The Billionaire Ex-Wife and the Beggar He Became novel Chapter 157

Felicity froze again, thrown off by the atmosphere in the room.

She'd already noticed that both Julian and Tiana were acting strangely toward her today—surprised, guarded, even a bit distant.

She could understand Tiana's reaction. The little girl had been sick recently, and Felicity had been swamped with work, barely having time to check in. It was only natural for Tiana to act out a little, wanting attention.

But Julian…

"What's going on, Julian? The three of us were already at city hall this morning, but then you suddenly turned around and left. I'm really worried about you—especially after that court summons. Who's suing you?" Felicity, ever poised no matter the situation, handled his coldness with calm composure.

She'd always met him as an equal—never clingy, never accusatory.

"Let's talk about it later." With Tiana in the room, Julian wasn't about to bring up Winona. Especially since Tiana had been clamoring to see her.

Realizing he didn't want to talk, Felicity let it go.

She understood Julian well enough to know: if there was something he didn't want to discuss, it was best not to push.

That, in fact, was one of the reasons she'd managed to keep his heart over the past three years. Felicity was confident and perceptive, never trying to tie Julian down, never giving him reason to resent her.

"Alright, Julian. If you're not in the mood, go on upstairs and get some rest. I'll take care of Tiana. Come here, sweetheart—how about Aunt Felicity tells you a very funny story today?" Felicity's tone was light and playful as she beckoned Tiana.

Tiana slid off Julian's lap and ran gleefully over to Felicity.

Julian's mood seemed to ease a little. He turned to Felicity, asking, "Did you come by for something else?"

"We basically forced that statue out of Winona's hands. You refused to let her buy back her grandmother's keepsake at a fair price, then you outbid her by a thousand times, just to take it away and use it to humiliate her grandmother—and by extension, Winona herself. Is that right?" Julian's voice was still calm, but there was a coldness in his eyes.

Felicity didn't hesitate. "That's right! So what? She's been after my man for ages. Why shouldn't I use his money to put her in her place? Did I break any laws?"

Julian was left speechless by her retort.

"Julian, what happened this afternoon to make you so hostile toward me? My grandma's done nothing wrong to that woman, and my grandpa was manipulated by her. Winona and her grandmother stormed my grandma's birthday party and even tried to hit me—am I not allowed to respond, at least in a civilized way?"

Felicity was unwavering, her voice strong.

With that, she stood and headed for the door. Pausing at the threshold, she glanced back at Julian. "Julian, I don't know what happened today, but maybe we're both under a lot of stress lately. We should take some time to cool off. As for work, let's keep things going as usual, alright?"