From Betrayal to Brilliance Her Rise to a New Life novel Chapter 253

Chapter 253 New Ringtone

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Zaden was worried Athena would get upset and take it the wrong way.

He couldn’t really explain it. He just felt annoyed at himself.

So that’s how it looks to her, he thought.

Athena didn’t speak for a long time. She didn’t even know what to say at first.

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Of course she had feelings about it. No woman likes the idea that her man is still holding on to another woman from his past. But when she saw how nervous Zaden looked, how worried he was about her, a lot of that anger melted.

He had asked her to change his ringtone. That meant he wanted her choice.

If that’s the case, then she could forgive him.

After all, she wasn’t part of his life before this. She couldn’t expect him to have been perfect before she even showed up. And she wasn’t the kind of woman who was petty and kept fighting about the same old thing forever.

Athena acted like she wasn’t bothered. She said with a smile, “It’s fine. As long as nothing like this happens again.”

Her words sounded calm, but her face had gotten more serious.

Right now, Zaden was clearly better than Lewis. Way better. But still–men were men.

Zaden liked her now. He was open about it. He seemed real and sincere. But would he stay that way?

After a year? After five? After ten? Would time wear things down? Would he slowly start changing, little by little, the way Lewis did? Would they still end up with the same ending in the end?

Athena didn’t ask those questions out loud. But she suddenly went quiet, and that quiet said enough.

Zaden frowned. He already regretted not dealing with it sooner. He didn’t want her unhappy

because of this.

And honestly, it wasn’t just the ringtone. There were still other things about Maya.

No wonder Athena thought he couldn’t let Maya go. He should’ve cleaned all that up a long time ago. He should’ve made sure there was nothing left, not even a trace.

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Chapter 253 New Ringtone

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With that thought, Zaden grabbed his phone and texted Tommy. He told him to clear out anything in his office that had to do with Maya. Everything. No leftovers.

After he sent the message and handled it, Zaden still didn’t feel good. He was still bothered.

Zaden could tell Athena was still a little upset. He wasn’t sure what to say to make it better.

Luckily, her irritation didn’t last long. Athena wasn’t the type to hold onto small things. She quickly brushed it off like it never happened.

Still, Zaden couldn’t shake off his unease.

Since she didn’t bring it up again, he decided not to either.

They drove back to Athena’s apartment together. She didn’t have much stuff, so it didn’t take long to pack. Within an hour, they were on their way back to the villa.

Once they finished settling in, Zaden got a phone call.

Athena could tell from his tone that it was about work, probably something urgent that needed his attention.

When he hung up, she looked at him and said gently, “You should go handle it. I’ll be fine here on my own.”

Then she added, “Oh, and since I’m free anyway, I can pick up Teri from school.”

Zaden felt a wave of guilt. He had already made her upset earlier, and now he had to rush off again instead of spending time with her. But Athena didn’t complain or show the slightest hint of blame.

She really was such a good woman.

“I’ll go to the office, then,” he said softly. “I’ll be back tonight for dinner with you and Teri.”

With that, Zaden left the villa.

Athena stayed behind and began unpacking. She opened the wardrobe and started hanging her clothes one by one. Inside, Zaden’s shirts were already arranged neatly, clearly kept in order by a housekeeper.

When her clothes hung beside his, she suddenly felt a strange warmth in her chest. A quiet sense that they were truly together now.

Though she had brought all her clothes, she realized she was still missing a few daily essentials. After thinking for a moment, Athena decided to head out to the mall to pick up what she

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