His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex Wife novel Chapter 394

Chapter 394 Different Worlds

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She had only agreed to set up the meeting—she never signed up to blackmail anyone. And making things difficult for Brandon would only end up hurting her best friend, right?

She’d rather get fired than betray her closest friend or put her in an impossible position.

When Griffin realized Zoe wasn’t going along with his plan, he put on a wide, almost theatrical smile. “Mr. Whitmore,” he said, turning the pressure her way, “what if Zoe here personally begged you?”

Zoe was stunned. She couldn’t believe her boss was throwing her under the bus like that. She stared at him, completely lost for words.

Brandon’s eyes shifted to Zoe.

His gaze alone made her scalp prickle. Trapped in the middle, she managed only an awkward, strained smile.

“Are you begging me?” Brandon asked, his tone level.

Zoe’s smile tightened. With Griffin watching her like a hawk, she didn’t dare shake her head- but she couldn’t bring herself to say yes, either. Instead, she deflected, “Can you even make that call?”

“I can.”

“Would you really bend your principles because of me?”

“No.” His reply was firm, leaving no room for doubt.

Zoe drew a slow breath and frowned slightly.

If you weren’t going to budge anyway, why even ask me?

Then it hit her–Brandon was actually giving her an out. She turned quickly to Griffin and spread her hands helplessly. “You see, Mr. Sterling? Mr. Whitmore won’t compromise his principles for me. Please don’t put me in this position.”

Griffin’s expression darkened instantly. He snatched up his water glass, took a stiff sip, and barked toward the door, “Check, please!”

Just then, Brandon’s assistant stood up smoothly. “Mr. Sterling, the bill was already taken care of from Mr. Whitmore’s account. Since you’re finished, you’re free to leave whenever you’d

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Chapter 394 Different Worlds

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Fuming, Griffin pushed back his chair, shot a sharp look toward Brandon, and stormed out of the private dining room.

Zoe let out a soft, relieved breath.

She turned to the assistant. “There’s still so much food left–let’s get it boxed up.”

The assistant nodded, smiling lightly, and glanced at Brandon for approval. “Mr. Whitmore, mind if we take the leftovers?”

“Go ahead,” Brandon said with a casual wave.

The assistant signaled the server for takeout containers, and she and Zoe began packing up the uneaten dishes.

On the sidewalk outside the restaurant, Brandon fell into step beside Zoe. “Let me give you a ride,” he offered, his voice gentle.

“No, thank you. I’ll just take the subway.”

“I thought you were trying to save money. My car costs you nothing.”

Zoe took another deep breath, her eyes following the stream of traffic for a long moment before she finally turned to face him. “Mr. Whitmore,” she said, her tone weary but resolved, “I’m going to say this one last time. You and I live in completely different worlds. I’m the kind of person who rides the subway to cut costs, who accepts freebies from the boss, who takes home restaurant leftovers. That’s not your world. We come from different places–different

realities.”

“I don’t believe in ‘different worlds‘. And there’s nothing wrong with taking the subway or packing up leftovers.”

Zoe shook her head softly. “That’s because you’re decent and kind–hearted.”

Brandon slid his hands into his pockets, exhaled deeply, and looked down at the pavement for a few seconds before meeting her eyes again. “If money’s tight, you could come work at Aurelium Group.”

A bitter smile touched Zoe’s lips. “Mr. Whitmore, no matter where I work, my salary will be in the same range for my skill set. It won’t change much. If you pull strings for me because of who you are, what will my coworkers think? What will it say about your company? Favoritism just leads to resentment–people get sidelined, talked about, pushed out.”

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