No Second Chances Ex-husband (Lauren and Ethan) novel Chapter 124

ROMAN’S POV

I let out a small sigh, my gaze flickering between the manager standing nervously at the door and Lauren, who now looked as if she’d rather vanish than be interrupted. The moment between us had just begun to feel natural, balanced even, and now it was being broken by yet another piece of office business.

“Sure,” I said finally, keeping my tone calm but clipped. “She’ll be down in a minute.”

The manager nodded quickly, giving a small, respectful bow before leaving the office. The door clicked shut, leaving behind that faint silence that always followed a distraction, that kind of silence that reminded you something important had just been paused.

I turned my attention back to Lauren, watching the way she straightened her blouse and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She always did that when she felt flustered a small, nervous tell I’d noticed the first week she started working here.

“Since we were interrupted,” I said, leaning against the edge of my desk with an easy smile, “how about we finish this conversation at your place?”

Her eyebrows lifted immediately. “My house, huh?” she repeated, almost like she needed to confirm I’d said that out loud.

“Well, I mean…” I shrugged, playing casual, though there was a flicker of amusement in her eyes I couldn’t ignore. “Would you rather come to my place?”

Her lips curved slightly, but she shook her head. “Too fast, Roman,” she said, pushing her chair back and standing up.

I couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped me. “Alright, your place it is then,” I teased, raising both hands in mock surrender.

She rolled her eyes, but I could tell she was fighting a smile. Progress that’s what this felt like. A few weeks ago, I couldn’t even get her to sit across from me for longer than five minutes without her finding an excuse to leave. And the one time I had visited her house? She practically threw me out with more excuses

Now, she didn’t seem as defensive. Something had shifted, maybe it was the trust building slowly between us, or maybe it was the fact that she’d finally let me see just a little piece of her truth.

As she turned and walked out of the office, I found myself watching her leave not in the usual way a man watches a woman, but with a strange mix of admiration and curiosity. The sound of her heels faded down the hallway, and when the door finally shut, the office felt strangely empty.

The smile I’d been wearing slipped away, replaced by a quiet frown.

I sank into my chair and stared blankly at my laptop for a few seconds. My mind was still replaying our conversation every word, every look, every pause. I wanted to believe that this connection we were forming was something real. Something that could grow.

But then again, Lauren wasn’t someone easy to read. She hid her emotions behind layers of composure, as if

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she’d built invisible walls around herself to keep the world at arm’s length.

Just as I was about to reach for my phone, the door swung open again only this time, without a knock.

“Hey, Jeff,” I said, already recognizing the movement before even glancing up.

Jeff grinned as he walked in, his usual confident stride filling the room with the kind of energy that refused to go

unnoticed.

“What brings you here today?” I asked, scrolling absently through my laptop just to keep my hands busy.

“What brings me here?” he repeated, feigning offense. “I came to see my friend. You know, since it’s almost impossible to find you these days with your busy ‘CEO of the century‘ schedule.” His tone dripped with sarcasm, and I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

“Alright, man, have a seat,” I said, motioning toward the chair across from my desk.

He flopped down dramatically, leaning back with a sigh. “By the way,” he said, smirking, “who was the lady I just saw leaving your office a few seconds ago?”

I raised a brow at him. “Are you asking like you don’t know who she is, or are you just curious if something’s going on between us?”

Jeff grinned. “Come on, man, how long are you seriously going to be single? Since you divorced your wife, you haven’t been in any serious relationship. And may I remind you you’re a man, you’re getting older, and you need to have children. Don’t you want someone to inherit all that you’ve built?”

“Jeff,” I said dryly, still flipping through documents on my screen, “you’re talking like I’m seventy.”

“I’m talking like someone who’s realistic,” he countered, folding his arms. “You should’ve had kids in your late twenties. That’s the perfect time for any man.”

I finally glanced up at him with a smirk. “Then why don’t you have one yet?”

His jaw dropped slightly, clearly not expecting that comeback. “What?”

“You heard me,” I said, leaning back in my chair. “You can’t be lecturing me about relationships when you don’t have a woman or a kid yourself.”

He huffed a laugh. “My turn is coming. I can feel it,” he said, pointing at me with mock confidence. “And when it comes, it’ll happen before yours. That’s why I’m telling you this early, my friend.”

I shook my head, chuckling softly. “You’re unbelievable.”

He grinned. “So… does she have a man?”

I sighed, already anticipating where this conversation was heading. “Jeff, I’m her boss. It’s not really my business to know that.”

“Ah, but you do know,” he said, tilting his head knowingly.

He wasn’t wrong Jeff always had a way of reading me too easily. I clicked my pen, trying to focus on the papers in

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