He Lost Me to His Best Friend novel Chapter 289

Their eyes meet, both men wearing equally cold expressions. Julian doesn't stand up or offer Yardley a seat, so Yardley stiffly walks over to a booth on the opposite side.

He orders a bottle of high-proof whiskey from the bartender. Lately, wine isn't strong enough to drown the roaring fire in his chest. Only harsh liquor can slightly numb his crushing stress.

Yardley and Julian sit back-to-back in their separate booths. Yardley keeps his eyes downcast, downing two glasses of whiskey in quick succession.

As the clock nears 10 PM, Julian stands up, getting ready to head home. Ever since divorcing Sylvia, it has become his routine to sit here every night, get a little buzzed, and go home to sleep.

Hearing the movement behind him, Yardley finally speaks. "If I remember correctly, you're pretty close with Bill in Country A, aren't you?"

Julian pauses slightly but doesn't turn around. "No comment," he replies flatly.

Anger flares in Yardley's chest. "Sylvia told me you hang out with him abroad and play golf together. Julian, is there really a need to hide this from me?"

"Because you and I have nothing left to say to each other," Julian says coldly.

Yardley's fingers curl into a tight fist. He stands up, pulls a pack of Dunhill cigarettes from his pocket—the brand they both used to smoke all the time—and offers one to Julian.

Julian hesitates for a second before taking it. Yardley clicks his lighter, lights Julian's cigarette, and then lights his own.

The faint scent of tobacco fills the air as pale blue smoke rings drift between them. The familiar routine drags both men back to the past... back when they were inseparable friends.

"Think carefully about everything Scarlett sacrificed for you during those five years of marriage. Then think about what you actually did for her. You should be able to figure out what pushed her to this point. Maybe then you'll know what you need to do. Getting her back is impossible. But earning her forgiveness and getting her to spare you and the Flynn Group? Maybe that's still on the table. I say 'maybe'—it entirely depends on what you choose to do."

For the sake of their old brotherhood, Julian gives Yardley a lifeline. But whether Yardley can actually grasp the meaning is up to him.

As a former friend, Julian genuinely doesn't want to see Yardley keep going down this self-destructive path. Just like how, despite his absolute disgust for Sylvia, he had still shown her a baseline of decency and left her with a shred of dignity after their five-year marriage.

He has a feeling that Scarlett is fundamentally the same kind of person. She won't burn everything to the ground just for the sake of it. She only shorted the stock because Yardley forced her hand by taking Dawn. She doesn't actually want to destroy the Flynn Group; she just wants to teach them a lesson. Otherwise, she wouldn't have brought her men to the estate first—she was giving Yardley a chance to back down.

At her core, Scarlett is still kind and soft-hearted. But her kindness has edges now. When backed into a corner, those edges become a lethal weapon.