Chapter 23: Chapter 23: She Doesn’t Know Him, Right?

Yvonne Sutton reached the gate and saw a tall woman with fiery red hair, dressed in a leather jacket, a leather skirt, and high-heeled boots, chatting up a storm with the security guard.

"I didn’t just grow up with Wendy, we were classmates in high school and college. I know all her dirty little secrets. You like her TV shows? Hah, you can actually stomach that atrocious acting of hers? Why would I badmouth her? We’re great friends. And that business with Best Actor Lynch? She’s had a habit of stealing other people’s things since she was a kid. I guess she thinks other women’s husbands are better."

Claire Lawrence’s tirade left the security guard stunned.

Just then, Claire Lawrence saw Yvonne Sutton and waved her over, then continued talking to the guard. "Yvonne Sutton, my girl. You know about her whole situation with Vincent Reed and Wendy Winters, right? Tsk, tsk. My girl got completely screwed over by those two despicable scoundrels. She started dating Vincent Reed back in college, everybody knew it! She..."

Before Claire Lawrence could finish, Yvonne Sutton rushed over, pulled her aside, and told her to shut up before greeting the security guard.

The security guard had been listening with rapt attention and was a little disappointed to be interrupted by Yvonne Sutton.

"Miss, you should come by the security office for a chat sometime," he said enthusiastically to Claire Lawrence.

Claire Lawrence nodded. "Deal. We’ll pick this up later."

Yvonne Sutton shot her a speechless glare, then glanced at the two large suitcases outside. "Are you and your husband moving back to Aethelgard?"

"There is no ’and my husband.’ It’s just me."

"What do you mean?"

"Sean Lynch and I got divorced."

Yvonne Sutton was stunned for a moment. "When did that happen?"

"Five days ago. He cheated."

"How did you find out?"

"I opened the door."

After saying this, Claire Lawrence burst out laughing, leaving Yvonne Sutton utterly baffled.

"It’s an internet meme."

As they walked toward the villa, Claire Lawrence was still laughing and clinging to Yvonne Sutton’s arm, but her laughter came to a screeching halt when she saw Vincent Reed coming out to take out the trash.

Yvonne Sutton instinctively reached for Claire Lawrence, but she had already charged forward.

"Well, well, Mr. Reed. Long time no see. Still recognize your old classmate? It’s me, Claire Lawrence. The one who put you in the hospital with a single punch. Ring a bell?"

Vincent Reed tossed the trash into the bin first, then shoved his hands in his pockets and gave Claire Lawrence a cold look. "Did you pluck that mess of hair off a flamingo’s head?"

"Still as punchable as ever. I hear you’ve unlocked a new title recently: the modern-day Simon Coleman?"

Vincent Reed’s eyes narrowed. "You’d better watch your mouth when you talk to me."

"Getting angry? Feeling guilty? You act like a monster but insist on wearing human skin, and you’re proud of it?"

"You’re talking nonsense!"

Vincent Reed snorted and turned to leave.

"You’re the one talking nonsense! You’re not even human! I warned you back then, didn’t I? I told you not to bully my Yvonne, but you didn’t listen to a single word! You just wait, I’m going to send you to the ICU to think about what you’ve done."

As Claire Lawrence raised her fists to chase after him, Yvonne Sutton quickly stopped her.

"Calm down, calm down. It’s over between us. I’ve made things clear with him."

"What’s there to make clear? You should have just sent him straight to the hospital!"

The villa’s flooring was still being installed, but the second floor was already finished. Yvonne Sutton pulled Claire Lawrence into a bedroom and asked if she had eaten.

"Eat? I’m saving my appetite. We’re going drinking at Joshua Hale’s place tonight."

Yvonne Sutton truly admired Claire Lawrence’s mindset. She would cry her heart out during a breakup, but then manage to be good friends with her exes afterward.

Be that as it may, Yvonne Sutton still went downstairs to make Claire Lawrence a bowl of noodles.

Claire Lawrence ate her noodles in the small second-floor living room. "It’s because you’re so much like the perfect, dutiful wife that Vincent Reed thought he could walk all over you," she lamented between bites.

"Are the noodles good?"

"Delicious."

"Then just eat your noodles and stop talking about him."

Claire Lawrence chuckled, then gestured around the villa. "Your fiancé doesn’t mess around, does he? He’s quite generous."

Clearly, she’d seen the property deed online.

"You don’t think I Photoshopped it?"

"You wouldn’t stoop to that." Claire Lawrence slurped up some noodles. "So, what’s he like?"

"Uh, I don’t know. He seems fine, I guess."

"What do you mean?"

"We haven’t met yet."

Claire Lawrence gave Yvonne Sutton a thumbs-up. "You’re not even officially married yet, and he’s already given you a house like this. He seems reliable, at least."

"Actually, it makes me feel kind of obligated."

"Don’t be silly. Do you know how much I got from Sean Lynch in our divorce?"

"A lot?"

"Three hundred million." Claire Lawrence held up three fingers. "Negative."

Yvonne Sutton frowned. "How did that happen?"

"Because I was an idiot. He screwed me over." Claire Lawrence took a deep breath. "So you’d better cherish a guy like your fiancé. At least he’s not out to screw you over."

"So what are you going to do now?"

"Make a comeback in showbiz. Start all over again."

Yvonne Sutton paused, just then recalling that Claire Lawrence, like Wendy Winters, had been an acting major. Before marrying Sean Lynch, she had even acted in a few TV shows, but only in supporting roles that didn’t generate much buzz.

"I have some money you can use."

"Then you can help me rent an apartment for now," Claire Lawrence said, sticking out her tongue playfully.

That evening, Claire Lawrence insisted on dragging Yvonne Sutton to Joshua Hale’s tavern.

"I don’t have any resources or connections right now. I can’t make it on my own, so I need to sign with a talent agency."

"Oh." Yvonne Sutton didn’t know anything about that world.

"But I’m not exactly young anymore. If I just go knocking on doors, they’ll definitely turn me down."

"So?"

"Joshua Hale said the boss of Stratos Entertainment is here drinking tonight. He’s going to introduce me."

When they got to the tavern, they saw Vincent Reed and Wendy Winters the moment they walked in. They weren’t in a private room but were seated in the courtyard.

"Oh, Yvonne, how did you know we were here? Come on, come sit with us," Wendy Winters said, waving her over.

’What a thing to say. As if I must have come here looking for them.’

’Still, running into them is definitely bad luck.’

Yvonne Sutton had no intention of engaging with them, but Claire Lawrence dragged her over anyway.

"Hey, old classmate. Don’t you recognize me?"

Wendy Winters genuinely didn’t recognize Claire Lawrence at first. Only after looking her over a few times did it click. "Oh, Claire, it’s you! You look so different. Don’t tell me you got plastic surgery?"

Claire Lawrence laughed. "Plastic surgery? Why would I need it? It’s not like my nose is collapsing."

Wendy Winters’s smile faltered. "Why are you back in Aethelgard? Planning a comeback?"

"That’s the plan."

"Haha, Claire, you’re so funny."

The barbed exchange between the two was giving Yvonne Sutton a headache. She wanted to escape, but Claire Lawrence pulled her down into a seat.

"I hear you two are getting married soon. Tsk, tsk, it’s nice to have a backup plan, isn’t it? Get married just like that. Congrats, old classmate. After dangling him on the hook for so long, you finally decided to reel in your meal ticket. And congratulations to you, Mr. Reed. Not only do you get to marry the one that got away, but you get a free kid out of the deal too."

Yvonne Sutton tried to hold it in, but couldn’t help letting out a snort of laughter. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Vincent Reed shot her a glare, then turned to Wendy Winters. "There’s all sorts of riffraff out here. Let’s move to a private room."

Wendy Winters’s expression had also soured from Claire Lawrence’s jabs, but just then, the friend they were waiting for arrived.

"Wendy, Vincent, look who I brought!"

Yvonne Sutton turned to look and saw it was Monica Lynch, Wendy’s friend.

She was leading a tall, handsome, mixed-race man dressed in white casual wear. When he looked over and saw Yvonne, he suddenly broke into a smile.

Yvonne Sutton froze for a second. ’I don’t know him, do I?’