Sham Marriage Quit Real Heiress Strikes Back novel Chapter 234

Chapter 234 A Night Out

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By the time Elena and Chloe arrived at Haze Lounge, the dinner crowd had already come and gone, and the place was settling into its usual late–night rhythm, low lighting, music humming in the background, and hummning in the background, and groups of people scattered around with drinks in hand.

They hadn’t come for anything fancy, just somewhere to sit, talk, and unwind, so they skipped calling the boss, Kieran Morgan and grabbed an open table instead.

Still, they didn’t go unnoticed.

One of the servers recognized them right away, and within minutes, Kieran made his way over.

“Elena, Chloe, look who finally decided to show up,” Kieran said, flashing an easy grin.

He was about the same age as Gideon, but the two couldn’t look more different. Where Gideon always came across as composed and polished, Kieran leaned fully into a casual, almost rebellious style, oversized black tee, a lightweight jacket thrown over it, ripped jeans, and bleached blond hair that made him look like he had just walked out of college rather than running the place.

But for all that, he had always been reliable.

Back in college, whenever Elena ran into trouble and Gideon wasn’t around, it was Kieran who stepped in and handled things without making a big deal out of it.

“Kieran,” Elena greeted, giving him a small smile.

Kieran let out a pleased “there we go,” then glanced down at their table, immediately noticing the single cocktail and the glass of juice.

“That’s it? Come on, that barely counts,” he said. “Order whatever you want tonight, it’s on me.”

“Elena doesn’t drink,” Chloe cut in coolly, not even looking at him.

Kieran raised a brow, clearly amused. “Wow, not even a hello?”

“Didn’t realize I owed you one,” Chloe shot back without hesitation.

Elena fell silent for a second.

Yeah… still not over that.

The tension between those two had history.

Chloe had once brought her roommates here to hang out, and one of them had gotten a crush on Kieran and chased him relentlessly. When that went nowhere, things somehow turned messy, and Chloe ended up being dragged into it and iced out by her own roommate for a long time.

Later, when Chloe confronted her, the girl claimed Kieran had told her he liked Chloe.

Chloe never

believed that for a second.

He just used me to get her off his back.

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Chapter 234 A Night Out

Ever since then, she had no patience for him whatsoever.

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“Still sharp as ever,” Kieran said with a chuckle, completely unfazed. “Alright, no alcohol then. Juice, snacks, whatever you want, I’ve got you. I’ll send something over, you two just relax.”

He didn’t linger and headed back toward the bar.

Before long, a server returned with a fruit platter, a selection of desserts, and a pitcher of freshly squeezed orange juice.

Elena poured herself a glass, then glanced at Chloe. “So… are you ever planning to call a truce with him?”

Chloe took a sip of her cocktail and shook her head immediately. “Don’t even start. If he hadn’t dragged me into his mess, I wouldn’t have been stuck dealing with that whole roommate situation for months. If he didn’t like her, he should’ve just said it. Why make me the excuse?”

There was still heat in her voice.

Elena didn’t push further.

She raised her glass instead. “Alright, fair enough. No more talking about things that annoy you.”

Chloe clinked her glass against hers.

Elena stuck with her juice, Chloe with her drink, and the conversation drifted naturally from one topic to another, light, casual, and easy.

They were in the middle of laughing about something when Chloe suddenly paused and glanced toward the entrance.

“Wait, is that Gideon?”

She waved without hesitation.

Elena followed her gaze and spotted him right away.

Gideon had just walked in, dressed in a black coat over a crisp white shirt, the sleeves pushed up neatly to his forearms, giving him that clean, effortless look he always carried. He scanned the room for a moment before catching sight of them and heading over.

“Hey, long time no see,” Chloe said, smiling brightly.

Gideon nodded in acknowledgment.

Before he could sit, Kieran wandered back over, immediately catching

“Hold on,” Kieran said, looking between them. “I’ve been sending much as a smile out of you, but he walks in and suddenly you’re

and

smiles?

and I still can’t get so

Chies zalet her eyes without holding back. “Be grateful

I be time’s expression.

“Wow, still holding

onto that?” Kieran said, flicking his lighter

trashed your place.”

and shut, clearly entertained.

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Chapter 234 A Night Out

“Go do your job,” Gideon said, giving him a light shove.

Kieran laughed and stepped aside.

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Only then did Gideon take the seat next to Elena, his expression shifting as he looked at her.

“You’re pregnant and still hanging out at a bar?” he said, his tone firm. “You’re not a kid anymore.”

Elena had already guessed Kieran must have told him she was here. She lifted her glass slightly. “Relax, it’s just orange juice.”

No matter what’s going on with Alexander, I’m not going to take it out on myself.

Hurting herself over someone else simply wasn’t worth it.

“Yeah, I can back that up.” Chloe added quickly. “She hasn’t touched alcohol.”

Elena had always seen Gideon as more of a mentor than anything else, and Chloe felt the same way.

In their eyes, he was never really part of their world. He was the type who preferred quiet libraries over crowded lounges, someone who would rather spend his free time buried in research or reading than out unwinding like this. It wasn’t until he met Elena that he started showing up at Haze Lounge every now and then, and even then, only when he actually had the time.

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