CEO Ex-Husband, Don't Bother Me

Chapter 181 - 151: At Least I Still Have You

Willow Summers was the type of person who wore her heart on her sleeve, so Naomi Shaw quietly asked her, "What’s wrong? Did you two have a fight?"

Willow Summers snorted. "Some people just can’t help but meddle in other people’s business. It’s so annoying!"

Walter Jennings calmly laid out his case against her. "It’s freezing out, and you, a pregnant woman, are wearing a dress that leaves half your back exposed. Aren’t you afraid you’ll catch a cold? It’s not *your* husband holding a concert, so why are you dressed up like that!"

Willow Summers argued back, exasperated, "There’s heating inside the venue! And what’s wrong with putting on my down jacket as soon as I come out?"

The two of them had already had a huge fight about this at home. Her wonderful mood from getting all dolled up for Superstar Holt’s concert had been completely ruined by this man. She, Lillian Huxley, and Shani Linton had all agreed to wear matching cocktail dresses to support Joel Holt, and the three had even commissioned custom-made matching dresses. Although she was pregnant, her bump wasn’t particularly noticeable, and her dress was an A-line style with a full skirt that completely concealed her belly.

But who would have thought that as she came downstairs, beaming, a certain someone would stop her with a stern face and insist she change. She refused. At first, Major York had tried to reason with her patiently, explaining how pregnant women can’t take medicine for a cold and how hard this pregnancy had been for her. But in the end, seeing her defiant little chin tilted up, with absolutely no intention of changing, Major York simply hoisted her over his shoulder, carried her upstairs, and forcibly stripped the cocktail dress off her. Humiliated and furious, she was now giving him the silent treatment.

Naomi Shaw quickly tried to soothe her. "Willow, calm down. Your husband is just looking out for you. Pregnant women really do need to be more careful!"

"Looking out for me, my ass! If he really cared about me, he’d let me do whatever I want! Don’t you see how he’s completely humiliated me?!"

Willow Summers, fuming, started getting irrational. ’When we get to the venue,’ she thought, ’Lillian Huxley and Shani Linton will be in their dresses, and I’ll be the only one who isn’t. How pathetic will I look?’

’I don’t even have to think about it. Lillian Huxley will definitely be wearing hers; Caleb Rhodes can’t control her. Shani Linton will be wearing hers, too. Joel Holt would probably love it if his normally conservative wife showed off her amazing figure. It’s just me. I’m the only one completely under my husband’s thumb. AAAAAARGH! It’s so humiliating just thinking about it.’

"Er..."

Faced with Willow Summers’s outburst, Naomi Shaw was at a complete loss for words. ’They say pregnant women are irritable and prone to angry outbursts,’ she thought. ’I guess it’s true. But why wasn’t I like this when I was pregnant with my two children?’ What she didn’t know was that Writer Summers was just as explosive even when she wasn’t pregnant. Hadn’t she noticed Walter Jennings driving, completely unbothered? He was already used to it. It would be stranger if she *didn’t* have a tantrum.

The group soon arrived at the concert venue. Joel Holt was a global superstar. After his low-key wedding a while back, he had announced his retirement from show business. However, the Qing Dynasty time-travel drama he starred in became a runaway hit, catapulting him to new heights in his acting career. The owner of his agency, "Sutton," Sarah Sutton, had personally paid him a visit to ask him to remain in the industry. Left with little choice, he agreed to just go with the flow and see where things led.

When a person’s luck turns, there’s no stopping it. And so, just by going with the flow, Joel Holt won Best Actor, swept up all sorts of major awards, released a best-selling album on the side, and then rode that momentum to hold this very concert. It had been nothing but smooth sailing, leading to his current blazing success.

Their seats were all in the VIP section, which was a star-studded affair packed with A-listers. There were famous singers, major producers, and the heads of various companies. Lillian Huxley arrived on Caleb Rhodes’s arm and greeted Naomi Shaw with a smile. Naomi felt that everyone’s smiles seemed a bit odd, but she couldn’t figure out why.

There was also a man dressed in all black sitting in a corner, occasionally glancing over at her and Joy. Lillian Huxley, seated beside her, whispered an introduction, "His name is Henry Hale. He’s one of Julian Donovan’s good friends, too. My Mr. Rhodes, your Donovan, Felix Draper, and Henry Hale—the four of them met in Meridia. They’re thick as thieves!"

’Oh, wow,’ Naomi thought. ’So everyone’s gathered here today just to hear Julian Donovan sing a little song.’ Pfft... Lillian Huxley couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing, which only made Naomi even more puzzled.

The senior management from Sutton had all arrived as well. At the front was Sarah Sutton, dressed in a sleek, silver pantsuit. Her makeup was striking and cool, and she was as proud and aloof as a white lotus. Then, Naomi Shaw noticed Felix Draper staring at Sarah Sutton without so much as a blink. Sarah, however, walked right past him without giving him a single glance. For some reason, as his eyes were fixed on Sarah, Naomi felt he wasn’t the grinning, playful man she was used to, but someone deep, earnest, and full of affection.

Shani Linton was the last to arrive, taking her seat discreetly with a faint, happy smile on her face.

Every celebrity concert has guest performers. When Joel Holt introduced his guest, this is what he said: "He is not a professional singer. He is not a dazzling star. He is, in fact, a man who isn’t good at expressing himself. He’s taking the stage today simply because he wants to show his heart to the woman he loves, in a way that is a challenge for him! That’s all. I hope you will all give him your encouragement and support!"

After the introduction, Joel Holt exited. As the instrumental intro began to play, the tall, upright silhouette of a man appeared center stage. His face was obscured, but his low, magnetic voice drifted out, softly singing, "I’m afraid I’ll run out of time, so I must hold you / Until I feel the wrinkles on your skin, the traces of the years / Until I know for sure that you are real, until my strength is gone / For you, I am willing."

"Even if I cannot move, I’ll still gaze at you / Until I feel the touch of snow within your hair / Until my vision starts to blur, until I cannot breathe / Let’s be inseparable, you and I."

The moment the man took the stage, Naomi Shaw’s breath caught in her throat. Others might not be able to tell who it was just from his silhouette, but she was so familiar with him that she recognized him in an instant. She immediately clapped a hand over her mouth with a gasp.

She recalled what Joel Holt had said just moments before—that he was taking this stage to declare his love for a woman. ’Him... Isn’t this... making too big of a scene?’ she thought. This sort of grand gesture would be easy to accept from any other man, but coming from *him*, her heart filled with a bittersweet ache.

From what she knew of him, he was the kind of person who hated the limelight. More than that, he was a man who was completely inept at expressing his emotions. He was nothing like Felix Draper or Caleb Rhodes. Felix was an obvious case, but even the taciturn Caleb could easily show his affection for Lillian Huxley. But not Julian Donovan.