bitch since you lost your memory,” Lily sneered, spitting the words out hrough gritted teeth. “He says you and Damon won’t last. It’s only a matter of time before you break up because you’re simply not n his league. He thinks Serena Shaw is a much better fit for him. Family background, education, talent, even their values–Serena wins on every level. She’s the one who actually belongs with him, not you.”

< Chapter 227….

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