The Day I Quit Him (Autumn and Mars) novel Chapter 20

Chapter 20

“Don’t get the wrong idea, I was just leading the escort.

“My part in this is over.”

Miles Spencer smiled, his gaze softening with a pang of sympathy as he looked at the woman sitting on the hospital bed, her face a little pale.

“How did you end up like this?”

Autumn Lopez hadn’t expected to see Miles Spencer under these circumstances. She managed a smile and gestured for him to sit before saying, “Bad choice in men. But luckily, it’s all over now.”

Miles had only heard rumors about what happened between Autumn and Mars Wright; he didn’t really know the details.

Wants

tell me about it?”

Autumn had already reached out to Miles before, so she obviously trusted him. Without holding anything back, she recounted the whole story with Mars.

Even though she was talking about her own ordeal, Autumn’s tone was incredibly flat the entire time, as if she were telling someone else’s story.

The more Miles listened, the more solemn his expression became. “And you’re still not planning to divorce him after all that?”

Autumn said, “The paperwork’s in motion.”

“Once the cooling–off period is over, Mars Wright and I will have nothing to do with each other.”

“And nothing to do with Cloudbreak Corporation, either.”

Miles breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m just glad you’ve come to your senses.”

“If you need help with anything, just let me know.”

Miles handed Autumn a gold–embossed business card.

Seeing the words [CEO, Spencer Group] on it, Autumn’s eyes widened in surprise. “You went back to take over the family business?”

Miles nodded. “Yeah. My dad’s health hasn’t been great this year, and I was done messing around, so I came back.”

“It’s good that you’re back. With you in charge, the Spencer Group is bound to reach new heights.”

sup

“So, if a project comes up where we could collaborate, would Mr. Spencer do me the honor?”

Autumn gave him a playful smile. “I hope Mr. Spencer wouldn’t turn his nose up at the Lopez Group just because we’re a bit smaller, would he?”

Miles put on an exaggerated expression. “Are you kidding me?”

“The Lopez Group is a legacy brand, after all. I’d be thrilled to work with you. Besides, we’re old classmates. If a partnership opportunity comes up, you’ll be my first call.”

Autumn extended her hand. “Well then, thank you in advance, my old classmate.”

Miles shook it. “The pleasure’s all mine. Looking forward to it, old classmate.”

Their eyes met, and they both broke into laughter.

Outside the door, Julian Moore heard the laughter and glanced inside, just in time to see the two of them.

He frowned, hesitating over whether he should report this to Mr. Bennett, but just then, Owen Bennett’s call came

through.

Julian stepped aside to answer.

“Mr. Bennett.”

Owen Bennett gave a cool grunt of acknowledgment. “Is she there?”

Julian’s expression didn’t change. “Yes. Mr. Spencer brought her personally.”

The other end of the line went silent for a long moment.

“Miles Spencer?”

“That’s right, Julian said.

“And where is he now?”

“He’s in the room with her now, chatting. He was holding her hand for quite a while–in fact, he hadn’t let go by the time I stepped out to take your call.”

The line went silent again.

Just as Julian was expecting Owen to give some kind of order, the call abruptly ended with a click.

Julian raised an eyebrow, thoroughly confused.

Didn’t Mr. Bennett react at all? Is he really that clueless when it comes to romance?

Julian shook his head. When he returned to the doorway, he saw they had let go of each other’s hands and were now reminiscing about funny stories from college.

Miles was a naturally funny guy.

Combined with the sympathy he felt for Autumn, he kept deliberately clowning around to make her laugh. The

atmosphere in the room couldn’t have been more cheerful.

Julian’s feelings were a tangled mess.

With Mr. Spencer here as a comparison, is she going to think Mr. Bennett is too quiet and cold?

Julian sighed. He had just opened his laptop to get some work done when he heard the rapid thump–thump–thump of approaching footsteps.

He looked up to see his own boss–who was supposed to be in a meeting at the office–striding toward him with an air of urgency, closing the distance in just a few breaths.

“Mr. Bennett?”

Julian, afraid his eyes were deceiving him, even rubbed them with his hand.

“What is it?” Owen Bennett glanced down at his assistant’s antics.

Hearing the deep, magnetic voice that belonged only to his boss, Julian finally realized he wasn’t mistaken. Mr. Bennett had really shown up at the hospital just moments after hanging up.

Did he teleport or something? How did he get here so

n fast!

“Were you working nearby, Mr. Bennett?”

A flicker of unease crossed Owen’s face.

“Just passing by.”

Julian had an “I knew it” look on his face. He reached for the doorknob. “Go on in, Mr. Bennett. Mr. Spencer is in there chatting with her.”

Owen grunted in acknowledgment and strode into the room, where he found Autumn and Miles deep in a cheerful conversation, just as described.

He raised an eyebrow, his tone lukewarm. “Looks like I’m interrupting?”

Seeing Owen, Miles quickly broke into a grin. “Not at all. Your timing is perfect.”

“Hahahaha…”

Autumn, who got the reference, couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

This was the first time Owen had ever seen Autumn laugh so freely.

She had stunning, elegant features, but the pregnancy had softened them, lending her a more serene and settled air.

Like a lily quietly blooming–grand and captivating.

After learning the truth, she had quickly grown haggard. The few times Owen had seen her, she’d had the quiet, withdrawn

look of someone in the throes of recovery from trauma.

Miles’s arrival seemed to have activated something in her, completely pulling her out from under the shadow.

“He doesn’t get the joke.”

Seeing Owen’s lack of reaction, Autumn worried he might get the wrong idea and quickly spoke up to smooth things over.

“What are you doing here?”

3/4

Owen glanced at Autumn. Seeing the smile still in her eyes, his own gaze deepened. He sat down nearby and said, “I heard Miles Spencer was here, so I came to see.”

“Have you seen the guys I picked out?”

Miles’s gaze swept over Owen’s and Autumn’s faces.

The question in his mind was answered in that instant.

“No wonder you asked me to pick them out. I thought you were letting me make up for old regrets, but you were just using company business for your own private affairs.”

*Are you really that shameless, using me as your personal workhorse?”

Owen shot Miles a look. “They were my men to begin with.”

It was Miles who had insisted on personally escorting them.

If Owen had known he would show up, he would have just had Julian take Autumn to make the selection himself.

Watching the two of them trade barbs, a flicker of confusion crossed Autumn’s eyes. “You two know each other well?”

She had assumed Miles and Owen just knew of each other, as one does in the upper echelons of their generation’s family businesses. But their dynamic clearly suggested something more.

“We were classmates, too.”

Miles explained to Autumn, “I ran into Owen when I went abroad as an exchange student. We’d known of each other since

we were kids, but we weren’t close–more like nodding acquaintances. But being in a foreign country where we didn’t

know anyone, we spent a lot of time together and forged a real bond.”

“Oh,” Autumn said with a small smile. “I see.”

“So how did you two meet?”

Miles suddenly asked, turning the question back on them.

Autumn froze.

How… how was she supposed to explain her relationship with Owen?