Lady Warrior's Warth on Divorce Day novel Chapter 153

Chapter 153

Zoya suddenly felt like prey caught in the sight of a predator.

“Huh?” Wren trailed off with a slight upward inflection, clearly expecting an answer.

She gently pushed him aside and set her cup down on the coffee table.

“Come on, we’ve barely started dating. Isn’t it way too soon to talk about marriage?” Zoya protested.

But in the next instant, Wren wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. His face was inches from hers as he murmured, “You’ve never thought about marrying me?”

His voice took on an edge of aggressiveness, and those usually cool, clear eyes now shimmered with a seductive charm, like a predator flaunting its beauty during mating season.

Zoya couldn’t help swallowing the saliva that suddenly welled up in her throat.

Right now, Wren was alluring yet perilous.

She caught the mix of longing and tenderness in his eyes.

But marriage? The time between their first meeting and dating had been too short, and she hadn’t even fully gotten to know him yet.

“I’ve already been througAs Daphne scrolled through the photo album, her pupils flashed with sudden excitement when one particular picture caught her eye. She gave the three photos of Oscar another look, and a sly, triumphant smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

‘Looks like fate hasn’t closed all my doors after all, she thought to herself.

*****

Nicolas finally managed to calm Jasmine down and sent her home first. Then he drove his mother and sister back to the villa.

Ever since his divorce from Zoya, his mother and sister had also moved from their previous home to the villa.

“Jasmine is so unreliable! I thought she was a female airline captain and would’ve been a daughter–in–law to brag about in the village. But now, she’s been fired, and even her ‘standing by while someone died‘ made headlines!

“If the folks back home find out I’ve got such a daughter–in–law, they’ll be pointing fingers at me left and right!” Anica seethed.

If this were just Zoya’s empty talk and no one else knew about it, then there’d be no consequences.

But now, Anica had seen it make headlines, and on their way home, Violette dug up a video on the internet of Jasmine’s kidnapping.

In the footage, Jasmine admitted she saw her coworker go up in flames, and there was a fire extinguisher right there, but she panicked and ran off.

The comments section below the video was filled with people piling on and slamming her.

Violette read out some comments at random for Anica to hear, and Anica nearly had a heart attack from

them.

Those people online were downright toxic, Anica thought. ‘If Jasmine ever married into our family, we’d be the ones getting roasted nonstop. I’ll never be able to hold my head high in the village again.

“Nicolas, let me make this crystal clear. I will not allow Jasmine to set foot in the Mayer family. If you dare marry her, I swear I’ll end my own life right in front of you!” Anica snapped, her voice shaking with rage.

“Mom!” Nicolas massaged his temples, exasperated. “Back then, Jasmine was just terrified. That was why she walked away, It wasn’t deliberate. Just because Cloud Airlines fired her, you think I should dump her? What will people think of me?”

“What’s there to worry about? She was the one at fault. If you break up with her, no one’s going to blame you,” Anica said firmly.

Violette added, “Nicolas, do what Mom says. Jasmine’s got such a bad reputation now. If you really marry her, everyone in town will be staring and whispering behind our backs every time we go out!”

“But you two used to support me being with her,” Nicolas argued. “Mom, Violette, this is just a setback for Jasmine. She’ll get back on top someday. Besides, she’s the one who saved my life. I can’t walk away from her now, not when she’s at rock bottom.”

“So you really want to see me drop dead out of anger?” Anica cried out, making a scene and nearly bursting

into tears.

Nicolas sighed helplessly.

Violette chimed in, “Nicolas, sure, Jasmine once saved you, but you’ve already given her tons of jewelry. Isn’t that enough for payback?”

She couldn’t help but remember that dramatic moment at Nicolas and Zoya’s divorce press conference, when Zoya had flaunted the receipt for 15 million dollars‘ worth of jewelry. Just thinking about all those jewels had Violette practically green with envy.

‘Nicolas never gave me this much jewelry,‘ Violette grumbled to herself.

Nicola tried to argue, “But-” Right then, his phone went off. He answered it, his expression darkening instantly. Turning to his mom and sister, he said, “Emergency at the office. I’ve got to rush back now.”

With that, he hurriedly left. The call was from the company. They informed him that due to Jasmine’s incident, the company’s stock prices had plummeted again.

After all, he had publicly acknowledged being with Jasmine. Now that she was involved in this incident, both he and the company were inevitably dragged into the mess.

By the time Nicolas wrapped up handling the PR mess at the office and made it over to Jasmine’s place, night had already fallen.

“Nicolas!” Jasmine immediately rushed into his arms the second she saw him. “I thought you weren’t coming!”

“How could I not?” Nicolas said gently.

“I never expected things to turn out this way!” Jasmine protested bitterly, “Even if I didn’t save my colleague back then, I still contributed during the fire.

“How dare they strip me of my title of the Firefighting Hero like it’s nothing? And Cloud Airlines didn’t even give me proper notice before firing me! I’ll make them see that I won’t admit defeat so easily!”

She then turned to Nicolas, her eyes blazing with determination. “Nicolas, do you believe I’ll rise again? One day, those who scorn me and cast me aside will have to look up to me. They won’t even deserve a chance to talk to me!”

Nicolas forced a smile. “Yeah, I believe in you.”

Jasmine let out a sigh of relief. “How are your mom and Violette holding up? What they did to me at the mall today was really out of line, but I’m willing to let it go. Once this whole mess dies down, can we finally get engaged?

“We’ve already wasted so much time. I can’t stand letting it slip away any longer.”

Nicolas hesitated, his expression troubled. “Can we talk about our engagement some other time?”

Jasmine’s heart tightened, her expression suddenly cold. “So you’re regretting it, aren’t you?” she asked.

“No. It’s just…” Nicolas hesitated, struggling for words. “Because of what happened to you today, Mayer Technology’s stock plummeted, and my mom and Violette just can’t bring themselves to accept all this. So…”

“So you

want to break up with me?” Jasmine pulled away from his embrace, her glare icy. “I thought you were better than the rest, but I guess I was wrong. Fine, let’s break up. Just pretend I never saved you that year!”

“No, that’s not what I meant!” Nicolas hurriedly explained. “Jasmine, I could never forget that you saved my life. But can we wait until the company stabilizes and your current controversy passes before we set a date? By then, I’ll convince my parents too!”

“Really?” Jasmine looked up at the man before her.

“Yes. I swear,” Nicolas replied. “If I ever let you down, may lightning strike me and may fate deny me everything I ever wish for!”

Only then did Jasmine finally smile with satisfaction, snuggling into his chest. “Don’t you dare forget your promise, Nicolas. I don’t care how the rest of the world treats me, but you… You must never betray me!”

Nicolas pressed his lips together, holding Jasmine tight. ‘I really can’t ever betray her,’ he swore to himself.

Honestly, the only reason he’d ever really treated Jasmine so well was because he felt he owed her for saving his life.

But now, for some unknown reason, this sense of obligation felt like a mountain pressing down on him, crushing him under its weight, making it hard to breathe.

*****

Zoya was temporarily staying at Wren’s apartment, even though he’d tried persuading her to move into the Richmond Mansion instead.

But in Zoya’s eyes, since they weren’t even married yet, living in the Richmond Mansion just wasn’t proper.

“So, when exactly are you planning to marry me?” Wren asked.

Zoya almost choked on her coffee. “Marry you?”

“Or is this just a fling for you? Planning to ditch me when you get bored?” Wren leaned in close, bracing his hands on either side of the sofa, boxing her in, a wild, suffocating presence radiating off him.

h one divorce, so I want to be a lot more careful the second time around,” Zoya said gently. “Wren, I do like you, but I honestly don’t know if my feelings are deep enough for marriage yet.

“Let’s spend more time together, really get to know each other first. It’s never too late to talk about getting married when we’re truly ready.”

As she spoke, something seemed to cross her mind. She reached up, gently brushed her fingers across his cheek, and said, “Maybe after some time, you’ll see I’m really not that great. Maybe you’ll end up wanting to break-”

But before she could finish, Wren sealed her lips with his in a sudden kiss.

His kiss stole every word she was about to say.

After a long, lingering moment, Wren finally reluctantly pulled away from her lips, his voice hoarse as he murmured, “Don’t talk about breaking up. I won’t bring it up, and you can’t either. I’ll make you fall for me even more, and we will definitely get married!”

His gaze seemed to be veiled in a soft mist.

Whenever Wren acted like this, Zoya’s heart couldn’t help but melt.

This time, Zoya was the one who closed the distance and kissed Wren back. “I think I’ll end up falling for you even more,” she whispered.

At least one thing was clear to her. She liked him more and more, and her feelings now ran deeper than when they’d just gotten together.

Wren lowered his eyes, his gaze quietly sweeping across Zoya’s abdomen.

‘She still hadn’t given her word that we’d get married for sure, he thought to himself. ‘Is it because her feelings. for me aren’t deep enough yet? What would it really take to keep her by my side forever?

‘If she had my child, would she finally be willing to stay with me? Just like back then, when Dad used me as a way to trap Mom and stop her from leaving…

Just as this thought flashed through his mind, Wren shuddered and froze stiffly in place.

“What’s wrong?” Zoya asked. She had instantly sensed the shift in him during their kiss.

“N–Nothing…” he said.

Zoya looked at his pale face and said, “Wren, I’ve told you before, I don’t want any secrets between us. I want a relationship built on trust.”

Wren fell silent for a moment before saying bitterly, “I just don’t want to become a man like my father. I’m afraid one day you’ll leave me as decisively as my mother left him.”

“What the hell was going on with me just now?‘ Wren thought, reeling. ‘I actually considered trapping her with a child, just the way Dad did.

That was the one thing he’d always despised most about his father.

But for one fleeting moment, he’d almost wanted to do the same thing.

Even Wren himself wanted to spit on himself.

Zoya cupped Wren’s face gently, her tone steady yet warm. “Trust me, you’ll never be like your father. And I’m nothing like your mother. I promise, I’d never give up on myself.”

Wren stared blankly at Zoya for a long moment, then the faintest smile tugged at his lips. “Yeah… You’re not like my mother at all. You’re so much stronger than she ever was.”

Zoya exuded vitality. Even in adversity, she would fight to survive rather than seek escape through ending her

life.

“My mother disliked my father. She even detested him, but you like me, don’t you? You might even fall in love with me, right?” He looked up, as if seeking reassurance.

“Yes, I like you. And… I promise you, I’ll fall in love with you,” Zoya said softly.

‘Maybe I already have, she admitted to herself.

Wren wrapped Zoya in his arms, burying his face in the warm hollow of her neck and breathing her in.

No matter how much she unsettled him, she always managed to put his heart at ease with that special way of

hers.

And he, too, was becoming increasingly unable to live without her.

*****

The next day, Jasmine headed to Cloud Airlines, hoping to convince the higher–ups and salvage the situation.

Yet those executives who had always treated her with warmth now looked at her as if she were something utterly repulsive.

One of the managers didn’t even bother to hide his contempt. “Firing you is us already doing you a favor. Do you have any idea how much your actions have dragged down Cloud Airlines‘ reputation?”

“But I didn’t save others only because I prioritized my own safety. What’s wrong with that?” Jasmine blurted

out.

“If all you care about is protecting yourself when disaster strikes, how can passengers ever trust you with their lives?” the manager sneered.

After

pause, he added, “Moreover, if it weren’t for the fact that you were awarded the title of Firefighting Hero five years ago, do you really think you could have become a first officer so quickly based on your skills alone?”

“What?” Jasmine was stunned.

“Your flying’s nothing special, and you’re hardly outstanding in any other way. Cloud Airlines only kept you because you were a hero in the headlines. Now? We don’t need you at all,” the manager spat out.

A look of humiliation instantly flooded Jasmine’s face.

She had once been brimming with confidence, proud to be Cloud Airlines‘ first female first officer, though not yet a captain, and considered herself the most outstanding among all female pilots at the airline.

But according to the manager’s words just now, she was nothing special.

‘Impossible! There’s no way I’ll accept that!‘ Jasmine fumed inwardly.

When Jasmine stepped out of the manager’s office, she couldn’t escape the whispers trailing behind her. Her former coworkers were all staring, their eyes dripping with scorn and ridicule.

Jasmine clenched her fists tightly. ‘One day, I’ll make them all look at me with admiration and envy,

Just then, her phone rang. The moment she saw who was calling, her expression shifted instantly.

*****

Eowyn had arranged to meet Harvey at a café.

She barely sat down before she asked, “Why’d you get Leon to come pick you up after you got drunk the other night?”

“What? I’m not allowed to have him pick me up?” Harvey replied lazily.

“You know exactly what happened between me and him before. Didn’t it ever cross your mind that it would be awkward for me when you asked him to pick you up?” Eowyn snapped, her irritation barely contained.

“I figured you were shameless enough not to feel awkward,” Harvey retorted.

Eowyn rolled her eyes as she complained inwardly, ‘Seriously, what kind of nonsense is this?‘ She then changed the subject, “Oh, by the way, did Leon say anything to you after he picked you up?”

Harvey raised an eyebrow. “What was he supposed to say?”

“Nothing!” Eowyn flashed an insincere smile. ‘Better that way,’ she thought to herself.

Just then, Eowyn caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye that Jasmine was across the street, ducking into a motel with some guy, both trying hard not to be recognized.

What the hell is going on?‘ A skeptical squint creased Eowyn’s eyes. ‘Jasmine is clearly trying to hide. She doesn’t want anyone to recognize her. And who’s that guy? Why would Jasmine be sneaking into a motel with

him?‘

With that thought, Eowyn yanked Harvey to his feet. “Come with me, right now!”

“Where are we going?” Harvey asked, totally lost.

That motel across the street,” Eowyn replied.