No Second Chances Ex-husband (Lauren and Ethan) novel Chapter 98

CHAPTER 098

LAUREN’S POV

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Whatever. I was already tired tired of sitting in the back of the cab, tired of the endless waiting, tired of the fact that no matter how long I sat here, the outcome of tonight wasn’t going to magically change. Sitting there wasn’t going to alter reality, wasn’t going to transform my nerves into confidence or smooth over the uneasy knot twisting in my stomach.

It was time to move, to stop wasting time. The cab driver glanced at me in the mirror, as though silently asking if I intended to get out or continue sulking in silence.

With a quiet breath, I finally reached for the handle. Just as I was about to push the door open and step down, another car pulled up right beside me, its engine purring like a well-fed predator. The timing was ridiculous. I froze, hand still resting on the handle, irritation immediately burning in my chest.

Didn’t the driver see I was about to get out? The nerve. If I’d actually swung the door open a second earlier, it would’ve been ripped clean off the hinges. I could already picture the twisted metal, the driver’s smug face, and me standing there humiliated. My jaw clenched. I couldn’t take this anymore. I was getting a car tomorrow.

The thought lodged itself firmly in my mind, solid and immovable. Tomorrow, I will buy one. No more cramped taxis. No more drivers who didn’t know where they were going. No more near accidents because someone thought their shiny toy of a car had more right to the road than I did.

Because what could I do now? Step out and start arguing with a man driving something that expensive? I’d look like an idiot, like some desperate woman shouting at wealth she didn’t possess. But if I had been behind the wheel of my own car, my own powerful machine it would have been a different story. If he’d tried this nonsense with me then, there would have been a problem. A big one.

Tomorrow. Everything will change tomorrow.

From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of movement. The couple inside the luxury car stepped out. A man and a woman. Their posture, their air, even the way the media lights seemed to bend toward them gave me pause. There was something oddly familiar about them, like half-forgotten faces hovering at the edge of memory. I couldn’t see them fully, only their backs as they walked away but the sensation nagged me. I’d seen them

before. I was sure of it.

Or maybe I was overthinking, as usual. My mind had a way of pulling faces from the past and projecting them onto strangers. They could’ve been completely random people, ones I had never laid eyes on in my entire life. The logical part of me whispered that, but the other part, the one ruled by instinct and unease, refused to quiet down.

The sound of cameras flashing yanked me back to the present. The media swarmed, their shutters clicking relentlessly, chasing after the couple as if they were prey worth devouring. The car that had blocked me finally rolled away, the way now clear, and I seized the chance to escape the cab.

I stepped out carefully, adjusting the hem of my dress as my heels touched the pavement. The air outside was cooler than inside the cab, but the sudden shift of attention made my skin prickle with heat. A ripple of sound swept through the crowd, a soft gasp, subtle but undeniable.

The media turned.

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For a moment, I thought they must’ve been reacting to someone behind me. I glanced over my shoulder, scanning quickly, then to my sides, expecting to see some celebrity or socialite making an entrance. But there was no one. Just me. Their eyes were on me. All of them.

It was ridiculous. They looked like they’d just seen an angel descend from the heavens, and the absurdity of it nearly made me laugh. Me? An angel? I know I was famous in the business world but I didn’t think it was this much, If only they knew the storm brewing in my head.

Before I could think further, the flashes began. Cameras, dozens of them, aimed directly at me. The clicking grew louder, faster, relentless, like rain pelting against glass.

That was my cue. My signal to move. Without another thought, I hurried toward the entrance, head held high, refusing to let them capture anything but composure. Inside. I needed to get inside, somewhere their flashing lenses couldn’t follow.

The event hall greeted me with a wave of warmth and sound. It was large, opulent, the kind of space designed to impress from the moment one stepped through the doors. Crystal chandeliers cast golden light that shimmered across polished floors and gleaming surfaces. Laughter mingled with the soft strains of live music drifting from a corner of the room.

Investors gathered in clusters, glasses of champagne in hand, their conversations animated. Their polished shoes and expensive watches shone under the lights, their laughter carrying that particular tone that came from money mixing with opportunity. Every gesture, every word seemed calculated

Elsewhere, guests and staff moved through the room, balancing trays, exchanging pleasantries, creating a seamless rhythm of motion that kept the atmosphere alive. I moved with careful steps, my dress whispering against the floor, my eyes scanning, cataloging every detail because distraction was better than self-

consciousness.

“Ms. Darrow,” a voice called from nearby, pulling my attention sharply to the side.

I turned, forcing my features into a polite smile, the one I reserved for public events. The manager approached with a confident stride, her gaze sweeping over me as though appraising every inch of my appearance.

“Wow,” she breathed as she reached me, her tone dripping with both surprise and something sharper. “You certainly took this event to heart.”

I caught the look she gave my outfit, the deliberate up-and-down that spoke more than her words ever could. My smile tightened.

“Yes, well,” I replied, my voice laced with sarcasm, “you certainly can’t blame me for not knowing if this was supposed to be a formal event or not. That was meant to be your job to let me know.”

Her lips curved, but there was no warmth in them. “Regardless, you look amazing in this outfit. It’s almost like you took my word so seriously about getting the attention of all the investors.” Her pause was deliberate, her gaze sharp. “Or did you have other plans in mind?”

Her words carried a sting, thinly veiled but unmistakable. I felt the familiar urge rise in me to cut back, to deliver something that would leave her smarting, words sharpened like knives just waiting to be unsheathed. I opened my mouth, the retort ready.

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