CEO Ex-Husband, Don't Bother Me-Chapter 144 - 132: Moving

’No! I should hate him! How could I lose my resolve just because of one passionate look from him?!’

No longer in the mood to continue teaching the children art, she briefly assigned some homework and simply walked out. In the courtyard outside, a group of children were playing a game. She walked over and watched them play quietly. Every time she saw the children’s sincere, happy faces and thought about how some of those smiles were the result of her own teaching and care, she felt a great sense of satisfaction.

On the veranda, Jean Coleman and Julian Donovan were chatting. Dylan had already run off to join the other children in their game, and Naomi Shaw watched him with a gentle smile. Jean Coleman noticed Julian’s gaze kept darting toward Anna Quinn outside, and she couldn’t help but frown slightly.

After chatting for a short while, Jean Coleman went inside to take a call. Julian, on the other hand, strode out and came to a stop beside her. She tilted her head and saw it was him standing next to her, and her expression immediately darkened. He was feeling somewhat agitated and reached into his pocket for a cigarette.

She turned to glance at him and said with displeasure, "Please don’t smoke in front of the children!"

He froze, about to light his cigarette. Then he put it away and looked up at her, the corners of his lips curving into a bitter smile. "I thought you’d never speak to me again..."

Naomi Shaw ignored his words and took out the phone he had Dylan give her earlier, handing it to him. "Here’s your phone back. Thanks."

"Bought a new one?" 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

He took it, raising an eyebrow as he asked. She tacitly confirmed it. He asked again, "Is the number still the same as before?"

"No!"

She stopped looking at him and turned back to watch the children, making it clear she didn’t want to interact with him anymore. But he relentlessly asked, "What is it, then?"

She pressed her lips together, silently refusing to tell him. He lifted a hand and plucked her phone directly from her coat pocket. She was startled, not expecting him to do such a thing, and glared at him angrily. "What are you doing, Julian Donovan? Give me back my phone!"

He ignored her, holding the phone high out of her reach. He just used her phone to dial his own number. A moment later, his phone rang. Only then did he return her phone to her.

’His actions are making me absolutely furious! Does he have no ability to read a situation at all? Can’t he tell I don’t want anything to do with him? Why is he so shamelessly persistent about getting my number?’

Julian Donovan deliberately ignored her displeased expression. After saving her number to his phone with satisfaction, he finally looked up to study her closely. She was glaring at him, her brows tightly knitted in anger. Her fair cheeks were slightly flushed from struggling with him for the phone, which made him long to reach out, pull her into his arms, and cherish her.

Even though she despised him so deeply, he still couldn’t stop himself from missing her. But these past few days, he hadn’t had the courage to call her. That’s why he had brought Dylan over early on the weekend, hoping for a chance to see her.

"Naomi, I’m sorry. I lost control that night..."

He just looked at her like that, finally sighing as he spoke with a hint of apology. Hearing this, Naomi Shaw scoffed and turned her head away. "I don’t need it!"

Perhaps it was because she had calmed down a lot over the past few days, or perhaps it was because of what Willow Summers and Lillian Huxley had said to her, but she felt she didn’t hate him as much as she did when she first learned about the matter.

Just when she was starting to feel less repulsed by him, he continued, "But I don’t regret it. Even if time could be turned back, I would still choose to have you that way that night!"

Having her in that manner was a declaration of his sole possession of her and a warning that anything between her and Sean Donovan was impossible.

Naomi Shaw suppressed the urge to slap him. She strode over to the children and called for them to return to the classroom.

Jean Coleman, who had just finished her call and seen their entire interaction, walked over to Julian Donovan’s side and looked at him with a frown. "Julian, I see that you and Anna..."

"Yeah..."

Julian agreed before Jean Coleman could even finish her sentence. He then took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a drag. Jean tried to persuade him, "You know she’s with Sean Donovan. Why must you keep pestering her? Don’t you think things are messy enough? With your qualifications, even with a child like Dylan, it wouldn’t be hard for you to find another girl!"