Cersei didn’t answer. She photographed the damage as evidence and sent it to her lawyer. Then she shook her head. “It’s fine. I’ve already sent photos to my attorney. I’ll leave all subsequent matters to them.” With that, she ignored everyone’s reactions, got into her car, and drove away.

When she returned to the villa, Hurley Moore had already prepared dinner. As he placed the final dish on the table, he noticed her arrival and raised an eyebrow. “You’re back rather late today. Run into trouble?”

The sounds of dishes and forks mingled. She picked up some food. The flavor was light but perfectly to her liking. Cersei’s eyes crinkled with appreciation. “Your cooking has gotten better!”

He seemed not to notice her avoidance of his question. Seeing she didn’t want to discuss it, he didn’t press further. He smiled at the compliment and answered, “I can’t settle for less these days.”

Though Hurley didn’t ask, Cersei found herself growing restless. After finishing the meal in silence, Cersei couldn’t hold it in any longer and looked at him curiously. “Why didn’t you ask?”

“You returned safely; it means you’ve handled whatever happened. Besides, if you wanted to tell me, you would.” His reasoning was so sound that she felt convinced. In the end, she told him everything that had happened that day.

Cersei had never hidden anything about her history with Louis from Hurley. Three years ago, when she left New York, her first destination was Germany. There, she met Hurley Moore.

It was a curious twist of fate—she had made an impulsive decision to go there, while he had been urgently called back to the university. They accidentally took each other’s luggage at the airport. After a lot of back-and-forth, they finally managed to get in touch, only to be stunned upon seeing each other face-to-face. That’s when they realized they had actually met before, at the yacht auction. When Violet had pushed her overboard, Hurley was the one who had rescued her. But he had been in a hurry then. After rescuing her and ensuring she was okay, he didn’t wait for her to wake and left in a hurry. By the time she recovered enough to thank him, he had disappeared. She had assumed they would never meet again in the vastness of the world, yet unexpectedly encountered him in Germany—and he had recognized her first.

After establishing contact, they gradually became familiar with each other, discovering they shared many interests. With aligned values and coincidentally similar goals, they traveled together for some time. But even Cersei herself hadn’t anticipated that they would end up together.

Hearing that she had already finished everything, Hurley just nodded. “I’m glad you’ve handled everything. If you ever need help, the Moore Group’s legal department is always ready to assist you.” However, Cersei’s own lawyer was already efficiently resolving the matter.

On the day the case concluded, Cersei saw Louis again. His expression was complex as he blocked her way. “Cersei, do you really refuse to see me even once?” His gaze fell on her almost greedily. Their brief encounter hadn’t eased his longing for her; if anything, it had intensified his obsession.

Unfortunately, she seemingly had no desire to see him. Although he had mentally prepared himself for this moment, facing it still left him unable to accept it. How could she so easily say goodbye, so easily let go?

Cersei looked at Louis, confusion in her heart. “Why would I want to see you?” she asked. The simple question made his breath catch. He stared at her in disbelief. “Cersei, what do you mean? Do you really…”

But before he could finish, she interrupted him. “Mr. Harris seems quite forgetful. Perhaps you’ve forgotten we divorced two years ago?” Cersei’s lips curled into a mocking smile as her eyes locked with his. Her emotionless stare felt like sharp knives slicing through his heart. The excruciating pain left him speechless.