Sorry, You Can't Have Me Now

Chapter 2 Celebration for Divorce

Before Emily could respond, Jolin hung up the phone.

Emily couldn't help but chuckle; she knew Jolin was just worried that she'd be heartbroken over the divorce and was trying to distract her.

But this time, Jolin had misjudged her. Emily wasn't feeling particularly sad or lost.

Maybe she had seen this day coming all along.

She'd been holding on, but the moment she saw Joseph with Anna, all her efforts felt pointless.

Signing the divorce papers felt like a breath of fresh air for Emily.

At least, she wouldn't have to revolve her life around Joseph anymore.

Emily exhaled a sigh of relief, and she realized that her next priority was to change her outfit.

She was done being confined by Anna's shadow.

Two hours later, a silver-blue Porsche drifted smoothly into a perfect parking spot outside the bar.

Emily stepped out with high heels and a sexy wine-red-colored mini-dress that hugged her curves and flirted with her thighs. Her sun-kissed skin radiated energy, and her golden waves flowed freely. As she walked toward the bar, she easily turned heads.

She tossed her keys to the stunned valet, made her way inside the bar, and brushed off three guys who tried to get her contact info. She finally spotted Jolin, who was dancing passionately to the music. Without hesitation, Emily yanked Jolin's collar.

"Hey! Having fun without me?"

"Hey, honey!" Jolin spun around and pulled Emily into a hug.

She then noticed Emily's outfit, her eyes widening in disbelief. "You look... wow!"

"Well, since I'm divorced now, I've gotta dress up to attract some attention, right?"

Emily tossed her golden curls casually. With her striking features—a high nose and jewel-like green eyes that had a playful glimmer—even her neutral expression exuded charm.

Jolin stared at her for a moment and swallowed hard. "Babe, you are stunning! If I were a guy, I'd totally fall for you."

Emily flashed a grin. "Should I book you a gender reassignment surgery while I'm abroad?"

"Let's skip that for now," Jolin replied. "Let me have some fun with the batch of hot guys first!"

Emily followed Jolin's gaze to the stage, where several guys were dancing, constantly shifting formations and drawing cheers and screams from the crowd.

"Midnight Haven's standards are slipping," Emily sighed. "They're putting such guys on stage?"

Jolin's eyes lit up. "Honey, are you..."

Without missing a beat, Emily shoved her bag into Jolin's hands. "Change the music."

Normally, customers weren't allowed on the bar stage, but Jolin, being a top VIP, had no trouble making that happen.

As the lights dimmed and then flared back to life, a new performer took the stage, and the music switched to heavy metal rock.

Emily climbed the pole, and her slender waist twisted into a breathtaking arc.

Under the dazzling lights, her sun-kissed skin shimmered, highlighting her stunning curves. With the pounding beat of the drums, she unleashed a flurry of dazzling moves, igniting the crowd into a frenzy and pulling everyone's attention her way.

At a nearby booth, a tall man with a calm expression seemed unaffected by the electrifying atmosphere. He took a sip of his drink, his eyes cold.

Anna asked in a sweet tone, "Why the long face, Joseph? Feeling tired?"

"Nope."

Joseph set his glass down. He was here for a gathering with friends, supposedly to celebrate Anna's return and his divorce.

His friends all knew about his past with Anna, and from the outside, his smooth divorce from Emily was definitely a cause for celebration. Yet, beneath it all, he felt a rising restlessness he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Joseph!"

Suddenly, someone beside him stood up and craned his neck toward the stage. "Look! Isn't that dancer your wife?"

Joseph froze for a moment and then watched over, his expression growing colder.

It was Emily, but not the version he remembered.

The woman on stage was clad in a sexy red slip dress, with just a black knit jacket thrown over it. As she danced, she shed the jacket and flung it into the cheering crowd below!

Immediately, a few guys jumped up to snag it, and chaos erupted as more guys scrambled to grab her jacket. The man who finally caught it even leaped onto a table in excitement!

The booth where Joseph was sitting had fallen completely silent.

Anyone could see how grim his expression had become.

Anna clenched her fists and softly called out to him, "Joseph..."

But it was as if he hadn't heard her. He stood up and strode through the crowd toward the stage.

On stage, as Emily wrapped up her performance, beads of sweat clung to her hair. Ignoring the crowd's shouts for an encore, she playfully kissed her fingertips and tossed a wink down before gracefully jumping off the stage.

She had planned the jump, but after so long away from such intense dancing, a sudden cramp shot through her calf the moment she landed.

Instinctively, she closed her eyes, bracing for a fall.

But a strong arm caught her around the waist just in time.

Emily exhaled in relief and was about to thank her savior when she looked up and froze. "Joseph?"

Joseph's face was stormy as he glared at her. "Looks like you're quite the crowd-pleaser."

"Not bad, I guess."

Emily regained her balance and shrugged off his hand. With a smirk, she added, "But that's none of your business, Mr. Robinson. You didn't come here just to check on your ex-wife, did you?"

At her words, his expression clouded further.

In his memory, Emily had never spoken to him with such sharpness. She'd always been gentle and compliant around him. But now, in her high heels, she stood nearly eye to eye with him, her makeup flawless, her features striking enough to hold anyone's gaze.

"Joseph!"

Behind them, Anna pushed her way through the crowd. The moment she saw the scene before her, her expression shifted dramatically.

She looked back and forth between Joseph and Emily, finally letting out a sigh. "Emily, even if you want to win Joseph back, this isn't the way to do it."