The Day I Quit Him (Autumn and Mars) novel Chapter 255

**Chapter 255**

Oliver Lopez felt his legs tremble beneath him, as if the very ground had decided to give way.

If it hadn’t been for Penelope’s steadying hand on his shoulder, he might have crumpled to the pavement like a discarded piece of paper.

Owen Bennett was nothing short of merciless.

His words had sliced through Oliver’s dignity, shredding it into pieces and trampling it underfoot without a second thought.

Heat rushed to Oliver’s cheeks, a deep crimson that spoke volumes of his humiliation.

Beside him, Penelope felt the weight of the moment as well. She hung her head, wishing to dissolve into the shadows, her silence a desperate plea for invisibility.

Since the tragic incident that had marred Lydia’s face, she had grown increasingly reticent in public, her voice a mere whisper.

In the days gone by, she would have mustered the courage to engage Owen in conversation, perhaps even to challenge him.

But now, fear gripped her heart, a paralyzing fear that he would see her scars and recoil in disgust. She couldn’t summon the strength to meet his gaze, no matter how much she longed to stand tall.

The three of them moved as if choreographed in sorrow, their heads bowed, eyes glued to the ground as they navigated the unforgiving pavement beneath their feet.

Autumn, standing at a distance, felt an overwhelming urge to applaud Owen.

He was indeed a force to be reckoned with.

With just a few carefully chosen words, he had stripped away the facades they had so painstakingly crafted.

In hindsight, she realized she had been far too accommodating to the Lopez family, which had only encouraged their relentless pressure and audacity.

“Mr. Lopez?”

Mars Wright had just managed to extricate himself from the confines of the police station when he spotted the trio, their demeanor utterly defeated.

A flash of irritation crossed his features, and he strode toward them, oblivious to the presence of Autumn and Owen lingering nearby.

“Didn’t I instruct you to arrive posthaste? What took you so long?”

Mars had summoned the Lopez family with a specific purpose in mind: to assist in looking after a man named Gary.

He envisioned a perfect little scheme: Gary was single, and despite Lydia’s scars, she was still far from unappealing.

In fact, she had once been Gary’s “goddess.”

If he played the role of matchmaker, perhaps they would hit it off, and he would solve his Lydia dilemma without lifting a finger.

With Lydia occupied, Gary would remain dependent on Mars’s connections, keeping the Lopez family firmly under his control.

This would free up Mars to focus all his energy on winning Autumn back.

He had calculated every angle with precision, but he never anticipated that he and Gary would have a falling out first.

Now, that entire plan lay in ruins.

Seeing Lydia only served to stoke his irritation further.

Naturally, his demeanor was far from pleasant.

If it weren’t for Lydia’s presence, he and Gary would never have clashed so violently. It was true what they said: a pretty face could lead to nothing but trouble.

“We came as quickly as we could the moment you called,” Oliver replied, his voice strained.

Still reeling from Owen’s biting remarks, Oliver now found himself on the receiving end of Mars’s tirade. Frustration bubbled within him, and his stare toward Mars was far more defiant than the one he had reserved for Owen. “What happened to you?”

Mars shot back irritably, “What do you think? It’s all because of your precious daughter.”

“Lydia, you’re quite the piece of work, aren’t you? You must have been casting a wide net back in college. When Gary discovered our connection, he beat me up pretty badly.”

The revelation of Mars’s beating momentarily overshadowed the Lopez family’s own grievances.

Lydia rushed to his side, her concern evident. “How could that happen? How dare Gary hit you? Are you in pain?”

Recognizing Mars as their potential lifeline, Penelope swallowed her revulsion and joined in, asking if he was alright.

Yet, Oliver’s expression remained sour, clouded by disappointment.

He had harbored hopes that Mars might assist the Lopez family, but thus far, all he had witnessed was a series of messes that Mars left in his wake.

“Isn’t Cloudbreak Corporation facing a multitude of issues right now? As the CEO, shouldn’t you be at the office addressing those problems instead of gallivanting around? And your friends—what good are they? They’re nothing but bad news. Why do you insist on associating with them?”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify