My Ex-Husband Begged Me to Take Him Back - Chapter 174

Chapter 174: Embarrassing moment Chapter 174: Embarrassing moment Dylan and Ava sprang apart.

Ava’s cheeks burned a deep crimson, and she jumped to her feet, nervously smoothing her clothes.

“What is it, Justin?” Dylan hissed, displeased.

“Is it that urgent you couldn’t wait for permission?” “N-no, sir€¦” Justin stammered, holding out a bag.

“I just€¦brought the fresh clothes for Madam.” He risked a quick glance at her but immediately dropped his eyes to the floor.

Dylan snatched the bag and handed it to Ava, who snatched it from him and threw him a glare that could pierce through armor before storming toward the bathroom. Dylan watched her retreat with amused eyes, his lips curling into a smile.

That smile was bright and could melt the heart of steel.

Justin watched him with a mix of awe and confusion, his mouth agape.

He hadn’t seen him smile like this for ages.

It seemed that the brooding, cold Dylan had softened uncharacteristically.

“You actually look good when you smile,” he ventured cautiously.

“You should smile more often.” The warmth on Dylan’s face vanished in an instant as he turned to Justin, his expression stern again.

“If you keep barging into my office like this, I’ll have to fire you.” Justin’s face went pale, and he quickly lowered his head.

“Apologies, sir.” Dylan reclined on the sofa, his posture casual.

With a calm but commanding tone, he asked, “Did you handle the rumors?” “Yes,” Justin confirmed, standing at attention.

“All the posts have been taken down.

But there is something more intriguing.” He pulled out a tablet and stepped forward.

“Mr.

Nicholas held a press conference this morning and addressed everything.” Justin handed over the tablet, and Dylan’s sharp eyes scanned the screen.

The headline caught his attention first, but it was the video playback of Nicholas that drew him in.

Nicholas had stated that he and Ava were just friends.

He dismissed the rumors, stating, “Friends can spend time together, enjoy meals, and have fun.” He had condemned those responsible for spreading malicious gossip.

He had even filed a defamation lawsuit, urging the public to stop believing baseless stories.

“This press conference stopped the rumors from spreading further,” Justin said with satisfaction, a faint grin tugging at his lips.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect a Baker to be this rational.

Nicholas seems€¦different from the rest of his family.

Don’t you think so?” Justin turned to gauge Dylan’s reaction, only to freeze when he met his boss’s icy glare.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop instantly.

Dylan wanted to kick him in his ass.

The thought of his assistant showing admiration for Nicholas irritated him to no end.

He briefly considered giving Justin a sharp reprimand, but before he could utter a word, his phone rang.

With a furrowed brow, Dylan reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his phone.

His expression softened when he noticed Lilianna’s name on the screen.

A sigh escaped his lips.

‘She must have heard the rumors,’ he thought.

“Hello,” he answered swiftly.

“I want to talk to you,” Lilianna said grimly.

“Can we meet?” Dylan paused for a moment, sensing the seriousness in her tone.

“Alright.

Let’s meet for lunch,” he replied, already rising from the sofa as he ended the call.

His frosty demeanor returned as he looked back at Justin.

“Find out who posted those photos.

I want answers before I’m back.” With that demand hanging in the air, he left the office.

Justin heaved a sigh of relief.

“That was scary,” he mumbled.

In the meantime, the bathroom door clicked open, and Ava emerged.

She paused mid-step, her eyes scanning the room for Dylan, her gaze locking with Justin’s.

Justin offered her a sheepish smile.

But Ava didn’t smile.

“Where is he?” she asked sullenly, annoyed with Dylan for putting her into an embarrassing situation.

“He received an urgent phone call and left in a hurry,” Justin replied.

“Oh!” Ava was puzzled as to where Dylan could go in such a hurry.

And most surprisingly, he hadn’t taken Justin along.

“Why didn’t you go with him?” “He assigned me to handle some pressing matters,” he replied vaguely.

“By the way, you don’t have to worry about the rumors anymore.

The posts have been removed from social media.

And Mr.

Nicholas held a press conference and cleared the air.” “He did?” Ava blinked, a mix of relief and bewilderment washing over her.

“That’s€¦good.” Still, her thoughts raced with unresolved questions.

She hesitated for a moment before asking, “Was Dylan angry?

Did he€¦say anything?

About me or-about my meeting with Nicholas?” “Of course, he is angry.” Ava stiffened.

‘So he was just pretending not to be upset,’ she thought, her lips curling slightly into a sarcastic smile.

“But not with you,” Justin said, interrupting her thoughts.

“He is angry at whoever posted those pictures and spread the rumors.” Ava’s mouth opened slightly, her expression switching from surprise to disbelief.

“He is€¦not angry at me?” “No, not at all.

And trust me, he’ll find out who is behind this soon enough.” Justin said with conviction as he was confident that he would be able to track down the person in a snap of his fingers.

“Okay, I’ll head out now.

Take care.” He gave her a polite nod and left the room.

Ava stood there in silence, her arms loosely wrapped around herself as her thoughts swirled in endless loops.

The events of the morning replayed vividly in her mind.

Dylan’s unpredictable demeanor and the warmth in his eyes left her reeling from confusion.

She couldn’t understand which side of Dylan was real€“ the cold, detached, and impulsive person, who had mercilessly killed her father and made her life miserable in the past life and the one, who was gentle and protective.

The contrast was stark, almost jarring. How could someone shift so drastically?

Was this transformation genuine, or was it another carefully orchestrated façade?

Her train of thought was abruptly interrupted by the buzz of her phone in her hand.

Startled, she glanced down at the screen and saw Nicholas’s name flashing.

Brushing aside her tangled emotions, she pressed the answer button.

“Hello?” “Hey,” Nicholas greeted her, his tone light but tinged with concern.

“How are you holding up this morning?” “Messy,” Ava replied with a sigh.

“I am sorry.

I didn’t expect our meeting yesterday to blow up like that.” “Don’t apologize,” she said quickly.

“It’s not your fault.

There are people out there with too much time on their hands, always meddling in others’ business.” “Well, I handled it,” Nicholas assured her with a note of satisfaction.

“I called for that press conference as soon as I saw the rumors.

I hope this puts an end to the nonsense.” “Thanks, Nicholas.” Ava felt a flicker of warmth at his thoughtfulness.

But she was also grateful to Dylan.

Despite their complicated history, she couldn’t deny his role in removing the posts and standing up to her.

“I was worried about you,” Nicholas continued.

“I didn’t want you to face this alone, so I acted quickly.” “Thank you for being so considerate,” Ava said, her heart swelling with emotions.

Nicholas chuckled softly over the phone.

“Hey, you’ve already thanked me twice.

Remember, we are friends.

I’d do anything to help you.” He paused briefly, then asked, “By the way, has Dylan returned?”