The Ex-Wife He Can’t Have novel Chapter 74

She turned and practically ran back to her room.

Gibson shook his head at his sister's retreating back.

When he arrived at the private lounge, Killian and the rest of their inner circle were already there.

Gibson extended a hand warmly. "It's been a while, Preston."

Preston Pierce smiled faintly. "You're a busy man, Doctor."

They shook hands and Gibson took a seat.

Preston wasn't exactly from their old-money world. He came from a humble background but had built a billion-dollar financial empire from the ground up, making him one of the city's most formidable new tycoons.

Killian remarked, "After you went abroad post-graduation, I thought you were never coming back."

Preston gently swirled his whiskey. The dim, shifting lights of the lounge fractured through the amber liquid, casting fleeting shadows over his sharp, handsome face.

"How could I not come back? This is my home."

"So, are you seeing anyone?" Gibson asked casually.

Preston replied, "No."

"Still flying solo?" Another friend looked genuinely surprised.

Preston nodded.

For some inexplicable reason, a heavy silence blanketed the room.

Killian raised his glass. "Drink."

Reading the unspoken cue, the others dropped the subject and clinked their glasses together.

—

"That absolute fraud of a fortune teller told me my true love wouldn't arrive until I was ninety! What, am I supposed to find my soulmate in the cemetery?"

Mallory was still venting furiously as she linked arms with Jillian, marching down the hall toward their private room.

Jillian couldn't help but laugh.

"That's exactly why we need to live in the moment. I'm ordering thirty gorgeous guys for us tonight. At least one of them has to be decent. It's a numbers game, Jill. I refuse to believe—"

The door to the private suite across the hall suddenly swung open.

Killian, Preston, and the rest of their group stepped out, cigarettes in hand and carrying the faint, intoxicating scent of expensive liquor. They were clearly heading out for some fresh air.

"Why do we see her everywhere we go?"

"You think she's stalking Killian?"

Jillian's face drained of color. Taking a steadying breath, she pushed the door open and stepped into the suite.

All of Mallory's enthusiasm for ordering guys had evaporated. She sat in the corner, downing one drink after another.

Jillian watched her quietly for a long time before asking softly, "Did you and Preston use to date?"

Mallory nodded silently.

Jillian felt a lump in her throat. Back when she was desperately trying to get closer to Sylvia, she had looked up everything about her online.

The forums had been full of rumors that Sylvia and Preston were the golden couple of St. Jude's University, allegedly spending long nights studying together in the library.

But after actually becoming friends with Sylvia, Jillian realized they had never dated at all.

She had chalked it up to baseless campus gossip about two popular students.

She never imagined that the woman Preston had actually loved was Mallory. Judging by the sheer devastation on her face, the heartbreak cut incredibly deep.