Lady Warrior's Warth on Divorce Day novel Chapter 142

Chapter 142

Harvey’s gaze sharpened, his eyes turning icy as he said, “What did you just say?”

“Zozo is really into my body and me. We’re in this for the long haul. I’m going to ask her to marry me when the moment’s right,” Wren replied.

Harvey’s brows drew together as he yanked Wren by the collar, his tone deadly serious. “What did you do to

her?”

Wren lifted his eyes slowly, a smug smile on his face as he said, “She can do anything she wants with me. Anything intimate, whatever she feels like. I’m lucky she wants me as I am. As for you… You’ll never know what it’s like to be truly desired by her, as a man.”

“You…” Harvey’s eyes were blazing. Just picturing Wren and Zoya getting close was enough to send surging through him.

rage

Even though Harvey knew Zoya was with Wren now–and that he had no right to be mad–it still ate away at

him.

However, Wren’s taunting words still got under Harvey’s skin.

“Harvey, Zozo and I are never breaking up, so don’t ever think you stand a chance with her!” Wren shot back.

The next second, Harvey’s fist flew straight toward Wren’s face.

Just then, the door swung open.

Wren caught sight of Zoya out of the corner of his eye. Upon seeing her, he stubbornly stood his ground, letting Harvey’s punch slam into his face without so much as a flinch.

“Bang!”

Harvey’s punch landed square on Wren’s face.

“Stop!” Zozo’s voice rang out sharply.

Harvey froze in surprise, dropping his fist. Wren staggered back two steps.

Zoya stepped forward, and her brows furrowed as she saw the redness on Wren’s cheek and the blood seeping from his split lip. She glared at Harvey and said, “What’s going on? Why would you hit him?”

Harvey pressed his lips together, suddenly speechless.

‘If I told her right now that I did it because I care about her and Wren’s words got to me,‘ Harvey thought, ‘she’d probably want nothing to do with me later. And if that happened, there’s no way I’d ever get close to her again.’

“It’s nothing. I probably said something that annoyed Mr. Crawford,” Wren said, taking the initiative before Harvey could speak.

Zoya gazed at the swelling on Wren’s cheek, concern flashing in her eyes. She reached out and softly wiped the blood from his lips. “Why didn’t you dodge?”

With Wren’s skills, he could definitely have avoided that hit.

“Mr. Crawford’s your friend, so if he wanted to let off some steam, I figured I’d let him,” Wren replied.

Harvey was so pissed he nearly ground his teeth to dust. He thought, ‘How did I never notice before that Wren was such a professional at playing innocent? He took that punch on purpose to make himself look pitiful!‘

Zoya sighed. The bottle of water she’d just bought was still ice–cold and was right for soothing Wren’s swollen cheek.

“Here, hold this against your face. It should help with the swelling,” she said, handing Wren the chilled bottle with a gentle touch.

“Sure thing,” Wren said, flashing a small, grateful smile as he took the bottle and pressed it to his cheek.

Zoya pulled Harvey aside, her eyes full of concern as she said, “What did Wren say to get you so worked up that you actually lost it and hit him?”

Harvey was still burning with anger, glaring daggers at Wren. He thought, ‘Unbelievable. Wren’s playing the victim, acting all soft and helpless. Is that even what it means to be a man?‘

“It’s nothing!” he spat through gritted teeth.

Upon seeing how close–lipped Harvey was, Zoya figured he wasn’t going to give her any more details. “If Wren ever crosses a line with you again, tell me. I’ll make him apologize. But no more hitting, okay?”

Harvey glanced over at Wren, who was still putting on his innocent act.

“You’re really going to date him? Do you even know what kind of guy he is?” Harvey snapped, frustration clear in his voice.

“Why would I fake being with him? I know some things about Wren, maybe not all of them, but isn’t that what dating’s about? Getting to know someone better? Harvey, I like him,” Zoya replied honestly.

Harvey’s throat went dry at that moment.

All his jealousy, anger, and frustration he’d been clinging to vanished the instant she said, “I like him.”

‘If only I hadn’t left Marabotara then. If I’d confessed right after her divorce, would I still have had a chance?‘ Harvey wondered, the regret biting deep.

He’d waited so long for Zoya to finally get divorced, holding onto hope that it meant they could be together at

last.

But then Wren swooped in and ruined everything.

‘Am I really destined always to be playing catch–up, just because I was late by one step?‘ Harvey thought, a

wave of hopelessness washing over him.

“Come on, drink some water. I’ll buy you guys dinner later,” Zoya said with a soft smile, handing Harvey a

bottle, too.

Harvey ducked his head as he accepted the bottle, using it to hide the lingering bitterness in his eyes.

After spending a few hours packing everything they could take from the old residence and arranging for the movers to handle the rest, Zoya took Wren and Harvey to a well–known old–school restaurant downtown for dinner.

When they got to the restaurant, Zoya headed to the restroom and, to her surprise, bumped into Daphne.

Daphne froze on the spot, clearly caught off guard by seeing Zoya there.

However, in the blink of an eye, the shock on Daphne’s face twisted into pure bitterness.

All because of Zoya, Daphne had been tossed from her throne as the Lucero family’s darling one to become everyone’s favorite target for ridicule overnight.

Right now, only the Lucero family knew the Richmond family had actually cut Daphne loose, but her status in the company was nosediving for all to see.

Daphne had lost her spot at every important meeting, and those same relatives–peers and seniors alike- who once went out of their way to win her favor were now busy giving her the cold shoulder.

Back in the day, whenever Daphne needed help, people would trip over each other to please her.

But now, all she had were endless excuses and rejections anytime she asked for help. Some folks even had the nerve to say straight to her face, “Daphne, you think you’re still the Lucero family’s princess? You only had clout because Wren was backing you. Without him, what do you have left?”

It honestly felt like everybody thought they could just kick her when she was down and treat her like she was fair game.

‘Even without Wren backing me up, I’ve got my own crew. No way am I letting anyone see me sweat, Daphne thought, not about to back down.

So lately, she’d been rolling with her circle of rich trust–funded kids, using every connection she had to wheel and deal, hoping to set up some new ventures.

Daphne was dead set on showing everyone that even if Wren was out of the picture, she was still the one running the show in the Lucero family’s next generation.

However, it came as a surprise to her that she would run into Zoya while having a meal with her friends today.

Daphne remembered back when Zoya first came to Marabotara. They’d crossed paths at a restaurant then, too, but at that time, Daphne had the Richmond family and Wren in her corner, while Zozo was just a nobody with no one backing her up.

However, it was a total reversal. Their positions had completely swapped.

“Zoya, don’t go thinking you’re untouchable just because Wren’s standing behind you now. Do you actually believe you’re good enough for him? Big deal, you can fly a plane, throw a few punches, and play soldier. The Richmond family has got pilots and bodyguards lined up around the block. So what’s so special about you?” Daphne spat, her words laced with spite.

Zoya’s eyes went cold as she said, “So all those things Wren did for you were your excuse to act fearless? Why do you always need someone to prop you up? I’m perfectly fine on my own, never needed anyone’s approval. I’ve never felt like I wasn’t good enough for anyone. If you think loving one is all about whether you’re ‘worthy‘ of one, it’s pathetic.”