Unmasked My CEO Ex-Husband’s Regret novel Chapter 142

After tossing their empty takeout wrappers into the trash, Sarah Norwood collapsed into her chair with a relieved sigh. She watched Elara pack the reporting documents into her bag and asked curiously, "You're not going to hold off on reporting them?"

"What if Julian purposefully stalls and Vanguard Strategic dissolves before he even signs the contract with them?"

"Highly unlikely," Elara said with absolute certainty. "What he lacks right now is time. I laid my cards on the table last night—half bluffing, half serious—and I definitely rattled him. To buy the time he needs, he will strategically agree to 'all' of my demands."

A sudden thought crossed Sarah's mind, and she burst out laughing. "Julian probably thinks he's pulling off the heist of the century, that everything is perfectly under his control. He's so arrogant... when he finally realizes you've been playing him this whole time..."

"I would pay money to see the look on his face when he breaks."

Elara smiled. "It's definitely something to look forward to."

Seeing that it was almost time, Elara tucked the folder securely into her handbag. "Get some rest. I'm heading out."

Sarah waved. "Drive safe."

Elara thanked her for all the hard work and slipped out the door.

It was still a bit early for the firm's afternoon shift, so the reception desk was empty. Glancing at the gloomy, overcast sky through the windows, Elara decided to call a car and wait in the lobby.

"Elara?"

Just as she turned toward the seating area, a man walked through the front doors and called her name.

Elara paused and looked over. "Nate?"

Nathaniel Reid looked thrilled to see her, his steps quickening as he approached. "Are you here to see Sarah?"

Elara put her phone away and offered a polite smile. "Yeah, I am. You too?"

Nate nodded. "Just dropping some files off." He looked her over. "Heading home?"

"Something like that," Elara replied vaguely.

Which meant she wasn't going straight home.

Nate thought for a second. "Give me a minute. Let me run this upstairs to Sarah, and I'll give you a ride."

Elara: "..."

Ever since the birthday party where she had officially acknowledged their familial ties, Sebastian had made it a point to awkwardly highlight his relationship to Julian and Elara. Yesterday, after she dropped the act of pretending not to know about the affair, Sebastian had become even more unfiltered. He didn't hold back when mentioning Julian and Vivian.

They were both heirs to massive corporate empires, drowning in executive responsibilities, yet instead of playing the role of the aloof billionaire CEO, Sebastian was acting like a nosy neighbor entirely too invested in her marital drama. What was his deal?

It was a good thing he wasn't a celebrity, or his public persona would have shattered by now.

Elara had zero interest in discussing her personal life with him and was about to ignore the message when another one popped up.

[You guys didn't fight last night, did you?]

[Julian didn't bully you, right?]

Elara: "..."

Why was he suddenly acting so protective?