First Love Only? I Left Him First, Now the CEO Can't Let Go novel Chapter 264

Chapter 264: Chapter 264: Marital Community Property

When Serena Jennings was taking the elevator down, her heart was still not at peace.

But it wasn’t a profound turmoil either.

It was more like a faint breeze stirring the surface of the sea, creating ripples that were barely visible.

She felt Caleb Lockwood had changed.

This time, it was for the better.

Initially, she thought Caleb was coming back to her only because the idealized image of his first love, Claire Shaw, had shattered.

It also might have been Arthur Lockwood’s scheme to reclaim the Lockwood Group by having Caleb seduce her.

However...

Now she felt those reasons were not right.

Caleb was genuinely trying to win her back.

The number that reflected in Serena’s eyes finally changed to 1, the elevator doors opened, and Serena walked out.

She had intentionally told Caleb she had an appointment with Ethan White.

In fact, she did not.

Bringing up Ethan wasn’t to provoke Caleb.

It was purely in hopes that Caleb would find it too challenging and back off.

Even if Caleb sincerely wanted to win her back, there was no possibility between them anymore.

Whether it’s love or marriage, it’s like a glass bottle—once it shatters to pieces, even if glued back together, the cracks remain visible.

And those cracks cannot disappear.

The best way is to get a new glass bottle.

It’s good for the bottle and good for the owner as well.

The rain passed, and the sky above was clear and washed bright blue.

Just as Serena was about to leave The Jade Pavilion, a shout suddenly came from behind:

"Serena!"

Serena stopped, turned around, and saw Caleb Lockwood resting a hand on his knee.

From his home to the neighborhood entrance wasn’t far, yet Caleb was panting heavily, drenched in sweat.

This sweat seemed more like cold sweat since Caleb had just recovered from a severe illness.

"Back in Meridia... I didn’t know you were kidnapped..."

Caleb spoke earnestly while gasping for air.

Serena was taken aback.

She didn’t understand why Caleb suddenly brought up this matter.

However, that kidnapping was still vividly clear in her mind.

Serena still remembered what Dylan Quinn had said to her then—

"I kidnapped you and Claire Shaw, and Caleb chose to save Claire without a second thought... pretty ruthless to you."

To this day, Serena remembered how much her heart hurt at that time.

That kind of heart-wrenching pain was worse than death.

He was the person she loved most, who said he would love her the most, but at the critical moment of life and death, he gave her up—

For another woman.

But the truth was—

Could Caleb really have been unaware?

Seeing the doubt in Serena’s eyes, Caleb added:

"I truly didn’t know... at that time, Dylan told me he wanted to kidnap you and Claire, but you left with another man, and later it was Justin Nash answering your phone..."

Caleb’s speech quickened significantly.

Serena could see Caleb was trying very hard to justify his past actions.

"But you never looked for me..."

"That was because back then..."

Caleb’s impatient voice suddenly cut off.

"Because you were busy saving Claire Shaw."

Serena calmly finished Caleb’s sentence and then calmly proposed a hypothesis to him:

"If at that time, Claire’s and my situations were swapped, would you also risk everything to save me and ignore Claire?"

Caleb felt like his mind was exploding, head splitting in pain.

His handsome features twisted into a knot, the anger trapped in his chest having no outlet.

His anger, of course, wasn’t directed at Serena.

But at himself.

Yet he didn’t want to tell Serena that he saved the wrong person.

He shouldn’t have gone to save Claire Shaw back then.

Because Claire was never his first love.

At this point, he didn’t want Serena to think he was utterly foolish.

Serena, in a rare moment of patience with Caleb, waited for a long time, only to see Caleb’s expression become more and more tangled.

That expression was the answer.

Caleb had unwittingly reminded her that ever since she escaped death in Meridia, she was no longer the Serena of the past.

The old Serena had perished in the sea.

"Go back and rest, be well-prepared for tomorrow’s board meeting; whether the Lockwood family retains a seat depends entirely on your performance."

Serena said these words coldly before turning to leave.

Caleb was coughing too hard to ask Serena to stay.

Even if he wasn’t coughing, he didn’t feel worthy to ask her to stay.

The Lockwood Group.

As the largest shareholder, Serena held a board meeting today.

Caleb was present.

Serena remembered seeing Caleb with his fever subsided when she left The Jade Pavilion, yet at today’s board meeting, though he was still clad in a suit with his commanding presence, Caleb looked even worse than before, as if gravely ill.

Serena couldn’t help but wonder if Caleb had deliberately made himself worse just to gain sympathy today.

The board members of the Lockwood Group included many of the Lockwood members, along with loyal executives handpicked by Arthur Lockwood.

Serena found it challenging to replace them all with her own people at once.

Especially Arthur Lockwood, who, as she anticipated, gave her a lot of pressure and obstacles.

However, Serena was not unprepared.

She had thoroughly studied the Lockwood Group’s corporate charter and structure beforehand.

To secure Caleb’s absolute power, the largest shareholder had been granted significant authority.

Therefore, Serena could directly appoint or dismiss board members.

Just as Serena stood up to speak, Caleb suddenly interrupted:

"There is something you might not know..."

Caleb’s voice was calm, his gaze toward Serena filled with deep affection.

However, Serena couldn’t help but furrow her brow.

Caleb speaking up at a time like this made her alert.

"What don’t I know?"

Serena took the initiative to ask, meeting Caleb’s eyes.

Serena was standing, and Caleb was sitting.

Yet Serena inexplicably felt enveloped by Caleb’s presence. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Caleb, seeing the guardedness against him in Serena’s eyes, smiled lightly.

"You are not the sole largest shareholder of the Lockwood Group, because your shares are part of the marital property... which also includes my share."