Unmasked My CEO Ex-Husband’s Regret novel Chapter 15

Even if Elara took it to court, with her current circumstances, no judge would award her custody.

Since he put it that way, Vivian sensibly dropped the subject, pivoting to another concern. "Do you think that person just now took a video?"

Julian replied, "When we get out, I'll find the butler and ask to check the security footage."

They returned to the banquet hall one after the other. The gift-giving segment was nearly over.

Julian tracked down the butler first, asking for the security footage of the staff quarters.

The butler was incredibly polite and seamlessly informed him that there were no cameras in the staff building.

Julian had no choice but to let it go for now. Following Melody's directions, he located the lounge where the mother and daughter were waiting.

The moment he walked in, Melody immediately hopped off the sofa and threw herself at him.

Julian opened his arms to catch his daughter, carrying her over to sit beside Elara.

Elara's face betrayed nothing unusual. Acting as though he had simply been out networking, she didn't ask a single question about where he had disappeared to. She just handed over the plate of pastries Melody had saved for him, which included both flower and fruit shapes.

"They're going to cut the cake soon, so don't eat too much."

"Okay."

Julian didn't take one right away. Instead, he accepted the porcelain plate and asked Melody, "Which one is the best? Give Dad a recommendation."

Melody pointed to a bright orange pastry. "This one is really good. It tastes like oranges."

Julian picked up the orange pastry.

Thrilled that her recommendation was accepted, Melody happily wrapped her arms around his neck, watching intently as he took a bite.

Now that she was close, Melody caught a faint, sweet scent clinging to Julian.

She couldn't help but lean in, sniffing at his neck. "Dad, you smell sweet, too."

Melody wasn't just sensitive to environments and emotions; she was highly sensitive to smells, too.

Because Elara had stayed home to take care of her over the past few years, she had completely stopped wearing perfume, and Julian had cooperated by switching to a very subtle cologne.

Melody had long grown used to the scent of his cologne.

The only reason she pointed it out was because she found it familiar. She felt like she had smelled it before, but she just couldn't place it at the moment.

Melody couldn't remember, but Elara knew exactly what it was.

She had smelled it on Vivian in Julian's office that morning. Even after she pointedly asked about the perfume, Vivian hadn't bothered to change it, showing up to the birthday banquet drenched in the same sickeningly sweet scent.

The only reason Melody hadn't identified it clearly was because she had been actively avoiding Vivian, and the banquet hall was filled with a mix of various perfumes.

Julian realized what the 'sweet' smell his daughter was talking about was. His body went rigid. He took a bite of the orange pastry, maintaining his composure, before explaining, "I must have brushed against someone's perfume while I was networking earlier."

As they stared at each other in silence, Elara clapped her hands together as if experiencing a sudden epiphany. "It smells just like Ms. Winthrop's perfume!"

She acted as if she remembered, but only vaguely. "It was some specific brand... orange-scented, right?"

Julian guiltily turned his head back to face his daughter. "I wouldn't know. Young girls these days all like those sweet, fruity perfumes. They probably all smell about the same."

"Probably."

Elara treated it as a casual passing question, choosing not to press the issue.

Then, as if discovering a new continent, she suddenly reached toward his neck. "Did you get a mosquito bite here? Why is there a red mark?"

Elara's hands had been ice-cold ever since she returned from outside. The moment her fingers brushed the skin of his neck, Julian jolted as if he had been pressed against a block of ice or shocked by a live wire. He instinctively recoiled, dodging her touch.

The movement was so exaggerated that both mother and daughter jumped in surprise.

Elara's hand remained suspended in the air, freezing about half a foot away from him.

She stared at Julian in sheer disbelief. Snapping back to her senses, she feigned a flare of anger, 'misspeaking' in her irritation: "What's wrong with you?"

"I just wanted to see how bad the bite was. With you overreacting like that, someone might think it's a hickey you're trying to hide."

"..."