Chapter 262
Liliana quickly straightened up, her face lighting up with a cheerful expression. “Hey there!” she said happily.
Finnian nodded in acknowledgment, just as another knock came at the door. “Come in,” he called out, and Dorian walked in.
Liliana paused when she saw Dorian, swallowing back whatever she’d been about to say. With a smile, she said, “Oh, Mr. Hawke, you’re here. You two go ahead and talk business, I’ll leave you to it p>
Liliana was the kind of person who knew how to make a graceful exit. Without waiting for Finnian to usher her out, she grabbed her purse and left.
As the office door clicked shut, Finnian leaned back and asked, “Second day of being a newlywed, and you’re not at home with your wife? What’s brought you out here p>
Dorian pulled up a chair and plopped down beside him with a huff. “Don’t even get me started,” he groaned. “Elysia’s been acting so weird lately. She’s been distant these past couple of days. Last night, she even turned me down. I can’t figure out what’s going on with her p>
Dorian raked a hand through his hair, looking genuinely frustrated.
When he said Elysia was distant, he meant in the bedroom. Elysia used to be so enthusiastic, but lately, she was like a statue. When he asked her why she wasn’t responsive, she just said she was tired. It was killing the mood for him, and after getting out of bed, he wasn’t getting any affection from her. It was driving him insane.
Finnian shot him a look. “Isn’t the reason obvious? She didn’t want Jessica at the wedding, and you brought her anyway. Of course, she’s upset p>
“It’s not that,” Dorian insisted. “She never used to be like this p>
He ruffled his hair again, then asked, “By the way, what’s going on with you and Amara? You’ve been really taking her side lately p>
Finnian lowered his gaze and said, “I like her p>
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Dorian’s eyes widened slowly, as if he hadn’t heard right. “You like her?” he leaned forward, staring at Finnian. “You like your ex-wife, Amara, with the scars p>
Finnian frowned. “She has those scars because she was attacked. It wasn’t her choice p>
Dorian was momentarily speechless.
He couldn’t believe that something so surreal was happening with his best friend.
After a moment, he stood up and said, “Come on, let’s forget about work for a bit and go grab a drink p>
Finnian had to be out of his mind if he was having those kinds of feelings. He was probably just overworked. A night out might clear his head.
Dorian didn’t give Finnian a chance to protest, pulling him up and leading him out of the CEO’s office.
Meanwhile, Amara was off getting a prenatal check-up. The baby was still very small, so there were limited tests they could do, but everything was normal so far. Feeling happy, Amara texted Elysia, and the two decided to meet up for a meal.
They chose a cozy little diner on Galleria Lane. As they ate, Amara asked, “How’s married life treating you? Has Dorian been any better p>
“Well, he’s definitely better than he used to be. Maybe he’s feeling the difference now that I’m not giving him much attention,” Elysia said with a shrug.
“But he ran out this afternoon without saying a word. Probably went to see Jessica. It would have driven me crazy before, but now I just don’t care p>
Elysia really didn’t want to deal with Dorian anymore. She felt like she was gradually letting go of a lot of things. Given some time, she believed she might completely move on someday.