Hello, Ex! I Finally Found My Worth! - Chapter 78

Chapter 78: Catching Up

The morning sunlight streamed through the dining room’s tall windows as Alex, Claire, and Emma sat at the table for breakfast.

The clinking of cutlery against porcelain filled the air, but Alex’s mind was far from his plate. He stirred his coffee absentmindedly, his brow furrowed as a thought gnawed at him.

He had been too focused on his jealousy to have thought about what Claire had in detail.

She had said the strange guy had bumped into their car at a traffick stop and afterwards, they had come out to lash out only to realize Emma knew the guy.

If that was so, why hadn’t the shadow bodyguard he assigned to Emma mentioned anything about it to him?

He had explicitly ordered them to report any interaction she had with strangers, and yet, they had said nothing about the college admirer Claire so casually mentioned the night before.

His gaze flicked to Emma, who was quietly sipping her tea, her expression serene. Was she aware of the measures he’d taken to ensure her safety?

Probably not. And yet, the thought of this new guy or admirer being around her and the possibility of her entertaining his attention left an uncomfortable weight in his chest.

Alex exhaled, forcing himself to focus on his breakfast, though the food tasted like nothing.

Deciding to find out what was wrong with the guys, he pulled out his phone to text their leader since he couldn’t call them now at the table.

[What’s up, Harry? I heard Emma ran into a stranger yesterday. What happened and why was the encounter not reported to me? Are you slacking off from your duty?]

He read the text again before hitting the send button. After that, he dropped the phone on the table and tried focusing himself to eat while glancing toward his phone incase a reply came in.

While his mind was occupied with those thoughts, Claire, seated opposite him, was chatting animatedly with Emma about plans for the day.

She seemed entirely unbothered, though Alex knew her sharp eyes missed nothing. He was grateful for her presence since it provided Emma with some company while keeping a watchful eye on her.

“So, you’re still going out?” Alex asked looking at Emma and she turned to look at him.

“Yes….” before she could complete her sentence, her phone rang and she glanced at it.

Alex watched in curiosity as Emma frowned and he couldn’t help wondering why. Was it the guy or was it someone else?

“Why are you not taking the call?” Claire asked when she saw how Emma was hesitating.

“It’s a strange number,” Emma said and Claire laughed.

“That’s obviously Chris calling. C’mon, go ahead and take it,” Claire said urging her.

“But that could also be someone…..” Before Alex could finish, Emma had already received the call.

Emma hesitated briefly, her fingers gripping the phone tighter as she brought it to her ear. “Hello?” she said softly, her voice guarded.

Alex leaned back in his chair, his jaw tightening as he tried to gauge her reaction. Claire, ever the instigator, sipped her coffee with a smug expression, pretending to be engrossed not to notice the look on Alex’s face.

“Hi, Em, it’s Christopher,” the voice on the other end said cheerfully.

Emma’s lips curved into a faint, polite smile. “Oh, hi, Chris.”

Alex’s grip on his fork tightened as he heard the name, and his gaze flicked to Claire, who raised an eyebrow at him, clearly enjoying his discomfort.

“How are you this morning? I’m sorry I didn’t call to know if you got home early yesterday,” Christopher said warmly.

“Oh, it’s nothing. How are you?” Emma replied, her tone courteous but neutral.

“Better now that I’ve heard your voice,” Christopher said, chuckling lightly.

Emma glanced at Alex, who was now blatantly staring at her, his expression unreadable but his eyes sharp.

She quickly looked away, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “That’s… nice of you to say.”

Alex’s fingers drummed on the table, his irritation bubbling under the surface. Though he couldn’t exactly hear what the fool was saying, he could deduce from her reaction and reply that he was probably flirting with her.

Was the idiot really going to hit on someone’s wife? He thought, his gaze boring into Emma as though willing her to end the call.

“About our plans for today,” Christopher continued, oblivious to the tension in the room. “I was thinking we could meet around noon? Maybe grab lunch and catch up?”

Emma hesitated. “Uh, sure. Noon sounds fine. But you should know Claire is joining us.”

“Claire? The beautiful woman that was with you yesterday?” Chris asked and Emma giggled.

“Beautiful, huh?” she teased and Christopher chuckled.

“Don’t start please. It was just a harmless talk. Besides, she really is beautiful,” Chris said and Emma glanced at Claire, a mischievous glint dancing in her eyes.

“Whatever you say. So?” she asked since he was yet to say anything about Claire joining them.

“Sure. It’ll be great to see her! I’ll text you the location,” Christopher said. “Looking forward to seeing you both again, Em.”

“Alright, see you then,” Emma said before hanging up.

As she placed her phone back on the table, the silence was deafening. She could feel Alex’s gaze burning into her, but she focused on her tea, pretending not to notice.

“So,” Claire said, breaking the tension, her voice light and teasing. “You’re all set for your date, huh?”

Emma flushed slightly. “It’s not a date. We’re just catching up.”

Alex snorted softly, his lips pressing into a thin line. “Catching up. Right.”

Emma glanced at him, her brow furrowing. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” Alex said, pushing his chair back abruptly. “Just don’t forget you’re still married, Emma. Even if it’s in name only, people will talk if they notice anything.”

Claire smirked. “That’s why I’m going with her, remember? To keep things in check. You don’t have to worry so much, Alex.”

Alex shot her a look but said nothing. Instead, he grabbed his phone, which had just vibrated with a reply from Harry.

He skimmed the message quickly:

[Apologies, sir. We didn’t see any cause for alarm. The man seemed harmless, and both Ms. Sterling and Mrs. Sterling appeared comfortable with him. We stayed in the background as instructed.]

Alex’s jaw tightened. Harmless? Comfortable? He was starting to wonder if he’d been too lenient with his instructions to the bodyguards.

“I have to get to work,” Alex said tersely, grabbing his briefcase. He glanced at Emma, his eyes briefly softening before hardening again. “Be careful today.”

“Have a good day,” Emma replied softly, and Claire merely gave a distracted wave as she reached for the fruit platter.

As Alex walked to the front door, his mind was still tangled in thoughts of Emma, and the stupid catching up or rather date she was having with Chris. But the moment he opened the door, those thoughts scattered like dry leaves in the wind when he saw who was standing there.