novelraw Chapter 205 - 165: It’s Over (Part 2)
Chapter 205 - 165: It’s Over (Part 2)
Ivan Warren watched her hesitate for a long time before finally speaking. "Even if you won’t do it for the happiness of countless families, you should at least think about your future with Julian Donovan. As long as Sean Donovan is still out there, he’ll keep finding new ways to hurt you and Julian—especially Julian. The war between them has just begun. Julian may have won the acquisition battle and foiled the attempt to frame you, but can you guarantee he’ll win every future confrontation?"
The moment Julian Donovan was involved, her heart was thrown into turmoil. She was starting to waver. "How long... would I have to do this?"
Ivan Warren was right. Though she was happy with Julian Donovan now, the thought of Sean Donovan’s existence was enough to jolt her from her sleep.
"Well..."
Ivan Warren struggled to answer. "We can’t give you a definitive timeline. It all depends on when you can gather intel. The moment we have a shred of evidence that Sean Donovan is producing drugs, we can get a warrant for his arrest. You’ll be free then!"
A dull ache throbbed heavily in Naomi Shaw’s chest. ’Does that mean if I can’t find any evidence on Sean Donovan for a year, or even two, Julian and I will have to stay apart?’
’No!’
’I don’t want to be away from him for a single day.’
But thinking of those countless families, of her future with Julian Donovan, she let out a heavy sigh and looked up at Ivan Warren. "Pretend to fall in love with Sean Donovan... but what if he wants to... with me..."
She couldn’t bring herself to finish. The memory of the kiss Sean Donovan had forced on her made her skin crawl.
Ivan Warren fell silent for a moment before replying, "Miss Shaw, I can only say that you are our only hope for this mission. If this lead goes cold, we’ll be completely out of options for dealing with Sean Donovan. He’ll only become more vigilant in the future!"
She understood his meaning and felt despair wash over her once more. "I... I’ll think about it some more!"
Ivan Warren urged her, "You absolutely cannot let Julian Donovan know about this. You know his temper. Even if he knew you were going undercover to get close to Sean Donovan, he’d never be able to accept it. We’re afraid he might lose control and ruin the entire operation!"
She said nothing, just remained silent. From behind her, Ivan Warren and Thomas Dalton said in unison, "Miss Shaw, we’re begging you!"
Thomas Dalton added, "My identity is out in the open, so I won’t contact you again. Officer Ivan Warren will be in touch if anything happens. And, of course, he’ll be protecting you from the shadows."
Once Thomas Dalton finished speaking, he unlocked the car doors. Covering her mouth, she grabbed her clothes and bolted from the vehicle.
She never imagined that in a single moment, her destiny and Julian Donovan’s would be rewritten in such a way.
’How could I ever bear to leave him?’ And yet, she had to.
That explained her strange behavior last night. And it explained the words she had just uttered at the ceremony.
’If I don’t hurt Julian Donovan this viciously, how will he ever give up on me? And how will Sean Donovan ever believe that I no longer love Julian?’
’But who could possibly understand the bitterness in my heart?’
Seeing the pain in Julian Donovan’s eyes... she was in just as much agony, if not more.
But she could only endure it, forced to act nonchalant, cold, and cruel.
The taxi driver was Ivan Warren. She said nothing, just took the tissues he offered and wiped at her tears as they streamed down her face. Ivan Warren started the car and pulled away from the curb. "Where to?"
She thought for a moment, then hoarsely gave him the address of the small apartment she had previously rented. ’I definitely can’t go back to Julian Donovan’s villa. Of course, I can’t go looking for Sean Donovan now, either. That would only arouse his suspicion. What I need to do is gradually distance myself from Julian, and then wait for Sean to make his move.’
So, for now, she had nowhere else to go but that apartment.
Ivan Warren said nothing more, simply driving her to the apartment in silence.
At the very moment Naomi Shaw spoke those words to Julian Donovan at the ceremony, in another spacious, luxurious room, a man lounged on a leather sofa, a wine glass in hand, squinting at the scene unfolding on his television. As he heard her speak of revenge, a flicker of suspicion crossed his narrow eyes. His sharp gaze was fixed on her expression on the screen, but then it softened into a look of smug satisfaction.
Fortunately, Naomi had been doing her utmost to hold back her tears and force a look of indifference.
The moment his required duties at the ceremony were concluded, Julian Donovan left everything to Caleb Rhodes and Felix Draper. He rushed out of the hotel, got in his car, and sped off. He didn’t even bother trying to call her, knowing her phone would be off. He had to find her himself.
Thinking back to her strange behavior the previous night, he was certain something had happened. But he had to admit, her words just now had wounded him deeply. Especially when she had looked at him with cold eyes and said, *I just wanted you to know what it feels like to fall deeply in love with someone, only to be ruthlessly abandoned.*
The words were the ultimate irony, a form of the cruelest torture. If she had been so warm and affectionate with him all this time just to achieve this, then he could only say he had brought it on himself.
At the thought, his heart trembled with panic and unease. His hands shook as they gripped the steering wheel. With his heart in his throat, he drove straight to her small apartment.
He knew she would be there.
He burst through the door and, just as he’d expected, saw her shoes and coat in the entryway. He crossed to the bedroom in a few quick strides to find her lying on the bed, the covers pulled completely over her head.
He didn’t know what was wrong, but his only choice was to act as if nothing had happened at the ceremony. He strode over and pulled back the covers. The sight of her red, swollen eyes was a knife to his heart. He reached out to wipe the damp tracks from her face, his voice aching as he said her name. "Naomi..."
After Naomi Shaw had returned, she had washed her face, removed her makeup, and collapsed onto the bed in a daze. Now, her small, makeup-free face looked even paler. Faced with Julian Donovan’s arrival, she couldn’t summon the courage to look him in the eye. She could only turn her back to him and force out the cold, cruel words. "What are you doing here? I thought I made myself perfectly clear. We’re over!"