After leaving the hospital, Brian went to Ayla's studio.The night had fallen, but the lights in the studio
were still on.
When he went upstairs, he found that she was immersed in drafting her designs.She didn't even notice
him.
Brian gleaned that Lucas hadn't come to see her again.
With Haley by his side, he would certainly be unable to sneak out to visit Ayla.
Because Lucas knew that in order to protect her, he mustn't come to see her.
Neither Tatum nor Haley would tolerate Ayla's existence.
Stepping into her office, Brian said, "Don't you have any plans on going home anytime soon?"
His abrupt appearance made Ayla raise her head in panic.
But within a few seconds, she managed to regain her composure.
"Oh, it's you.What are you doing here at such a late hour, Mr.Clark?"
She stood up to approach him.He then went to the sofa and stared at her.
"What? Are you going to lose your temper again?"
"It's so late.You're not here to discuss work with me, are you?"
Ayla wasn't sure what to feel when she saw him again.
"No, it's not about work.I just want to have dinner with you.Would you give me the honor of doing so?"
They hadn't seen each other for a few days, so he assumed that she hadn't eaten well in the past few
days.
At first, Ayla wanted to refuse, but she decided to accept it instead.
"Sure! It would be mighty ungrateful of me to decline Mr.Clark's invitation."Brian took her hand and
remarked, "You're a_ glib- tongued woman."
If this would make her happy, then he would gladly allow it.
The past few days had been feeling empty without her bickering with him.Together, they walked to a
restaurant.
Brian had already prepared everything.
At a table by the window, one could have a clear view of the dazzling night cityscape.
There were also candles and flowers that adorned the table.
Turning her gaze towards him, Ayla remarked, "I've never realized that you can be romantic.I'm
impressed! "
She went to her seat and sat down.
Sitting across her, Brian asked, "Is that so?"
It was hard for her to believe that this was the Brian she used to know.
In the end, she just decided to enjoy everything that he had prepared.
"It looks like you've had a lot of spare time on your hands, considering you were able to prepare all
this."
When she saw him elegantly drinking wine from a goblet, her heart skipped a beat, but she just flashed
him a grin.
"In the future, I might not have the time to enjoy a leisurely dinner," he said flatly.
Ayla paused while she was holding a fork.
What did he mean by that? Was he saying that he was giving up completely? Would he never see her
again? Brian noticed her reaction, but he didn't comment on it because there were some words that
shouldn't be said right now.An overwhelming sense of loss arose in Ayla's heart.
"I see.I guess I should thank you for inviting me to this great dinner."
‘Is this the last dinner we'll have? Is this why he disappeared for so many days?’ she wondered.
Looking at the smile on her face, Brian knew that it was insincere.
All he said was that he wouldn't have the time to have a leisurely dinner in the future.Did she
misunderstand him?
"What? Do you want to have dinner with me every day?" he said, trying to figure out what was on her
mind.
They had been away from each other for two years, but so what? Ayla wasn't the kind of person who
could easily let go of the past and move on.
She had always been soft hearted.
Perhaps this was why Clayton took advantage of her, and unscrupulously sold her in his biological
daughter's stead to pay for his debt.
Using the fork, Ayla rolled up the spaghetti, and said, "Mr.Clark, you think too much."
Everyone knew that he and Anna were engaged.
She knew how much Anna had done for him, and she didn't want to make things difficult for her.
Both of them had a mountain of things on their minds.It was supposed to be a romantic dinner, but in
reality, the atmosphere was awkward.
When their awkward dinner was done, Brian drove her home.
"Thanks for sending me back," Ayla said after they arrived at her apartment."Go upstairs,"
Brian remarked.He had no intention of getting out of the car.
Turning to look at him, she asked, "By the way, did something happen to Anna?"
She could tell that if it weren't for Anna, he wouldn't have given up so easily.
Brian lit up a cigarette.
"She's in the hospital right now.
"Is her condition serious?"
Suddenly, Ayla realized that the reason her days had been so peaceful was because of Anna's
hospitalization.
However, she was worried about her.
"She's fine.She'll be discharged in a couple of days."
He looked quite calm as he took a drag of his cigarette.
His face was as still as a lake, showing no signs of what lay beneath the surface.
Ayla nodded.
"I see.That's good then.I'll be heading home now.You should go back and take care of her right away."
She then got out of the car and walked into the apartment complex.
After she left, Brian got out of his car and leaned against it.He didn't leave until she disappeared from
his sight.
Meanwhile, Toby was sitting in his study.He had been restless ever since he met Ayla that day.
Brian's appearance also made him worry about her.Not long after, Molly came in, carrying a cup of
coffee.
"Honey, it's late.Here's your coffee.Do you really have to stay up late tonight?"
She had been working in the company for two years now.
During that time, she saw how Toby bid for many losing businesses in order to vent his anger of losing
Ayla.
Molly wondered if he knew that signing those contracts meant that he wouldn't be able to make any
profits.
"Yes, there's something wrong with the municipal government's project that we signed last time."
Back then, Toby knew how determined Brian was to acquire that project, but he managed to win the
contract with the lowest bidding price.
But now, there was a problem with the company’s turnover, and the project was halted; it was
inevitable, considering the low budget.
"Honey, if we can't do it anymore, we can subcontract the project to another company to solve our
company's current problem,"
Molly suggested as she sat across him.
Toby shook his head.
"I don't want to do that."
Once he openly subcontracted the project, Brian would get it in the end.And if that happened, all of his
previous efforts would be in vain.
"You did it for that woman, didn't you?"
Molly couldn't understand why she loved him wholeheartedly and let him do whatever he wanted for
the past two years.
Perhaps he had never loved her in the first place, and used her to replace someone in his heart.He
didn't love her, but for the position of Deputy CEO of the Smith Group, he married her and got his
current position.
Maybe that was all he wanted? All that he wanted were the privileges he enjoyed now.
He didn't marry her for love.In fact, the marriage might be worthless to him.
"Molly, let's not talk about her, okay?"
Toby had kept Ayla in his heart all this time, but he just wanted to think of her secretly.
"No! That's because she’s back!"
If only Ayla died two years ago, Molly would've lived her life happily as Mrs.Brown without any worries.
But now, that woman had returned so glamorously.Molly felt uneasy that Ayla could take him away from
her at any moment.
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