How to Train Your Ex-Billionaire novel Chapter 4

Their mother was practically tearing her hair out, constantly nagging him about it. But with him being abroad, her reach was limited.

Normally, Yvan would have responded with a scoff or an eye-roll.-

But today, he was different.

Yvan said nothing, simply staring off into the distance with an unfocused gaze.

Yetta waved a hand in front of his face. “Hello? What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing.” Yvan lowered his eyes and suddenly pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, placing one between his lips.

“Hey, you can’t smoke in here!” Yetta’s brows shot up. “I hate the smell!”

Yvan reluctantly removed the cigarette. “Just drop me at the next corner. My hotel is right there.”

He had flown in late last night and couldn’t be bothered to go back to the Brown family estate, so he had grabbed a room at a nearby hotel and crashed until his toothache woke him.

“You’re not coming home?” Yetta asked, surprised. “Mom and Dad planned a welcome-home dinner for you tonight.”

“I’ll head over later,” Yvan said, pressing his cheek. “Tell them not to go to any trouble. I can’t eat much like this anyway.”

“Good point. I’ll tell Mom to make you some soup instead,” Yetta said, pulling the car over.

Yvan got out and went back to his hotel with the medication.

He took the pills with a glass of water, then opened his wallet and pulled out a worn, dated photograph.

It was a picture of him and Winifred, taken during the summer vacation after their sophomore year when he had taken her to the beach.

That was the night they first slept together.

After the summer break, they went their separate ways. Not long after, Winifred broke up with him.

Even after all these years, the breakup was still vivid in his memory.

That day, he had called Winifred’s phone, just like any other day. Lately, she had been dodging his calls, saying she was busy, and even when she did answer, she was quiet. But she had always been quiet, so Yvan hadn’t thought much of it.

“Yvan, let’s break up.”

They had barely exchanged a few words when Winifred dropped the bombshell.

Only after his company was stable and went public did he finally return to Zion.

He thought back on those seven years. She really had never reappeared in his life, never contacted him, not even a single text message.

She was truly ruthless. When she said it was over, it was over. When she said no contact, she meant it.

“...Ever since we graduated, none of us have seen or heard from her. It’s like she vanished into thin air.”

Ron’s words echoed in his head.

Yvan had thought she had only disappeared from his world, but it turned out she had cut off contact with her classmates too.

What had happened to her? Why was she unreachable?

Yvan stared at the photo of Winifred, lost in thought.

His tooth still ached. Agitated, he pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

He had secretly learned to smoke in high school, but back then it was just for fun, a form of rebellion. He couldn’t remember when it became a real habit. Maybe it was the stress of being abroad, or maybe it was the loneliness.