After He Ghosted Me, I Left for Australia

Chapter 6

A baby?

Georgia's heart jolted hard, and disbelieving shock flooded her eyes.

Right after that, Felix's voice shifted sharply from casual laziness to raw irritation. "You bunch of lunatics, you just gonna yammer nonstop about my business all night?"

The hand Georgia had wrapped around the doorknob went ice-cold. Just then, a voice sounded right behind her.

"Why aren't you going in?"

Georgia spun around fast, and came face to face with a sharp, handsome face, his tilted, bright eyes crinkled with amusement.

Georgia paused for a beat, then greeted him evenly, "Mr. Pembroke, welcome back to the country."

Stephen raised an eyebrow. "Didn't expect the first congratulations I get after coming back would be from you. And please, just call me Stephen. Mr. Pembroke sounds too formal."

Georgia gave a thin, forced smile, but the door behind her suddenly swung open.

A long, firm hand curled around her waist. Felix's voice rumbled right against her ear. "Honey, when did you get here? Why didn't you call me?"

Georgia shifted uncomfortably in his hold. "Just got here. I ran into Stephen right as I was about to go in."

Stephen huffed a casual laugh. "Felix, all this time apart, and you still can't bear to let Georgia out of your sight, huh?"

Felix shot him an annoyed glare. "She's gonna be my wife soon, Stephen. Why the hell would I let go?"

His unhesitating claim over her would have flooded her with sweet warmth once, but now she felt nothing of the sort.

She wrenched herself out of his grip and walked straight into the private room to sit down.

The whole point of tonight's gathering was to welcome Stephen home. Now that the guest of honor had arrived, the energy in the room picked up right away.

Someone piped up curiously, "Hey, Pembroke. I heard your career was blowing up overseas. Why'd you come back all of a sudden?"

Stephen took a slow sip of red wine and answered offhand, "My parents made me come back. They want me to find a suitable partner for Ophelia."

Georgia felt Felix go stiff as a board right next to her, and everyone in the room started darting subtle glances his way.

She scoffed silently to herself, and just then Felix spoke up, "What century is this? You're still doing that old-fashioned arranged marriage crap? Ophelia's brilliant, she's got no shortage of great guys chasing her."

Everyone else in the room quickly murmured in agreement. Stephen's gaze swept around the entire group, but he just smiled and didn't say another word.

When the party wrapped up, Felix walked out of the club with Georgia on his arm. He'd just reached for the car door when his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, and his face dropped a little.

He turned to look at Georgia beside him. "Georgia, I've got something urgent to take care of. Can you take a cab home?"

Georgia stared right at him. "Sure."

As she watched him climb into the car and peel off without a second thought, a bitter, mocking smirk tugged at her lips.

There was a time when she was the only person that mattered to Felix, no exceptions. Now? A single phone call from Ophelia was all it took to yank his full attention away from her.

Georgia stood in front of the club entrance. The cab she was waiting for never showed up, but Stephen did.

He rolled down his window. "Georgia, let me drive you back to campus."

She looked at the back door that had already unlocked itself, relented, and climbed in.

The car pulled out into the street. The interior smelled like soft, faint sandalwood, enough to make Georgia's eyes start to droop. But just then, Stephen, who was sitting up front driving, spoke up, "Georgia, you already know about what's going on between Felix and Ophelia, right?"

Georgia jolted awake instantly.

Stephen glanced at her through the rearview mirror and smirked. "My little sister put in a ton of work to lock Felix down, and she's never gotten along with you. She's definitely gonna rub this in your face sooner or later."

Georgia had no clue what he was getting at, so she said flatly, "Are you saying your own sister poaching someone else's boyfriend is something to be proud of?"

The smile on Stephen's face widened. "If a relationship falls apart that easily, it was never real in the first place. So, what do you say we make a deal? You step aside and let my sister be with Felix, and I'll enter a marriage alliance with you. I'll make you the happiest woman alive, and I swear no other woman will ever be by my side." He spoke with total, unshakable confidence, like he'd already locked this deal down.

Georgia's annoyance only intensified as he continued speaking.

"Not to mention that if you're with me, I can give you way more than Felix ever could, Georgia."

She took a deep breath and replied evenly, "Thanks." She leaned back against the rear seat, and said firmly, no trace of hesitation in her voice, "But no. The starlight makes anyone look beautiful, but my love isn't about appearances. I’ll love whoever I damn well choose with every fiber of my being."

Shen then gave him a pointed look. "Stephen, I can assure you that no matter who I marry in the future, I can be the happiest woman in the world."