too late for a second chance novel (Lila and Dorian) novel Chapter 9

Lila's voice was faint and cold like a bucket of cold water poured over Dorian's heart.

His eyes turned icy again.

Even without knowing about her wish for love, he thought he just needed to wait a couple of days for Lila to figure things out and return to his side, just like before. He felt sorry for her when he saw her looking aggrieved.

Now that he knew about the sandalwood bracelet, he had been suppressing his anger over her complaining him to Taylor. He planned to talk it out, but his sympathy for her crumbled instantly upon hearing her unreasonable, frosty attitude.

His voice turned cold. "You went to complain to Mr. Foster today, didn't you? You wanted him to make things difficult for me, right?"

Lila felt bewildered. "No!"

He scoffed. "Really? Lila, have you really become this hypocritical? You dare to act but can't take responsibility?"

Her fingers trembled slightly as she held the phone. She moved it away from her ear and glanced at the contact name.

Dorian's tone was so foreign that she thought she had picked up the wrong call. After five years together, she began to doubt whether she really understood him.

He didn't hear her response and assumed she was feeling guilty. Another cold laugh escaped him.

"Why aren't you speaking? What did you tell Mr. Foster? Did you say we had a fight and that he should lecture and threaten me to coax you?"

"I didn't say anything, and I don't need you to coax me," Lila said, lowering her gaze and staring blankly at her toes.

"Lila, show that you care if you still want to be with me. After all these years, you should know how I treat you.

"I still love you, but that doesn't mean I can tolerate your bad temper. If you still want that film project, come to the office now."

Lila frowned. "I can't go now."

It was only then that he remembered she wasn't home and had few friends. The only friend he had seen her with was Noah Morgan, a spoiled, wealthy young man.

Noah was her unreliable second brother. When Lila was in school, he often picked her up and dropped her off at home.

Dorian had met him a few times. She didn't want to be seen relying on the Morgan family, so she told others they were just friends.

Dorian didn't like her having too much contact with other men, so she rarely let her family come to visit.

Later, Noah went abroad, and the two hardly saw each other. But whenever he caught her messaging Noah, he felt jealous. Lila comforted him countless times about this.

Dorian's face turned pale. Had she already found another man so quickly?

"Where are you? I'll come find you."

She shifted her gaze from the talisman to the distant mountains. With a sarcastic smile, she said, "Mount Shasta. Do you want to come?"

He paused. Mount Shasta? That was the place where people prayed for love and where the sandalwood bracelet was obtained.

She had gone back to pray for love again.

He inexplicably felt relieved, and his tone softened unconsciously. "Come to my office tomorrow morning; we still have things to discuss about the project."

She furrowed her brows. "Are you done? If you are, I'm hanging up."

She asked but didn't allow Dorian to respond before hanging up the call. Her gaze fell back on the broken talisman and the ruined red cloth. There was no need to waste energy on damaged or broken things.

Lila turned to leave, lighting a candle before descending the mountain.

Dorian, meanwhile, was seething with anger, kicking the door in frustration. He knew that Lila had always dreamed of becoming a great director like Taylor, and she had negotiated this movie project herself.

When the contract was first signed, she was so happy that she bounced around him like a child who had just received candy. He couldn't help but feel happy for her. Given how close they had been for so many years, he genuinely couldn't understand why she was fussing over a worthless bracelet.