The Day I Walked Away My Empire Began novel Chapter 227

He was still sulking, stubbornly ignoring her.

Ten minutes ticked by before she messaged again.

[Are you really not going to talk to me?] She added a string of teary-eyed emojis.

Steven’s composure started to crack. He shot back a voice message, cold and clipped. “Lucie, what do you even want from me? Haven’t you messed with me enough?”

Her reply came almost instantly.

[I swear I’m not messing with you! I really do like you—a lot. What happened today was just a misunderstanding. I’ll explain it all someday, I promise. But please, don’t be mad at me, okay?] More pitiful emojis followed.

Steven stared at her message, reading it over and over. He was still pissed, but the way she apologized—so careful, so soft—managed to cool him down a bit.

His anger faded, but the jealousy only got worse. Just thinking of her running into Elio’s arms so soon made him feel like he was about to explode.

[Don’t be mad, please? I want to kiss you and hold you. Please forgive me, baby?]

He scoffed, typing back, [You’ve already got someone new. Why are you still bothering with me? Seriously.]

On the other end, June stared at his message, torn between guilt and nerves. She knew she shouldn’t be pretending to be Lucie just to flirt with him. She’d already tried adding him with her real account, but he’d ignored her every time, acting all cold and distant.

She’d had no choice. She secretly used Lucie’s phone, pretending to be her, and sent him her secondary account.

[Who told you I have someone else? He’s the one who keeps chasing after me. I can’t help it—I’m just too charming.]

She hit send and waited.

Steven read her reply, and finally, some of the tension in his chest eased. It made sense. She was always loyal when it came to love. She wouldn’t move on that quickly. It had to be Elio pestering her.

That jerk. He was going to have to teach him a lesson someday.

[Then why don’t you just ignore him?]

[I’m sorry. I’ll ignore him from now on, okay? I’ll only talk to you, promise. Kisses.]

[Trying to sweet-talk me again?]

[I mean it! I really, really like you. Please don’t be mad anymore, okay?]

Steven read her messages, half-annoyed, half-amused. He let her stew for half an hour before finally texting back: [Just this once. Don’t do it again.]

June’s whole face lit up when she saw his reply. She sent him a bunch of kiss emojis.

Then she sighed and mumbled to herself, “Ugh, my dream guy, I really am crazy about you. But you’re so unattainable, I had to pretend to be your ex-wife just to get your attention.”

Lucie let out a quiet sigh and started to leave.

But Elio’s brow furrowed, and he slowly opened his eyes.

“Mmm… Lucie? What’s going on?” he mumbled, trying to sit up.

“It’s nothing. Just go back to sleep,” she said.

Elio blinked, still half-asleep. “Are you done working?”

“Not yet. I’ll probably be busy for another three or four hours. Why don’t you go back to the hotel and rest?”

He shook his head. “No, I’m fine here.”

Then he noticed the blanket and smiled, his eyes softening. “Did you put this over me?”

“Yeah.”

Elio gripped the blanket, a teasing smile spreading across his face. “Were you worried I’d freeze?”

Lucie frowned, dodging the question. “I have to get back to work.”