Goodbye My Arrogant Ex (Marguerite and Leonard) novel Chapter 251

“Mr. Zade, last time we had dinner together, I ended up drinking a little too much and—well, I made a bit of a fool of myself. I’m sorry for causing you trouble. So tonight, I’ll skip the wine—just to avoid embarrassing myself again in front of you.”

She lifted her teacup. “Let me raise this as a toast instead. Thank you for looking out for me at work these past few weeks, and happy birthday! It’s your first birthday I get to spend with you, and I hope everything goes smoothly for you in the year ahead.”

Laura had rehearsed this speech a dozen times before coming over, but standing in front of him, she found the words hard to say. Still, she forced herself to get them out.

Luke looked at her in mild surprise, a small smile curving his lips. “You didn’t have to make such a big deal out of this. Honestly, I never celebrate my birthday. When I mentioned it to you both earlier, I was only joking.”

“But I’ll accept your gift—and I’ll remember it, too,” he added, his tone gentle and easy. Birthdays had never meant much to him, and he certainly didn’t care for all the fuss and ceremony.

He was a grown man—not the sentimental type.

“Luke, you can’t say that!” Marguerite interjected, her tone half teasing, half reproachful. “If you act like you don’t care, you’ll hurt our feelings. We went out of our way to plan this, found a beautiful restaurant, and made sure everything was perfect for you. And now you say it doesn’t matter?”

As a woman, Marguerite understood all too well how deflating those words could be.

Laura felt her heart sink. Suddenly, she didn’t know where to look or what to do. She took a deep breath, trying to calm the tightness in her chest as she settled silently into her chair.

“My driver’s already on his way, so I won’t head back with you,” Marguerite announced as she stood up. “Luke, would you mind taking my assistant home? Things have been hectic at my place lately, and I just don’t have the time.”

Even now, she was determined to give them a little more time together.

“Oh, that’s not necessary, Mr. Taylor, really. I can just call a cab,” Laura blurted, flustered. “It’s not late, and I’ll be perfectly safe. I’ll text you as soon as I get home.”

She couldn’t face the thought of being alone with Luke, not with her emotions all tangled up inside. The idea made her feel awkward in a way she couldn’t explain.