Chapter 16
Just as Ernest was about to say something, his phone rang. Ivana saw the caller, it was Sydney.
“I’ll come back when I’m done here.” Ernest suppressed his irritation and said briefly before hanging up the call. “I’ll say it one last time, come back with me!” he yelled at Ivana.
Ivana tried to pull her hand free but couldn’t. She stared coldly at Ernest. “And I’ll say it one last time, we’ve broken up!”
“Mr. Gilmore,” Winston grasped the hand Ernest had used to grab Ivana. “This is France, not San Diego.”
Ernest glanced at Ivana and reluctantly let go of her.
Ivana gave Winston a grateful look. She didn’t want to care about what was happening outside. The jet lag and her intense study schedule had left her utterly
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exhausted. After a quick wash, she fell asleep almost instantly.
“Impressive. You managed to make it all the way to France.” Ernest looked at Winston, his gaze filled with disdain.
“Not as impressive as you, chasing her all the way to France. It’s late, I won’t entertain. you any longer, Mr. Gilmore.” Winston ignored him and calmly spoke.
“Bang! Click!” The door slammed shut and was locked.
Ernest had never endured such
humiliation in his life. His father was the owner of San Diego’s largest hotel and hist mother was the most influential mafia lady in the city. From a young age, he had been arrogant and unchallenged, never experiencing treatment like this.
But in France, no matter how furious he was, he knew he couldn’t act recklessly. He found a hotel to stay in and tried messaging Ivana, but the app still showed one check
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mark. Her phone calls remained unreachable. Frustrated, he threw his phone onto the bed.
Why did Ivana feel so different now? The Ivana he knew always followed behind him. obediently. She never questioned him.
If he told her to go east, she wouldn’t dare to go west. If he was in a bad mood, all it
took was one call for her to climb out of
bed to make him a cake or order takeout. When he was sick, she stayed by his side without leaving. But today, her gaze made Ernest uneasy in a way he couldn’t explain.
“It’s nothing. Women are all like this. She’s just jealous because Sydney is back. Tomorrow, I’ll buy her some jewelry, dresses, or a bag and she’ll behave and come back.” Ernest mumbled to himself.
If only he looked in the mirror at that
moment, he would see how uncertain he
had become.
“Buzz… buzz…” His phone vibrated
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continuously, it was Sydney calling.
Ernest’s phone screen was cracked and hadn’t been fixed yet. The touch screen was a bit glitchy, so he had to press multiple times before answering, “I told you! I’ll return once I’m done!”
On the other end of the call, Sydney sobbed pitifully, “Ernest, please come back, okay? Your mom came to see me today. She was so fierce and scary. I’m terrified.”
Hearing that his mom had visited Sydney, Ernest’s expression darkened, “Got it.”
“Ting.” A notification arrived on his phone, it was a video with a caption: [My dear son, if you don’t come back, your little lover’s pretty face might not stay pretty for long.]
The video showed Sydney cornered by a few female bodyguards as strong as men. A lit lighter hovered mere inches from her face. Sydney cried and begged for mercy in fear.
Back when Ivana had been with him, his
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mother had also come to see her. She had endured countless harsh scoldings and trials before his mother finally reluctantly accepted her.
But Sydney was physically weaker than Ivana. She likely wouldn’t survive the torment his mother put her through.
Ernest booked the earliest flight back, deciding to return to settle these matters before coming back again. Perhaps once Ivana saw him leave, she would realize she had gone too far and obediently come back to him.
When Ernest arrived home, there was a neat row of shoes outside the door. Inside, everything was eerily quiet. “Mom.” he greeted his mom.
The elegant woman sipping tea on the sofa turned her head to look at Ernest.
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