My Ex-Husband Begged Me to Take Him Back - Chapter 151

Chapter 151: You still care about him.

Dylan closed the folder with a sharp snap, his gaze hard. “Find that prisoner before anyone else does,” he commanded. “We can’t afford to lose him too. I need to know who is behind all this.”

Justin hung his head down. “This time, it was our fault,” he said apologetically. “We weren’t careful enough when we approached him. He must’ve sensed our presence and bolted. Before we could get to him, a car came out of nowhere—and rammed him. We could do nothing.”

He paused, and the horrific scene of the car hitting the man and speeding away flashed across his mind. He shook his head, shrugging off the disturbing images.

“It was too dark to catch the license plate,” he added bitterly.

Dylan’s fists clenched on the desk. “So, what you’re saying is, you have no lead—nothing to track down the person who killed him?”

“I…” Justin opened his mouth. For a moment, he was at a loss for words. “Sorry to disappoint you, sir.”

“Damn, Justin – I don’t need your sorry,” Dylan growled, slamming his fist on the table. “I want result.”

Justin stood there stiffly, speechless. He couldn’t meet Dylan’s gaze, shame and regret weighing heavily on him.

Last night’s operation flashed through his mind—their team had received intel about the man being spotted at a rundown bar far from the city. They had rushed to capture him, and for a moment, success had seemed within their grasp.

But the man had spotted them and tried to run away, only to be struck down by a speeding car before they could catch up. Justin had watched, helpless, as their lead was snuffed out in a heartbeat.

“This matter is getting serious…” Dylan murmured, his expression changing from rage to pensive. “First, the mechanic was killed. And now this thug. They’re cleaning up loose ends.”

His gaze hardened. “The same person is responsible for bringing Gianna out of jail, and it’s only a matter of time before they make another move. We need to stay ahead of them this time. Double the security around Ava. I don’t want a single gap in her protection.”

Justin said nothing, his mind reeling with an idea. But he hesitated to voice it.

Dylan could see Justin had something in his mind. “You’ve got something to say. Out with it.”

“I have an idea, but…” Justin hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “I’m not sure you’ll approve.”

“Speak,” Dylan demanded.

Justin squared his shoulders as if bracing for a storm. “The enemy’s primary target is Ava Madam. To draw them out, we could use her as bait.”

“What did you say?” Dylan’s reaction was immediate, his face darkening with a flash of fury. “You want to use Ava as bait?” He stiffened in his place, his eyes blazing.

“Uh… this is…”

“No!” Dylan’s growl cut him off mid-sentence. “I’ll never allow it. Do you understand what you’re suggesting? Putting Ava in danger is out of the question.”

Justin flinched at the intensity of Dylan’s gaze but pressed on. “Listen to me, sir. The security team will be positioned to protect her, and the enemy won’t see it coming. We could—”

“Bad idea,” Dylan spat. “I reject it.”

Justin opened his mouth to argue, but Dylan’s glare silenced him. “I won’t risk her life for anything, not even to catch this damned enemy.”

Justin sighed, his shoulders sagging under the weight of defeat. “Understood,” he muttered. “I’ll keep looking into other approaches.”

“And don’t ever propose something this reckless again. Am I clear?”

“Yes, sir,” Justin replied, nodding curtly.

While Dylan was at the office, Ava stopped at Ethan’s place. Ethan was pleasantly surprised to see her.

“Good morning, Ava.” Guiding her to a seat, he added, “You came at the perfect time. I was about to have breakfast. Join me.”

“No thanks,” she turned him down. Her tone was clipped, her posture rigid. “I already ate. You go ahead.”

Ethan chuckled. “Suit yourself. But maybe you can join me later—I’m heading to the orphanage.”

Ava’s expression didn’t soften. Instead, she fixed him with a penetrating gaze. “I didn’t come here for breakfast or to tag along. I need to talk to you about something serious.”

Her serious tone wiped the smile off Ethan’s face. He set down his coffee mug, his brow furrowing. “What’s troubling you?”

Ava didn’t waste time. “I know about the messages you sent Dylan,” she said bluntly.

Ethan’s calm facade cracked. The excitement he had felt a while ago vanished. He realized Ava had an argument with Dylan and that she was here to question him. A flicker of anger danced in his eyes as he waited for what she had to say.

“You knew Dylan wasn’t invited to the party,” Ava continued. “So why did you send him those photographs? And why did you take pictures of me with Nicholas? Don’t you realize how Dylan is? Those photos could easily spark doubts in his mind. What were you trying to do—stir up trouble?”

“Yes, I sent them,” he admitted sharply, unable to control his fury. “I sent those photos intentionally. Do you remember how he hit me? How did he humiliate me? I wanted to make him angry, frustrated.”

Ethan twisted the fact yet again. He intended to instigate Dylan to pick a fight with Nicholas, which would only increase the tension with Ava. But what he had anticipated had not happened. He had not thought Ava would come to interrogate him.

Ethan’s temper flared. “He needed to know what’s at stake,” he said coldly. “He thinks he owns the world. I wanted him to feel just a fraction of the frustration he caused me.”

“Okay, hold on.” Ava raised a hand and stopped him. “I get that you’re upset with Dylan. But this? This is not how you handle your frustration.”

Her eyes bore into Ethan’s, unwavering and resolute. “You’re dragging me and Nicholas into this mess, twisting reality to suit your narrative. Nicholas is a friend—nothing more. Do you hear me? Nothing. The message you sent to Dylan was crafted to plant seeds of doubt, to provoke him. That’s unacceptable.”

Her voice grew colder, sharper. “If you felt humiliated that day, why didn’t you hit him back? Why didn’t you deal with it like a man? Instead, you’ve chosen to weaponize me. I’m not an object for you to use. Understood?”

Each word landed with precision, piercing through his heart. Ethan could feel his composure slipping, annoyance bubbling dangerously close to the surface.

Ava inhaled deeply, steadying herself before speaking again. “I hope I’ve made myself clear.” Her tone was not as cold as earlier. “Ethan, you’re family to me. Like a brother. That’s why I’m telling you this—I don’t want you meddling in things with Dylan. This is between him and me.”

Ethan’s patience was about to snap. “You still care about that man. Are you planning to reconcile with him?”

“No,” Ava shot back immediately. “This isn’t about him. It’s about you, Ethan.” She paused, letting the words settle. Her gaze didn’t waver. “You’re better than this. You’ve always been kind, understanding, and calm. But what you did—it’s not you.”

She turned around, her back stiff. “I hope you think about what I’ve said. Don’t repeat the mistake.” With that, she left.