CEO Ex-Husband, Don't Bother Me-Chapter 152 - 136: Happy and Harmonious

Naomi Shaw was so furious she was speechless. She just tried to angrily shake his hand off, so he quickly changed his tune and tried to coax her. "Hey, hey, how about this? Dylan and I will come over for dinner tonight. You can treat that money as our payment for meals. That should be fine, right?"

"No way!"

Naomi Shaw rejected him without a second thought. ’He’s really pushing his luck. What’s this about being roommates? And now he wants to freeload for meals?’

Julian Donovan tried to justify it. "You know Dylan loves your cooking. I can cook, but I’m not nearly as good as you are. That little brat sometimes refuses to eat anything I make!"

"I’ll think about it!"

Naomi Shaw had no choice but to give him a non-committal answer for now. Otherwise, he would have demanded a definitive answer today. If they just kept standing around here, the two kids would have starved by now.

Only then did Julian Donovan take her hand and continue walking. The farmer’s market was well-stocked, and they managed to get almost everything they needed in one go. Naomi was in charge of picking out the ingredients and haggling, while Julian was responsible for carrying all the bags and, of course, paying.

Julian followed behind her, watching her haggle with the vendors. He was a decent cook, but he was clueless when it came to shopping or picking out good ingredients. Whenever she couldn’t get the price down, she’d pout and cajole them, "Come on, can’t you give me a little discount... please?"

And every time, the vendors couldn’t resist her charming act. They’d give her the discount while weighing her purchase, saying, "If it weren’t for a sweet young lady like you, I’d never sell this at a loss!"

And every time Julian saw she was struggling to get the price down, he would chime in from the sidelines, "If they can’t lower the price, just forget it. It’s not like we’re short on cash!"

Each time, Naomi would get so mad that she’d secretly stomp on his foot. ’Can’t he stop flaunting his wealth like that? If the vendors hear him, they’ll rip him off blind.’ Besides, haggling over groceries usually wasn’t about saving a few dollars; it was a fundamental part of the experience of daily life.

After getting his foot stomped on a few times, Julian finally got the hint. He bit his tongue and offered no more opinions, focusing solely on paying for the goods.

Once they had finally bought all the ingredients Naomi wanted, they headed back to her place the way they came. Julian carried most of the bags; she only held a few light items as a token gesture. His right hand was still possessively holding her left.

They walked the whole way in silence, neither knowing what to say.

They were still holding hands as they reached her apartment building. Naomi’s eyes lifted and fell upon a figure standing in the snow, and her entire body went rigid. Julian felt her stiffen, glanced at her with a tilt of his head, and then followed her gaze. He saw Sean Donovan standing there, his face like ice.

Mortified, Naomi tried to pull her hand free from Julian’s, but he held it in a death grip, and she couldn’t budge it. For a woman who had just told her fiancé they were breaking up, being caught holding hands with another man was incredibly awkward. Even though she had never truly loved her now ex-fiancé, the situation made her skin crawl.

But Julian refused to let go, so she had no choice but to step forward, hand still in his, and greet Sean Donovan. "Sean, what are you doing here?"

Sean Donovan didn’t answer her. His gaze dropped to their clasped hands, and with a mocking tone, he cut straight to the chase. "Anna, are you with him now?"

He had learned from his men that she had actually moved out of the apartment he provided for her. The news had filled him with panic, forcing him to end his mission abroad early and rush back. He had followed the new address his men gave him, only to find this—her and Julian Donovan, holding hands, shopping for groceries, looking for all the world like a couple.

In truth, he had seen them from his car the moment they stepped out of the building. He just hadn’t gotten out, lacking the courage to face them. ’Should I just drive away and let her be happy?’ The thought had crossed his mind, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. And so, enduring the stabbing pain in his left leg as the bitter cold seeped into it, he had gotten out of the car to wait.

Hearing Sean Donovan ask about her relationship with Julian, Naomi Shaw quickly waved her hands in denial and explained, "You’ve misunderstood. He just helped me move today, so I’m treating him to a meal as a thank you!"

Even though she intended to end things with Sean, she still felt the need to explain. ’It’s because Julian and I really aren’t together,’ she told herself. She hadn’t accepted him; he was just being relentlessly persistent. Her decision was to choose neither of them.

"Just a meal?"

A bitter smile touched Sean Donovan’s lips as he repeated the question. Then, his eyes met Julian’s, and sparks seemed to fly between them. Naomi, sensing the tense atmosphere, looked up at Julian and said, "Why don’t you go on up? Sean and I have a few things to discuss."