Escaped My Ex, Got Snatched by His Rival - Chapter 424

Chapter 424: Tomb of buried emotions
“Noah,” he corrected Inez with a cold voice. “Please call me, ‘Noah’.”

Inez raised her brows as she leaned back on her chair. She stared at Noah sternly, his response was enough to show her the defiance which was still bubbling in his veins.

Correcting her was not only rude but also a rather bold way to express that he still had a bit of a fight left in him.

“Noah,” Inez began once again in a polite manner. “As I was saying, regret is a rather strong emotion. If you are still hung up on the past, then there is no point in moving forward with the future.”

Noah picked up the glass of wine on his side and took a sip from it. His expression twisted when he realized that once again the servants had forgotten to mix a hint of brandy in the wine. Something that he liked, if it was Ari—

He said, “What’s the point of moving on with my life if I do not learn how to regret and lament the wrongs that I have committed? Only by learning from my mistakes can I appreciate the people in my life even more. As for whether I will treat your daughter well …”

Noah trailed off, his fingers curled around the thin stand of the wine glass tightly. “I cannot give you any sort of guarantee, after all, life is full of possibilities. But if you are worried that I will make a repetition of my mistakes then you are certainly wrong.”

Inez looked slightly impressed by the answer that Noah had given her. If he had dared to say that, he would treat Zen alike a queen, and she would have stood up and left because Inez knew how a man lied. Had faced it when her ex-husband had said those sweet things to her.

But Noah did nothing of the sort. Though he was cruelly rude, he was honest.

However, Mrs Mia was not convinced that her son had done a good job in flattering the de Luca family. She kicked Noah under the table and suggested with a smile, “Why don’t your daughter and my son spend some time together after finishing the meal? I mean, they should get to know each other better.”

“Mother,” Noah let out a protesting noise, but Mrs Mia glared at him. She pinched him on the waist before turning to look at Inez. “I believe that the two of them would be a perfect match, but we cannot just set them up together without their permission.” As she spoke, she continued to pinch Noah harder and harder.

Though every word that Mrs Mia said was filled with worry, Noah knew that she didn’t mean a single thing that she had said.

Inez neither agreed nor disagreed. Instead, she turned to look at Zena, only when she nodded did Inez agree with Mrs Mia. “Very well, if this is what you want.”

Upon noticing their little interaction, Noah pursed his lips and looked down at the fingers that were still pinching him. With a sigh, he reached out and forcefully tugged his mother’s hand off his waist.

Mrs Mia, who hadn’t expected such a thing, frowned and looked up at Noah, she seemed to like she wanted to say something but was interrupted by Killian, who chuckled and said,

“Maybe Noah can show Miss Zena around the mansion?”

Noah raised his head but then lowered his gaze, his fingers curling even tightly around the fork which he had picked up to finish his mince pie. He wished he could stand up and leave —because the more he sat there, the more powerless he felt.

No one was willing to hear what he wanted, no one cared what he desired. They were all simply catering to their whims and that was how—for the first time, he got the taste of Ariana’s desperation.

The one she must have felt for three years.

After everyone was done with the supper, Killian led Inez and the de Luca family to the library while Noah and Zena were walking on the other side of the Nelson mansion.

Zena was peering at the many antiques that were placed on the cabinets and hanging on the wall, while Noah stiffly moved next to her.

“Seems like you are not pleased with these arrangements?” Zena asked as she looked at Noah, who turned and glanced at her with a hint of amusement in his eyes.

“Like? Please do not lump me in together with your grand attempt of making a sustainable sacrifice,” mocked Noah. “I knew that there was something really wrong about you, Miss Zena. But I never knew that your feelings for that barbarian—”

“Don’t call him a barbarian,” hissed Zena angrily. Her eyes flashed as she looked at Noah, “He is twice of a man you can ever be.”

Noah paused as he slowly turned to look at Zena. He was three steps ahead of her, which was why he turned on his feet and took three steps back. He glanced down at Zena and softly spoke, “Twice of a man? I didn’t know that using women and throwing them like a used napkin accounts for being a man.”

“He does more than that,” Zena retorted in a clipped voice.

“Like stealing someone’s wife?” Noah offered innocently and Zena advanced on him, “He didn’t steal anyone. She was not married to you when he made his move on her.”

“I dare say, it’s quite the opposite,” snarled Noah. “The first time Ari ran away from the hospital, it was Nicolai who helped her. Even before our divorce was finalized, there is enough evidence to prove that he met with her— if he hadn’t then…”

“Then what?” Zena gave him a solemn look. “Do you think that she would have returned to you?” Her lips curled up in a mocking sneer as she offered, “No matter what, I can assure you that she would have never come back to you, after the things you have done to her, Noah.”

“And yet, you stand in front of me,” Noah countered with a sneer playing on his lips. He said, “Isn’t it because you are worried that I will become the greatest obstacle in the path of your dear ‘brother’.”