Unmasked My CEO Ex-Husband’s Regret novel Chapter 97

"That was this morning. The situation has changed."

Meredith's hushed, frustrated voice came through the receiver, barely masking her simmering fury. "Elara came to the house this afternoon."

Julian was startled. "Why did she go there?"

"She claimed it was to formally invite Maddox to the party."

"But her real goal was to use Maddox to block me from bringing Vivian."

Julian was stunned into silence.

He was completely baffled. "Does Maddox know about Vivian?"

"Wait, what exactly did Elara say?"

"He doesn't know, but after Elara's little performance, he's definitely suspicious."

Meredith snapped in annoyance. "How did you explain things to Elara before? Did she know you wanted to invite Vivian?"

"She shouldn't know."

Julian gave a quick rundown of his morning conversation with Elara. "She's probably just genuinely worried about Melody's condition."

Meredith fell silent.

Elara's attitude had been exactly the same at the manor—playing the part of a concerned mother worried about Melody and her guests.

But Meredith couldn't shake the feeling that it was far more insidious. Elara definitely knew something. It was no coincidence she showed up at the estate today, perfectly utilizing Maddox to shut them down.

Yet it was only a suspicion. Whether dealing with Julian or with her, Elara had played her cards flawlessly, leaving absolutely zero room for criticism.

"Regardless, Elara is incredibly shrewd. You need to be careful when dealing with her,"

Meredith warned him. "Before things at Ark Solutions are settled, make sure she doesn't find out anything."

"With how greedy she is, she'll never let go of your assets."

"I will."

He hung up and headed back inside. Vivian was already waiting in the dining room, having served bowls of soup for both of them.

Seeing Julian return, she placed a spoon into his bowl and tilted her head up, giving him a sickly sweet smile. "All done with your work?"

"Yeah."

Julian placed his phone on the table but didn't sit down immediately. Instead, he walked around to Vivian, leaning one hand against the table while wrapping his other arm around her shoulders. He leaned down and kissed her.

Vivian was pleasantly surprised. "What was that for?"

"I'm sorry."

Julian didn't hide the outcome, though he omitted Elara's visit to the manor. He simply explained that Maddox was attending and might grow suspicious, making it impossible to bring her to the party. He apologized profusely.

Vivian was taken aback and visibly displeased. She sat in tense silence for a long moment before finally recovering her composure.