I Refuse to Divorce

Chapter 18

Zoe thought it was quite inappropriate. She was about to reject him when he took out a food container from the passenger seat. “This is some homemade pizza and your favorite Caesar salad. My mom made these and asked me to take them to you.”

She was kind of surprised. “Your mom remembered!”

Cecil flashed her a gentle smile and opened the car door for her, “Come on. Your place is on my way anyway.” It was hard for Zoe to reject him now. So, she got in the car and buckled up.

“Thanks for your help.”

Cecil had his hands on the steering wheel and looked at her cheerfully, “Go ahead and eat it if you’re hungry. They’re still hot.”

She did not want to act as if they were very close. Also, she did not want to make his car dirty. So, she shook her head. “I’ll eat them when I’m back home.”

He did not push her. Cecil started driving away and said after a while, “It’s perfectly fine to eat them at home so you can take your time with them!” With that, his white BMW drove off into the distance.

Mason’s face was so grim that even the grim reaper himself would have been scared away. He took his phone out of the car and made a phone call. He got his answers swiftly. As expected, Cecil was the owner of this restaurant.

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Zoe was probably too tired. She fell asleep in the car. In fact, she was still sleeping when Cecil pulled over. Cecil turned to look at her.

Her face was so delicate, albeit with a hint of weariness. He proceeded to stare at her figure which was covered by her long black skirt. He had never looked at a lady this brazenly.

She used to be a little girl in his eyes. Years went by and she became a lady. Mason was the one who turned her into the seductive lady she was today, no less.

Cecil’s emotions were very complicated now. He could not help but lean in, touch her tender cheeks, and say in a husky voice, “I was the one who knew you first.”

That was when Zoe came around. She opened her eyes and looked around her. “Are we here already?” She was startled when her eyes met Cecil’s and her grips over the food containers tightened.

Zoe was mature now. She was no fool. The two million dollar bank card. The homemade pizza he just had to give her personally. He would be hard-pressed to claim all of these as a favor for old time’s sake.

She contemplated before saying softly, “I can take care of my family, Cecil. You don’t have to worry about me!”

Cecil looked at her quietly. They were both mature adults. Of course, he understood her subtext. Zoe knew he loved her, but she chose to reject him. She was probably concerned about Mason doing something to him.

He did not push the subject. Instead, he tapped on the food container lightly and gave her a faint smile. “Sure thing! Just holler if you need any help!”

Zoe would be lying if she said she was not moved at all. Anyone would appreciate a helpful friend when they were in deep trouble. However, they were all adults and there were a lot of concerns she needed to think about.

She stood there and watched as the white BMW drove away. She started walking upstairs when she was sure he had left.

The light on the stairs has been out for several days now. The building management did not collect property management fees, so they were a little slow on the repairs. It was pitch dark everywhere!

She was about to use the flashlight on her phone when a guy held her from behind. They tumbled and she was pinned to the wall.

A ray of moonlight shone in and she was able to recognize an angry Mason, looking as if he caught her cheating on him.

She tried to shove him away, “Let me go, Mason!”

He trained his cold gaze on her, pressing himself completely against her back in an embarrassing way. The food container fell from Zoe’s hands.

Both of her hands were held high and pinned on top of her head. Mason whispered into her ear, the scent of his aftershave subtle, “Are you divorcing me because of him?”

Zoe shook her head. She was about to say something when she suddenly let out a scream of pleasure.