The Returning EX (John and Sophia) novel Chapter 1840

Chapter 1840 A Pesky One

Ian took two deep breaths before he patted Cindy’s arm where it was wrapped around his waist. “Okay, I got it. Don’t worry, I know what I’m supposed to do.”

Cindy tightened her arms around him. “And you don’t have to worry about me. I’m not in the entertainment industry anyway and as long as she doesn’t come after you, I don’t really care about anything else that goes on in your line of work.”

Now that they had an open conversation about the matter, they felt drained. Out of desperation, she decided to get him to play a round of video games with her just to distract him from his own heavy thoughts.

Ian didn’t turn her down, but he seemed so out of it that he kept making the wrong plays during the game. Before long, it became abundantly clear that they were on a steady losing streak.

It wasn’t until the doorbell chimed that they stopped the game.

Aurora had returned and she was standing on the doorstep waiting for someone to open the door. When Cindy did just that, Aurora brushed past the threshold and looked decidedly grim.

At the sight of this, Cindy could instantly tell that Aurora was unhappy. She closed the door and followed the woman into the living room while asking, “Aurora, what happened?”

Aurora marched into the living room and plopped down on the couch. “Guess who I ran into while I was on a stroll earlier.”

It wasn’t as if there were plenty of clues in that statement. Ian and Cindy kept silent as they eyed Aurora warily, waiting for her to answer. After a brief pause, she finally relented and announced with no small amount of disgust, “It was our dear Miss Yulia Noble. She ambushed me.”

Cindy froze, and Ian couldn’t help but scoff. “She’s a pesky one, isn’t she? What did she want with you? What did she say?”

Aurora sighed in exhaustion. “She brought up the capital thing and asked why I rejected her offer. She kept saying how she had enough resources in hand to help me rebuild my career.” Then, a dark look flashed in her eyes as she pointed out, “Then, she mentioned you, Ian. She didn’t say much and it wasn’t as if she crossed the line or anything, but I could tell that you left a pretty good impression on her. She seems to admire you to some extent.”

She was being tactful when she chose the word ‘admire’ and not ‘love’. The implication was there, but it was subtle enough to save everyone some respect.

Having said this, she turned to look at Cindy and added, “She mentioned you too. She didn’t say anything mean or whatever, but she was curious as to whether you have intentions to debut in the entertainment industry because she could help.”

Cindy sputtered. “My, she certainly has an affinity for problem-solving, doesn’t she? Enough capital to propel the three of us to the top of the social pyramid?”

Ian interjected, “So, what did you say?”

“I told her the truth, of course,” a disgruntled Aurora replied. “I might have believed that we offended her by previously rejecting her offer, especially since we could have taken on her good graces after she extended the olive branch to me. I was a little worried about stirring up unnecessary strife with her, until now...”

In an abrupt change of topic, she added, “Now, I think turning her down was the right thing to do. She’s far too unpredictable for us and she could outsmart us at any given moment. I could tell from the way she talked and carried herself that she is as manipulative as they come, not to mention power-obsessed. I don’t think we can get along with her for long.”

She took a deep breath and concluded, “We’re better off not associating ourselves with her and we definitely shouldn’t take any part of the resources she’s offering us. Knowing her type, she would bankroll on the favors you owe her and drain you; if you so much as get on her bad side, there’s no telling what calamity might follow.”

Having heard all this, Ian and Cindy visibly relaxed, reassured that the three of them were standing on the same side in this matter.

Presently, Ian nodded in agreement and said, “I don’t actually care about the resources she has in hand. I was never after such things in the first place.”

Aurora looked like she was about to nod, but she quickly shook her head instead. “Yulia is quite the capable young lady, but she wouldn’t be an ally to us in the long run.” She clicked her tongue in disapproval. “I guess these capable folks are just a little different, a little less empathetic, from the rest of us common folks.”

Silence fell upon the three of them before Aurora’s gaze fixed on Cindy, and she warned, “I want you to gird your loins. Yulia isn’t someone who will back down so easily, and I won’t be surprised if she does come after you next.”

Upon hearing this, Ian and Cindy let out exasperated laughs. Aurora took notice of their behavior immediately as she demanded, “I take it that she has already made her move?”