CEO Ex-Husband, Don't Bother Me-Chapter 23: You’re Even More of a Scumbag (Part 1)

Chapter 23: Chapter 23: You’re Even More of a Scumbag (Part 1)

After quickly making and eating some breakfast, Julian Donovan stood on his bedroom balcony smoking. He heard voices from next door and couldn’t help but look over. He saw her, Lara Nash, and Ronan Joyce leaving together, apparently heading to school.

She was wearing her school uniform, a white shirt and a black skirt, walking with quiet obedience. Beside her, Lara Nash would occasionally sling an arm over her shoulders while saying something that made her press her lips together in a delicate, charming smile. Julian Donovan thought resentfully, ’How can there be no sign she was just crying?’

Every time he was with her, or even just saw her, he was bewitched by her bright, pure eyes and her gentle nature. He would always feel how good she was, which would always make him think of Juliet Jennings, and then he would feel like Juliet had so many flaws in the past. ’How is that possible? How could Juliet be anything but good? She was his first love, the woman he had loved for so long!’

Watching them talk and laugh, he found the sight grating. He resentfully crushed out his cigarette and yanked the curtains shut.

After being so hurt by Julian Donovan that day, it took a long time for Naomi Shaw to recover. She wasn’t some indestructible girl; she had been cherished and protected by Ian Shaw and Tyson since she was little, held in the palms of their hands. She had never been wounded like this before, so for a long while, she avoided him whenever she saw him.

Since they were neighbors, they often saw each other in the morning and evening. She usually pretended not to see him, lowering her head and hurrying past. Of course, he would never greet her first, either. So they would just pass each other like strangers.

Sometimes, she would be leaving for school in the morning just as he was coming home, seemingly having spent the night out. As she passed by him, she could smell the scent of a woman’s perfume on him. Whenever that happened, she would mock herself in her heart: ’See, Naomi Shaw? If you won’t get into his bed, another woman will.’

Lara Nash started frequently introducing boys to her. There were classmates and friends of Ronan Joyce, as well as Lara’s own. Among them were plenty of outstanding and remarkable guys, but she didn’t like any of them. She told Lara helplessly,

"Lara, if I could just settle for anyone, I might as well be with Tyson. At least he’s good to me!"

Lara immediately replied,

"Yes! Yes! I think Tyson is a great choice, too! You two are childhood sweethearts, and he’s incredibly good to you!"

Naomi Shaw, unable to do anything about her, just ignored her. Of course she knew how good Tyson was to her. But if she had liked him back, they would have gotten together long ago. Why wait until now?

Lara leaned in, her face full of indignation.

"I just don’t get what’s so great about that Julian Donovan. He’s got your head spinning, and besides..."

At this point, Lara glanced at her cautiously and then said,

"I heard people say he has another woman on the side..."

Naomi Shaw lowered her eyes. ’How could I not know?’ The scent of perfume on him was enough to prove it.

Among the boys Lara Nash introduced was one from Qindale, who was very persistent with Naomi Shaw. Even though Naomi had rejected him so clearly, he still waited outside her classroom every evening to walk her home.

Naomi Shaw couldn’t get away from him. Plus, Lara would intentionally abandon her. Sometimes, when class ended late at night, she was afraid to go home alone, so she had no choice but to let the boy walk her.

She thought he wouldn’t last long, but to her surprise, the boy persisted for a whole week without giving up. Naomi Shaw felt this couldn’t go on and thought about asking Lara to tell the boy to stop. Speaking of which, she had no idea where Lara and Ronan Joyce had run off to these past few days; she hadn’t seen her at all.

That day, after the boy walked her home and left, she turned to go inside. Suddenly, she glimpsed a faint, flickering light in the black car parked next door, like the glow of a burning cigarette. It startled her, and she let out a small cry.

Perhaps sensing he’d been spotted, the person inside opened the car door and got out. Dressed all in black, Julian Donovan leaned against the car, took a drag from his cigarette, and asked her softly through the curling smoke,

"Got a boyfriend?"

By his observation, that boy had been walking her home for over a week. ’She kept saying she liked him, but she’s already jumping into another man’s arms this quickly?’

Why do you all want to see Donovan get tortured so badly? There really isn’t any plot to torture him at this stage. Otherwise, why don’t you guys suggest a few ideas, and I’ll write them to satisfy you? Haha.

Naomi Shaw had intended to quickly deny it, but hearing his sour tone and remembering how cruel he had been to her, she found a burst of courage from somewhere and shot back irritably,

"None of your business!"

A trace of astonishment crossed Julian Donovan’s face, as if he never expected the usually meek and obedient girl to talk back to him like that. He immediately threw his cigarette butt to the ground, crushed it violently with his foot, and then looked up at her, his voice cold.

"It’s not my place to say anything, but let me give you a friendly reminder: Be careful of people with ulterior motives!"

Even someone as good-natured as Naomi Shaw was angered by his words. It was one thing for him to mock her, but why did he have to speak so horribly of that boy? He was innocent, wasn’t he? So she clenched her fists and shouted at him angrily,

"You don’t even know him, so how do you know he has ulterior motives? Just because you don’t love me doesn’t mean other people won’t like me!"

Julian Donovan’s expression instantly darkened. Furious, Naomi Shaw spun around and went straight into the house, giving him the cold shoulder. Julian Donovan was so angry he kicked his own car before storming back to his place. ’She’s so protective of that guy. It looks like things are really developing between them.’

Naomi Shaw had originally planned to ask Lara to pass a message to the boy, but after what Julian Donovan did, she defiantly continued to let the boy walk her home. She even deliberately timed it for when Julian Donovan would be coming home at night. She wanted to prove that while she might be worthless in his eyes, she was a princess in another man’s!

The following weekend was Ronan Joyce’s birthday. Lara Nash said she was throwing him a birthday party at their house and invited a huge group of classmates and friends. The party raged on past midnight, with everyone singing, dancing, drinking, and playing guessing games.

Lara Nash got into the spirit of things and even danced for Ronan Joyce. Lara had inherited her mother’s traits; she had an enchanting figure and was a talented singer and dancer. Ronan watched her from below, his eyes narrowed in rapture. Everyone else clapped along to her rhythm, while Naomi Shaw sat on the sofa, clapping along as she drowsed off.

She really couldn’t stand such a racket, but since Lara had painstakingly organized this for Ronan’s birthday, she couldn’t say anything. A few times, her head drooped onto the shoulder of the boy next to her. She would realize it in a daze and quickly sit up straight again.

A knock came from the door. Someone standing near it casually opened it to find Julian Donovan standing outside in his pajamas, his face a mask of fury. His sharp eyes swept over the room, and when he saw Naomi Shaw drowsily leaning into the arms of the same boy who had walked her home, his gaze darkened, and he roared with towering rage,

"It’s the middle of the night! Are you trying to keep people from sleeping?!"

His shout instantly silenced the room. After all, they were mostly seventeen and eighteen-year-old students, while Julian Donovan was a few years older. That, combined with his expression, was enough to intimidate them all.

Lara Nash, not one to back down, stood there with her arms crossed and said coolly,

"Well, well, Julian Donovan. Did we interrupt something important? Feeling a little frustrated, are we?"

"Lara!"

Ronan Joyce stood up and pulled Lara back.

Julian Donovan’s shout had completely chased away Naomi Shaw’s sleepiness. She opened her eyes, saw she was leaning on the boy again, and quickly sat up straight, glancing uneasily at Julian at the door. ’I didn’t even do anything. Why do I feel like I’m the one in the wrong?’

Julian Donovan ignored Lara, strode forward, and yanked Naomi Shaw up from the sofa.

"You, get out here!"

Before Naomi Shaw could even process what was happening, she was being dragged stumbling out the door by Julian Donovan. Lara tried to follow, but Ronan Joyce held her back.