Chapter 33

“He did show me,” I said, removing my coat. The memory of his expression earlier still disgusted me.

“What did he say?” Lila, the foodie, finally looked up, eagerly awaiting my response.

“It’s rare for anything to distract you from your food,” I chuckled.

Hearing that, Lila immediately resumed eating. She looked at me and said, “Hurry up and spill it. You’re killing me with suspense.”

“He apologized. He asked me to forgive him,” I said, changing into my pajamas.

“So, you forgave him?” Lila looked utterly shocked.

“Of course not.” I sighed helplessly. “But there’s no way Kevin will quit his job. We’ll keep bumping into each other, so I just said I wouldn’t be hostile.”

At that moment, my phone rang. An unfamiliar number. With a slight frown, I answered.

“Hello?”

“Serena, it’s me.” Julian’s voice. My first instinct was to hang up.

“Don’t hang up just yet, Serena, I have something I want to say,” Julian said urgently.

When Lila heard his voice, she immediately put down her food. Looking ready for war, she approached me. She probably wanted to…

I was amused by Lila’s actions, so my mood lightened. “What is it?”

My good mood must have been evident, because Julian’s tone relaxed. “Let’s grab a meal together.”

The smile on my face vanished instantly. Julian really would ask for a mile after you gave him an inch.

“That’s unnecessary. Do you think I’m worthy of dining with the great Mr. Blake?” I said coldly.

In all the years I’d been with Julian, he had never treated me to a meal. He rarely even bought me snacks.

He seemed to realize this, coughing awkwardly. “I’m not paying, Serena. Just consider it an appearance.” I raised an eyebrow.

Beside me, Lila frantically gestured for me to refuse. Finally, she couldn’t hold back. “Serena, you can’t go. It’s definitely some plot Elena and Julian cooked up to mess with you. Don’t fall for it.”

Lila was flustered, on the verge of grabbing the phone herself.

“Lila, why are you saying something so hurtful?” Julian sounded displeased.

Lila was about to retort when I said unhappily, “Lila’s just saying what I’m thinking. Julian, you’ve never treated me to a single meal when we were together. But you’re trying to invite me out now that we’ve broken up? Don’t you think that’s laughable?”

Julian was momentarily speechless. His arrogance vanished, his tone softening. “Serena, I thought you’d understand me after all that time. Even if you don’t like me anymore, I’d never do anything to harm you.”

I scoffed. “Understand you? What’s there to understand?”

Julian was speechless again, clearly struggling, when I heard another voice.