CEO Ex-Husband, Don't Bother Me-Chapter 96 - 94: The Cruelest (Part 4)

Her aloofness toward him vanished. She clutched the phone, the corners of her lips curling into a soft smile.

"You’re at the nurses’ station? Oh, I’m so sorry, I’m out right now..."

"What? You ordered takeout for me? Didn’t I tell you I was just going to eat at the cafeteria?"

He didn’t know what Sean Donovan said next, but she giggled and readily agreed.

"Okay, okay, I’ll head back to eat as soon as I’m done here! You should eat soon, too. Don’t you have several meetings to attend this afternoon?"

Since they had met again, Julian Donovan hadn’t seen a single trace of the gentleness that once defined Naomi Shaw. Now, seeing it directed at another man, he couldn’t help but feel utterly defeated.

"You want pickled fish for dinner? Okay! I’ll buy a fresh fish after work and make it for you. Just come straight to my place when you’re done. I’ve been craving it myself lately!"

She continued her sweet, affectionate conversation with the man on the other end. Julian Donovan felt that if the call went on any longer, he would smash the table and storm out. Just as he was about to lose it, she hung up, turned around with a beaming smile, and ignored his dark, ugly expression.

"I’m so sorry to have kept you waiting!"

As she spoke, she picked up the report and began to flip through it. Julian held back, then held back again, but finally couldn’t restrain himself.

"I hear you and Sean Donovan aren’t married yet? You already have a child, and he still hasn’t made it official? You must know that marrying into the Donovan Family isn’t that easy, right?"

He’d had someone investigate her these past few days. When he found out she and Sean Donovan weren’t married, he felt a secret flicker of joy, which was quickly consumed by a raging fire. ’She’d had a daughter with Sean Donovan without any official status. She’s really fallen so low.’

’Especially with Charles Donovan still in the picture. Given how snobbish he is, how could he possibly allow Sean to marry her? She’d better not end up as some shameful mistress who has to hide from the public! Just like his own mother was!’

She looked up at him and smiled faintly.

"Why should I care about marrying into the Donovan family? Being unofficial doesn’t necessarily mean you’re unhappy. And being official doesn’t guarantee happiness either, does it?"

Julian Donovan’s expression changed again. Naomi Shaw just watched him quietly, her eyes filled with mockery.

’Wasn’t she right? He had given her four years as his legitimate wife, yet he had never once let her experience the joy and happiness of marriage. What right did he have to question whether Sean Donovan would make things official with her?’

The two of them stared at each other in silence.

A fire seethed in Julian Donovan’s heart. The flames roared and clamored within him, twisting his expression into a faintly menacing scowl. Yet she remained perfectly still and quiet.

In the end, Julian Donovan was the first to break under her gaze, turning to look out the window. If she had complained, accused him of being cruel and heartless back then, or even just shown some anger or grievance, maybe he would have felt a little better. But she did none of that.

She just looked at him, her eyes placid and devoid of any emotion. It was as if he weren’t the man she had loved for six years. It was as if he were a complete stranger. He felt that even if he sincerely tried to win her back now, she would never return.

Despair washed over him like a tidal wave, drowning him completely.

"Are you two ready to order?"

If the waitress hadn’t spoken up at that moment, the two of them might have remained locked in that stalemate indefinitely.

Naomi Shaw was the first to snap out of it. She smiled at the waitress and said,

"Nothing for me, thank you!"

’If it weren’t for Joy, I wouldn’t want to spend another second with him. Besides, Sean already prepared lunch for me.’

But to her surprise, he turned, snatched the menu from the waitress’s hand, and said nonchalantly as he scanned it,

"I’m hungry now. I don’t have the energy to analyze any reports for you."

She hadn’t expected him to pull such an unreasonable stunt. She stood there, stunned, unable to think of a retort for a long moment.

After a while, she spoke, her voice laced with difficulty.

"President Donovan, analyzing the report shouldn’t take too long, right? Could I trouble you to go over it with me first? I have to get back to work soon." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"In a hurry to get back to your ’lunch of love’?"

He tossed the line at her without looking up. She glanced at him as he focused on ordering, then fell silent.

’He’s clearly trying to make things difficult for me. Why should I ask for more trouble?’

Julian Donovan finished ordering and handed the menu back to the waitress. Only then did he look up at her. The gloom on his face was gone, replaced by a light and casual tone.

"So, what’s your plan? Going back to eat? Or are you going to eat with me here?"

’You have a lunch made with love? Well, I have my ways to make sure you can’t eat it.’

Naomi Shaw lowered her eyes and took a sip of water.

"Sorry, I don’t like Thailosian food. You go ahead and eat. I’ll wait."

"Then what do you like to eat? We can go eat that right now!"

He looked at her with eyes full of anticipation, rising to his feet and grabbing her hand as he spoke.

She yanked her hand back in embarrassment. Realizing his gaffe, he sat back down and took the menu back from the waitress.

"Get this lady a beef curry, and a tom yum goong!"

She cut him off coolly.

"No, thank you. Just a vegetable salad for me. I’m on a diet."

’For the past three years, I’ve been a vegetarian, trying to atone for my sins. Volunteering at the orphanage is also a form of atonement—atonement for abandoning my son for three years. I only told Sean on the phone that I wanted to eat fish to sound more intimate with him.’

"You’re already so thin. What’s there to lose?"

Julian Donovan frowned in displeasure, his gaze sweeping over her slender figure. She pretended not to hear his overly familiar comment and looked up to repeat her order to the waitress.

"Just a vegetable salad, please."

He watched her with a complicated expression but didn’t say anything else. The waitress repeated their orders and left.

Just as the food arrived, Sean Donovan called to ask why she wasn’t back yet. She just said she was caught up with something.

His mood, which had just cleared up, darkened again because of the call. As a result, the meal was an indigestible affair for both of them. Facing him, Naomi Shaw had no appetite at all. Julian Donovan, for his part, never liked Thailosian food to begin with. When they were together, she had learned Syanese cooking specifically for him, making it for him almost every day. The thought of her talking so familiarly on the phone with Sean about cooking for him made his blood boil. With a loud CLANG, he slammed his spoon down on the table and glared at her.

Naomi Shaw, who had been eating quietly, jumped at the sudden noise.

"Are you finished, President Donovan? You see, it’s already time for me to get back to work..."

’He’s eating as slowly as an eighty-year-old man. I’m dying of anxiety over here.’

Julian Donovan had lost his appetite anyway. He glanced at the time and saw it was indeed time for her to go back to work, so he stopped making things difficult. He picked up the report and began his analysis.

"Among children with autism, seventy percent have below-average intelligence, twenty percent have normal intelligence, and the remaining ten percent have extraordinary intelligence."

She held her breath, listening intently to his analysis. It took Julian Donovan back to the years when she used to rely on him with her whole heart.

"As for Joy Donovan, based on what you’ve said about her talent for piano and music, combined with the tests we ran, we can confidently conclude that she is part of that ten percent. So you don’t need to worry about her intellectual development."

Naomi Shaw’s eyes welled up with tears of excitement.

"Really?"

She had never asked for Joy to have extraordinary intelligence; she just wanted her to be normal. She never expected Joy to give her such a wonderful surprise.

Julian Donovan watched her cry tears of joy and continued,

"As for the issue of her not speaking..."

She looked at him again, her eyes full of hope. He looked away, afraid that if he faced that gaze any longer, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from pulling her into his arms.

"It could be a flaw in her personality. She’ll need a lot of guidance and interaction to help her open up."

She nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, I’ll be mindful of that from now on."

He frowned and stared at her.

"During your pregnancy, you must have experienced some kind of emotional shock or significant turmoil. That’s what caused this effect on her personality."