Marry Ex's Billionaire Uncle After Divorce (Aurora and Jasper) novel Chapter 133

Chapter 97 Candid Shot

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Chapter 97: Candid Shot

(Aurora’s POV)

“You’ve been walking,” he said. “I’ve been walking in the same direction.”

“That’s a very diplomatic way to describe it.”

“You’ve been avoiding me for two weeks,” he said. His voice didn’t change. “I think I’ve been fairly patient about it.”

I didn’t deny it. There wasn’t much point.

“I needed some space,” I said.

“You’ve had it.” He glanced at me sideways. “Have dinner with me.”

It wasn’t really a question. It had the shape of one, but not the weight.

I thought about saying no. I ran through the available excuses – work, tiredness, an early morning – and found that none of them felt convincing enough to say out loud. Not to him. He would see straight through every single one.

“Fine,” I said.

He didn’t look surprised. He just nodded, and we walked out together.

The restaurant was a short drive away – a quiet place, private room, the kind of setting that required advance planning. He’d booked it ahead of time. Of course he had.

The table was already set when we arrived, and the first course came out almost immediately: seared salmon with a lemon caper sauce, a small dish of truffle pasta on the side, a glass of white wine already poured. I looked at the spread and then looked at him.

“You ordered ahead.”

“I know what you like.”

I picked up my fork. “That’s slightly unsettling.”

“It’s efficient.”

The salmon was perfect. I didn’t say so out loud, but I suspected he already knew.

We ate in relative quiet for a few minutes. Then Phineas set down his glass and said, “The divorce decree. I have some acquaintance with the judge handling the case. I can make an

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Chapter 97: Candid Shot

inquiry about the timeline.”

I set down my fork. “I don’t want you interfering with the process.”

“I said inquiry. Not interference.”

“There’s not always a clear line between the two.”

He looked at me steadily. “I’m asking about a timeline. That’s it. Nothing more.”

I held his gaze for a moment, then picked up my fork again. “Fine. But just the timeline.”

“Just the timeline.” He reached for his wine. “Once the decree comes through, we should move forward with the registration.”

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The word *registration* landed with a particular kind of weight. I kept my eyes on my plate.

“Aurora.”

I looked up.

He leaned back in his chair, unhurried, and began to speak in the same even tone he used for

everything.

“I’m going to be straightforward with you. Financially, you will have no concerns – none, not now, not later. I don’t make public spectacles of my private life. I don’t have a complicated history. No ongoing entanglements, no situations that will come back around and embarrass either of us.” He paused. “Whatever you may have heard about me, I am not difficult to live with. And I will not pressure you into anything you’re not ready for.”

I listened to all of it. He laid it out like a business case – calm, methodical, each point placed

with precision.

“You make it sound like a contract,” I said.

“In some ways it is. But contracts can be fair.”

I was quiet for a moment. The wine was good. I took a small sip.

“Why me?” I asked. “Specifically. You could have your pick of anyone.”

He paused. Just briefly – a half-second hesitation that I might have missed if I hadn’t been watching for it.

“Because you’re beautiful,” he said.

I stared at him.

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< Chapter 97: Candid Shot

Of all the things I’d expected him to say something strategic, something measured,

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something that fit neatly into the logic he’d been building – I had not expected that. It was so simple it almost didn’t make sense coming from him.

Something moved in my chest. I pressed it down immediately.

“That’s not a reason,” I said. My voice came out steadier than I felt.

“It’s honest.”

“Honesty and reason aren’t the same thing.”

He looked at me, and there was something in his expression I couldn’t quite read – not amusement, not impatience, something quieter than either.

I set down my glass.

“I need time,” I said. “I’ve been through one marriage that I went into without thinking clearly enough. I’m not doing that again. So I need to actually think about this.”

He nodded. “Then think about it.”

No argument. No push. Just that.

I wasn’t sure whether it made things easier or harder.

(Serena’s POV)

I almost walked straight past them.

I’d come to the gallery on my own – I’d seen the listing online and thought it might be interesting, something to do on a Saturday afternoon. I was crossing the main atrium when I spotted the familiar set of shoulders ahead of me.

Uncle Phineas. Unmistakable.

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