CEO Ex-Husband, Don't Bother Me-Chapter 26: Are You Satisfied Now?

What happened with Tyson had left Naomi Shaw feeling down for a long time. Thankfully, Lara Nash was there to cheer her up. Lara had even gone to ask about the new girl and reported back that she was very gentle, completely devoted to Tyson, and would surely treat him well. That made Naomi feel a little better. It was the weekend again, and Lara mentioned she was craving dumplings. Since they were both from Syan, they often missed Syanese food. Naomi didn’t have any plans anyway, so she decided to indulge her friend.

Later, she remembered that she still hadn’t thanked Julian Donovan for helping her get rid of that guy the other day. She set a plate of dumplings aside, planning to give them to him when he returned. Lara, however, was dead set against it.

"He’s so vicious. It’d be a waste of good dumplings on him!"

Lara was Naomi Shaw’s best friend, so Naomi told her everything. That meant Lara knew all about Julian Donovan’s cruelty. Naomi tried to persuade her good-naturedly.

"Lara, don’t be like that. He did help me last time, after all."

Before Lara could say another word, the sound of a car engine echoed from outside. Naomi immediately grabbed the plate of dumplings and ran out, leaving Lara fuming.

Carrying the plate of dumplings, Naomi went outside just in time to see Julian Donovan getting out of his car. She walked over, a shy smile on her face.

"Julian, about that guy last time... thank you for helping me get rid of him. I made some dumplings. Would you like to try them...?"

Before she could finish her sentence, she froze. From the passenger side, an enchanting and aloofly beautiful woman emerged. The woman walked over, pressed herself against Julian Donovan, and asked in a cloyingly sweet voice,

"Donovan, who’s this little thing?"

Julian Donovan looked at Naomi Shaw’s wounded expression and replied blankly,

"My sister."

For some reason, the sight of her pained expression made the anger that had been simmering inside him for days begin to fade.

The woman smiled and said,

"Oh? Your sister is quite good to you, isn’t she? These dumplings look delicious. Why don’t we take them inside and eat them?"

Julian Donovan raised an eyebrow, glancing at the still-frozen Naomi Shaw. He tilted his head, leaned in close to the woman, and whispered suggestively,

"Babe, I don’t feel like eating dumplings right now. I’d rather... eat you."

The woman immediately broke into a giggle.

"Oh, Donovan, you’re so naughty!"

"S-Sorry for interrupting!"

The intimate scene was too much to bear. Naomi Shaw finally snapped out of her daze, turned with the plate still in her hands, and hurried back inside.

Lara had seen the whole painful scene from inside the house. The moment Naomi returned, Lara laid into her.

"See? See what happens? You go out of your way to be nice to him, and he just gives you the cold shoulder! Why are you so stubborn? It’s making me furious!"

Naomi Shaw let out a self-deprecating laugh.

"Lara, he’s not the one at fault. He just doesn’t love me. I’m the one who’s wrong. I shouldn’t keep giving my heart to him over and over again."

Lara was about to lose her mind. She snapped, laying down an ultimatum,

"Naomi Shaw, if you insist on being with him, you won’t have my blessing!"

After saying her piece, Lara retreated to her room. Naomi sat alone on the sofa, an indescribable gloom settling in her heart. She remembered a quote she’d once read: ’All your reckless devotion, all your sacrifices and efforts, are meaningless in the eyes of the one who doesn’t love you back. And yet, you do it all willingly.’

Those words were a perfect reflection of how she felt right now.

’How did it come to this? How did I dive headfirst into such a hopeless love? What exactly is it that I love about him? Is it his handsome, sculpted features, as perfect as a work of art? Is it his exceptional aura, a quality that sets him apart from every other man? Is it the look in his eyes—so often proud, or cold, or confident, or brazenly arrogant? Or is it that rare, fleeting trace of tenderness that sometimes appears in the depths of his gaze?’

Her thoughts were a tangled mess, and she still couldn’t find a clear answer.

After that, she began avoiding him again. Sometimes she felt she didn’t love him as much as she imagined. Whenever he hurt her, she would just hide like an ostrich, shrinking away instead of finding the courage to fight back harder.

The weather was terrible that day, with dark clouds gathering as if a heavy downpour was imminent. Naomi had no classes that afternoon, so she left school early to head home. Just as she was approaching her house, a harsh horn blared from behind. Startled, she leaped to the side and saw his car swerve past her before screeching to a halt in front of his door. ’Is he drunk?’ she wondered. ’Why is he driving like that?’

As she watched in concern, he opened the car door and stumbled out. Even from a distance, she could see that his face was ghastly pale and his eyes looked vacant. Her heart skipped a beat. He staggered a few steps, then suddenly lurched as if he were about to collapse. She immediately rushed over and grabbed his arm to steady him.

"Julian, you’re so pale! What happened?"

Julian Donovan steadied himself, seeming to come to his senses. His gaze landed on her worried face, and a flicker of irritation crossed his features. He yanked his arm out of her grasp, his lips pressed into a thin line, and continued wordlessly toward his house. Naomi, uneasy, followed him. ’Something must have happened,’ she thought. She had felt his entire body trembling when she’d caught him.

Julian stood in front of the door, trying to unlock it, but his hands wouldn’t stop shaking. ’These hands were supposed to save people,’ he thought, his heart clenching with anguish and anxiety. ’And I just used them to kill someone.’

He had been out with Ian Shaw on business. A group of men had ambushed them, trying to kill them. He’d gotten into a fight with them. One of them had his hands around his neck... he was suffocating... so... so he had pulled out his gun...

He had always known that coming here, that taking over The Shaw Dominion, was a one-way street. But now that he had actually taken a life, he felt an overwhelming sense of panic and guilt.

Her heart ached seeing him like this. Naomi gently took the keys from his trembling hand and opened the door for him. He stood in the doorway, desperately trying to suppress the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him, and told her coldly,

"I’m fine. You can go now."

’If she doesn’t leave, I can’t guarantee what I might do in this state.’

But seeing him like this, how could Naomi possibly leave?

"Julian, what’s wrong? You’re like this... I’m so worried about you!"

"Go away! I told you to leave me alone!"

He suddenly roared, his voice cracking with rage. Startled, she bit her lip and stood frozen. He lunged forward and roughly yanked her into his arms.

"You won’t leave, is that it? Fine. Then stay and help me do something... fun."

Blushing, she closed her eyes and trembled in his embrace like a docile kitten.

"Julian... it hurts..."

「The next morning」 Naomi Shaw awoke to the acrid smell of cigarette smoke. She was lying with her back to Julian Donovan, and beneath the covers, her face couldn’t help but flush red with shyness.

She turned over to find him already awake, leaning against the headboard and smoking a cigarette. She couldn’t quite make out his expression through the swirling haze. Before she could say a word, he spoke, his voice devoid of any emotion.

"Are you satisfied now? What’s next? Are you going to run and tell your father what happened last night so he can force me to marry you?"

Clutching the blanket to her chest, she sat up abruptly to defend herself.

"Julian, I would never think that!"

’It’s true that I want to marry him, to bear his children, to spend my entire life with him,’ she thought. ’But I swear I’ve never, ever considered using my father to trap him.’

He crushed the cigarette in the ashtray and turned to look at her, his gaze dripping with scorn.

"Then why didn’t you refuse last night when I touched you? You seemed to be enjoying it. Or was that the plan all along? To take advantage of me when I was at my most vulnerable to get what you want?"

No girl could endure such mockery after giving her virginity. A deep sense of grievance welled up inside her, and tears instantly filled her eyes.

"I didn’t refuse you, and yes, I enjoyed it! It’s because I love you! I was willing to give myself to you! It wasn’t some kind of scheme!"