I’m a Billionaire Heiress, My CEO Ex Begged

Chapter 2

Within two weeks, I'd familiarized myself with the company's operations and was fully up to speed.

Mrs. Sloane kept praising me for being a natural. I wasn't home, and Lucian hadn't asked after me once. We might as well have been strangers passing each other on the street.

A friend told me Lucian had been talking tough—he was going to give me the cold shoulder until I caved and apologized first. "All someone has to do is get on her knees and apologize to me—and to Wren—and we'll let this whole thing blow over."

I watched the clip Lucian had posted on t****k and could only laugh at how ridiculous it was. It wasn't until my friend pointed it out that I realized the supplementary card he'd given me had been cut off. Let him cut it. I'd never used it anyway.

I landed a major client at work, so I took my team out for dinner that evening. I booked a table at an upscale restaurant, and everyone was thrilled.

But that was where I ran into Lucian. He was gently peeling shrimp for Wren. I froze for a split second, and something from the past finally clicked. No wonder on my birthday, he'd peeled a whole bowl of shrimp and hurried me to eat up.

Not wanting to let him down, I'd forced myself to finish every last one. I'm allergic to shrimp. I went into anaphylactic shock right there and almost died. "I forgot. I thought you loved them." He'd cried so hard he could barely speak, and my heart had softened. I hadn't been able to blame him at all.

Lucian spotted me, frowned, and walked over. "Why are you putting on such a show? You don't need to wine and dine at fancy places just to win me back." Wren hid behind Lucian, peering at me timidly. "Stella, please don't fight with Lucian over me. I'm not worth it."

She bowed her head and dabbed at her eyes, feigning tears. Lucian patted her back soothingly, his face full of concern. 'If we weren't in public,' I thought, 'those two would already be wrapped up in each other's arms.' "You two are overthinking. Neither of you is worth the effort," I shot back coldly.

Lucian's face darkened. He reached for my wrist, but I dodged him easily. "Are you still throwing a tantrum? Apologize to both of us, and I'll unfreeze your card. We can go back to how things were." His words grated on me—absurd and infuriating all at once.

"Apologize? For interrupting your little lovefest?" I turned and signaled the waiter to bring the check. Lucian's brow furrowed deeply, his face thunderous. He warned me not to use money from questionable sources.

"Ms. Sloane!" A chorus of my employees greeted me respectfully from behind. Lucian froze on the spot, his eyes wide with disbelief. Well, it was a lot to take in. Back then, one comment from him about how he didn't like me working or being seen in public, and that I'd willingly become a full-time housewife.

It had never occurred to him that the caged bird he'd kept locked up at home would one day spread her wings and fly high. Mrs. Sloane was impressed with my performance and introduced me to a business partner—Silas Voss. He was the famously cold and reserved heartthrob of high society. I'd only ever seen him once, from a distance.

After talking at length, I found Silas to be exceptionally capable—sharp, composed, and efficient. We talked for a long time. I didn't notice the faint pink creeping up the tips of his ears. Mid-conversation, someone came charging over and splashed a glass of cold water directly in Silas's face.

"So this is why you're cheating on me?" Lucian stared at me, his eyes blazing with rage. I handed Silas a napkin to wipe his face, then picked up the iced coffee from the table and hurled it right back at Lucian. Lucian wiped the coffee from his face, trembling with fury. "You'd do this to me—for him?" He lunged at Silas, grabbing for his collar—but Silas kicked him hard, sending him crashing to the floor.

Silas flicked an invisible speck of dust from his sleeve and looked down at Lucian with cold indifference. I stepped in, stopping Lucian from going at him again. His face turned black with rage.

He spat out three bitter "fine"s and stormed off in humiliation. 'He couldn't handle that little bit of humiliation?' Usually, if Wren so much as pricked her finger, she'd cry and blame me for it—and every single time, Lucian would force me to bow my head and apologize. Now that it was happening to him, he couldn't take an ounce of it.

"I'm sorry you got dragged into this," I said. Silas shook his head gently. "You two…" He trailed off, hesitating. "It's almost over for good," I said. He nodded softly. For some reason, I could clearly see a flicker of quiet joy in his eyes. We exchanged contact information.

I remembered I still had personal belongings at the Thorne residence. Lucian's mother sat on the living room sofa, staring daggers at me. "Stop right there!" Mrs. Thorne slammed a rattan cane down on the coffee table and gestured for me to come closer.

I looked at her calmly and didn't move. She shot to her feet and lunged for my arm, ready to teach me a lesson.