Chapter 291: Rumors and Regrets

In a rush, a colleague inquired in the chat group and received a response that the man himself had told Ellis, “We’re divorced.”

After repeatedly confirming the source and authenticity of the news, the colleague’s focus at work plummeted; she stole glances at Ellis multiple times. Little did anyone expect that not only were Ellis’s suitors of high caliber, but Easton was also of exceptional quality.

Ellis could feel her colleague sneaking peeks at her, but she never brought it up. Damn that Easton! Why did he have to show up and turn me into the subject of gossip?

Just before quitting time, catching her colleague’s hesitant expression, Ellis couldn’t take it anymore and pretended to joke, “What’s so fascinating about me that you’ve been watching me all afternoon? You haven’t fallen for me, have you?”

There was a taboo in gossiping; one should never have danced in front of the person involved. Remembering this, her colleague covered it up with a laugh, “Ms. Harper, you’re just too beautiful. It’s hard not to keep looking.”

Ellis didn’t buy the fake compliment and still felt the urge to punch Easton. She packed up and left work as usual.

Then, an unexpected setback occurred; she reached the parking lot only to remember her car keys were in her desk drawer. She had to return to the office to fetch them.

No sooner had she stepped out of the elevator than she overheard her colleagues’ idle chatter.

“She’s such a beauty; it’s no wonder her suitors are top-notch!”

“Why did Ms. Harper and that Mr. Hudson divorce, I wonder?”

“Has anyone dug up Mr. Hudson’s details yet? I want to see if he’s better off than the young Mr. Morty from Nexus Group. If I were Ms. Harper, it’d be such a dilemma choosing between two such elite bachelors!”

“We’ve already mobilized our contacts and searched Stonebridge’s financial news online for any appearances.”

The colleagues were having a lively discussion, completely unaware of her return. Ellis’s face darkened slightly, then she asked with a half-smile, “What’s so exciting that everyone’s so happy about?”

The sudden appearance of the gossip’s main character, coupled with her speaking up, made everyone exchange glances, and no one spoke further; instead, they all sheepishly smiled.

Seeing her colleagues’ reaction, Ellis ignored them, grabbed her car keys, and left.

A gentle reminder not to gossip too outrageously was sufficient; after all, she wasn’t thinking of quitting her job yet and didn’t want to strain her relationships with her colleagues.

Once Ellis left, the colleagues lost their appetite for gossip, fearful she might return and overhear.

Driving back to Maya’s house, Ellis was still infuriated by Easton’s nerve-wracking behavior, struggling to suppress her anger, tempted to call and scold him.

Ultimately, she held back from calling; the best way to deal with an ex-husband was to ignore him. Maybe the more attention she paid him, the more energized he’d get. Couldn’t he just stop annoying her?

Surrounded by irritation, she lost her appetite for dinner and lay in bed, listless.

As she was dozing off, her phone rang; it was Sophia calling. Having just encountered her exasperating ex-husband, she didn’t want to take her frustration out on Sophia, but she really didn’t feel like answering her call. With the mother-in-law relationship gone, she couldn’t find a proper way to interact with Sophia.

Of course, she wasn’t upset about Ellis not picking up. Seeing her son’s forlorn expression made her uncomfortable.

Putting down the phone, Sophia looked directly at Easton, “Ellis isn’t answering. There’s nothing I can do.”

Seeing Ellis again was hard, and getting her to positively engage with him was even harder. Recalling how Ellis had him thrown out of her company, Easton’s brows furrowed in pain, “Mom, what can I do so Ellis won’t hate me?”

“I don’t know,” Sophia said expressionlessly. Sophia wasn’t lying; she genuinely didn’t know what her son could do to make Ellis not hate him.

The biggest obstacle to their remarriage was her son’s inability to lower his pride, followed by Ellis being a tough nut to crack, and then the fact that Ellis flatly refused to meet with anyone from the Hudson family.

Easton rubbed his throbbing temples, “Mom, I can’t think of a way.”

“If only you knew what this would lead to,” Sophia said slowly, then walked away with her phone, leaving her son behind.

Watching his mother’s retreating back, Easton felt a slight sinking in his heart, feeling somewhat empty. Am I too late in realizing my feelings for Ellis? The thought had just crossed his mind, but he didn’t think so. He and Ellis might be divorced, but she hadn’t shown interest in any other men. Maybe he shouldn’t rush things; maybe he should start by getting her to forgive him for not rescuing her during her kidnapping.

Rumors were something uncontrollable, because keeping people from talking would require literally taping their mouths shut, and Ellis understood this well, choosing not to care about the whispers behind her back.