Her Divorce, His Downfall (Sophia and Damian) novel Chapter 161

Chapter 161 A Little Show by the Lake

The night was soft and hazy. A cool breeze swept across Sophia’s striking face.

She suddenly turned and leaned against Julian, gesturing animatedly, her eyes bright with excitement.

She was going on and on about the Aurora Tech project data on her phone.

“Julian, you have no idea. I’ve had my eye on Aurora Tech for ages. If all that craziness hadn’t happened the past few months, I would’ve locked them down already.

“The founder is Vincent Carlisle. MIT doctorate, specializing in AI. He came back from the States last year to start the company. I’ve been worried sick that some other firms would swoop in with funding, but so far, no one’s gotten to them yet.”

R

The more she talked, the more animated she became. Her voice practically bounced with excitement.

“I told Arthur to jump on this right away. The AI space in the U.S. is booming right now. Once this project takes off, it’s gonna print money.

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< Chapter 161 A Little Show by the Lake

“And when it does, I’m giving Arthur twenty percent of Zenith Corporation shares. He’s been killing himself running the company for me while handling the Moore Group’s New York office on the side. Poor guy’s been stretched way too thin.”

She rambled on about Zenith Corporation’s various internal affairs, her body pressed close against Julian’s.

The warmth of her skin radiated through his shirt. She didn’t even notice. Her mind was still buzzing over the Aurora Tech opportunity.

Julian’s gaze had been fixed on her face the entire time, never once drifting.

He leaned back against the bench, one hand propped on the armrest with his fingers slightly curled. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Damian standing beneath a tree not far behind them.

Under the thick blanket of darkness, Damian stood rigid as a

statue.

Even from this distance, Julian could feel the violent energy radiating off him, barely contained.

Julian knew exactly what was going through Damian’s mind right now.

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Damian was the nephew he’d raised with his own hands, as close as blood could get.

As long as Damian stopped going after Sophia, Julian had no intention of destroying him.

Last time in the study, he’d pulled a few strings and let Bruce do the punishing. But deep down, he didn’t actually want Damian dead.

As long as Damian gave up on Sophia, he would still be Julian’s most beloved nephew.

An open rift between uncle and nephew over a woman was the last thing Julian wanted to see.

Sophia had been talking for a while, her mouth nearly dry, before she realized Julian hadn’t made a single sound. Not even a polite “mm–hmm.”

Her breath hitched. An inexplicable wave of frustration rose in her chest, tangled with a sting of hurt she couldn’t explain.

She tilted her head to look at him and found him staring right back. But his eyes were dark and unreadable,

Julian was probably sick of her rambling. He’d had enough.

Well, that tracked. Who on earth would want to sit thee 11:34

listening to someone go on about project data and equity splits?

She’d been so caught up in the thrill of discovering a promising project that she’d just blurted everything out to the person she respected and trusted most, completely forgetting to read the

room.

Under the moonlight, Sophia’s cheeks flushed pink, the rims of her eyes tinged red, as if he’d somehow wronged her.

She lifted her gaze and looked straight at him, her eyes burning bright.

Julian’s lashes trembled. Under that earnest, open stare, he felt his defenses crumbling.

The love swelling inside him was becoming impossible to contain. He quickly turned away, not daring to look at her

anymore.

Just as she’d feared. He really did find her annoying.

Sophia’s heart sank. Bitterness flooded through her, and she stood up abruptly.

“Julian, I’m sorry. I wasted your time making you sit through all that boring rambling. I’ll get going.”

“Sophia…” Julian grabbed her wrist immediately, griping it 194

tight he wouldn’t let go.

A flicker of panic crossed his eyes. His voice came out rough and strained. “I didn’t think you were boring. Not even for a second.”

Sophia couldn’t break free, so she gave in and sat back down. She leaned close to his ear, her voice carrying a hint of wounded pride. “Then why were you ignoring me?”

Her soft fragrance hit him without warning. Julian felt his face go hot, his heart hammering like a teenage boy falling in love for the first time.

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