Benjamin was dressed very formally. In a dark blue shirt, a black suit, and a jet-black tie, he looked handsome and abstinent. He looked at Ava and smiled faintly: “May I sit down for a cup of coffee?”
After a moment, Ava smiled lightly: “Of course.”
Benjamin put down his briefcase. As soon as he sat down, the waiter came over and politely asked, “What kind of coffee would you like, sir?”
Benjamin tapped the table with his long fingers: “Blue Mountain.” The waiter nodded and left.
When the waiter was gone, Benjamin leaned back in his chair and habitually reached for a cigarette. But remembering where he was, he frowned and quickly stopped, turning to look at Ava instead. It had been a while since they’d met, and Ava seemed to have changed a lot.
A milk tea-colored woolen dress outlined her slender, graceful curves. Her long black hair hung loose, and she wore no expensive jewelry—only a thin chain adoring her fair collarbone. This version of Ava was very gentle, making Benjamin think of a warm pearl.
“Meeting with a lawyer?”
“Are you here for business?”
They spoke almost at the same time. The atmosphere turned a little awkward, but luckily the waiter brought Benjamin’s coffee, easing the tension. Benjamin thanked him politely, took a small sip of coffee, and then spoke to Ava. He didn’t mention the divorce lawsuit. Instead, he asked her about something else: “I heard you ran into Vivian from Amerasia a while back? They say you hit it off.”
Ava lowered her head and gently stirred her coffee, her voice warm: “How did you hear about that?”
Benjamin’s eyes fixed on her: “Mr. Laurent from Amerasia is quite related to my family. Technically, I should call him cousin uncle.”
Ava looked up: “That’s surprising! Ethan never mentioned it.” The mention of Ethan, brought a subtle silence.
Benjamin, being a lawyer, knew people well. He guessed Ava felt uncomfortable and changed the subject: “I also heard you want to start something on your own, looking for a suitable storefront?”
Ava hummed softly: “I do have that idea.”
A gilded business card was pushed across to Ava. Benjamin’s gaze turned a little deeper: “A friend’s property. It’s in the atrium of Ninth Continent Tower, perfect for art-related businesses—800 square meters, annual rent 1.2 million yuan.”
Ava took the card—For that location, the rent was extremely reasonable. Ava didn’t refuse Benjamin’s kindness. Although Benjamin and Ethan were close, Newglory’s upper class was a small circle. It was hard to do anything without touching it. Let alone Benjamin, even with the Sinclair Family, Ava wouldn’t easily break ties. Ava smiled: “I’ll thank you properly for this later.”
Benjamin looked at her smile, a strange feeling stirring in his heart. But he kept his tough lawyer demeanor, smiling faintly too: “It’s nothing.”
Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, sunlight speckled, hitting the tip of Ava’s straight nose. A slight warmth. Ava couldn’t help touching it gently. She turned her face slightly, a faint flush on her fair cheek, highlighting her feminine softness. The man across from her seemed to glance at her casually, hiding unspoken thoughts.
Outside the café. A black Rolls-Royce Phantom was parked by the roadside, its body gleaming noble and dazzling in the sunlight.Ethan sat in the car, quietly watching Benjamin and Ava—His lifelong friend and his wife.
Ethan wasn’t stupid—The way Benjamin looked at Ava was not innocent. A man only showed such blatant eyes when he was interested in a woman. If he remembered correctly, Benjamin was a workaholic who’d never cared about any woman. His first crush was on his wife. Should Ethan be angry, or proud of his wife’s charm?
His wife’s clothes were different from before. She’d shed the rigid suits, and her current style had a hint of pure allure, as if carefully matched for a date.Ethan felt uncomfortable. He took out his phone and called Ava. As soon as Ava answered. Ethan asked coldly: “Where are you?”
After a moment, Ava spoke: “Do I need to report my whereabouts to you? Ethan, we’re getting a divorce.”
Ethan: “That’s just your one-sided idea.”
Ava laughed in anger: “Is that so?” She didn’t want to argue with him anymore. Trying to stay calm, she said gently: “I’m no longer useful to you! Can’t we part amicably? Ethan, actually I can’t…”
“Ava!” Ethan cut her off. His voice was quick and urgent. He wouldn’t let her say those two words.
Two children. It was once their wish.
Without children, it seemed there was no reason left for him and Ava to stay together. At this moment, an overwhelming sense of attachment hit him unexpectedly, leaving him confused about his true feelings for Ava.
The atmosphere was tense when Ava’s phone rang again. It was the maid taking care of her grandmother. Ava hung up on Ethan without hesitation and answered the maid’s call. The maid’s voice was frantic—“Ava, something terrible happened! A woman came just now and made Rose so angry she had a heart attack. Luckily, there was medicine by the bed, and Rose managed to take it herself. Otherwise, I can’t imagine what would have happened.”
Ava’s face turned pale. Hanging up, she said to Benjamin: “I have to go. Benjamin, we’ll talk another time.”
Benjamin saw her pale face and wanted to offer to drive her, but hesitated to overstep. But Ava had already left in a hurry. She was so rushed that she didn’t see Ethan.
Inside and outside the café, the two men’s eyes met across a glass window. Ethan’s dark eyes were cold and frosty. Men like them in high society would never allow others to covet their wives, let alone their own friends!
Ava rushed to the hospital. Her grandmother was fine, having fallen asleep after taking medicine. Ava leaned over the bed, gently brushing the silver hair from her grandmother’s face—her expression was unusually tender. The maid called her softly: “Ava, I need to tell you something.”
Ava stood up slightly: “Let’s talk outside.” They walked out together.
The maid told her everything: “It was a young girl, looking very shallow. She came here and said she was pregnant with Mr. Sinclair’s child, demanding that you divorce him. Rose was so angry she collapsed on the spot. When the girl saw how bad Rose looked, she just ran away without helping. Ava, there’s surveillance. I’m not making this up!”
Ava’s hands trembled. She tried to control her emotions, speaking calmly: “I know! Please take good care of grandmother. I need to go out and handle something.”
The maid assured her she would. After settling everything, Ava walked down the corridor. The setting sun cast red light through the window panes, bathing her in a fiery glow. Her face held nothing but the coldness of the world.
She could lose love, lose Ethan, lose everything—but she couldn’t lose her grandmother.
Grandmother was her bottom line—And now, Lily had crossed it!
