CEO Ex-Husband, Don't Bother Me

Chapter 248 - 189: He’s My Dad

Ronan Joyce was furious. Having to meet his own daughter in secret, as if it were something shameful, only deepened his anger toward that woman.

’Alright, Lara. Since I can’t go to Thailos, I’ll just have to force you to come to Syan.’

Ronan Joyce was, after all, a man of great patience. Now that he knew he had a daughter, he wasn’t in a rush to be by her side every single day. So, he sent Cheryl Nash back.

Everything could wait until he met with that woman.

When Dylan brought Cheryl Nash back, Naomi Shaw already had dinner ready. She helped Cheryl off with her coat in the entryway and asked with a smile, "Where did your brother take you to play today?"

"The taekwondo studio."

She blinked, looking a little guilty, but Naomi Shaw didn’t notice and continued, "Oh? Did you have fun?"

"Yes! So much fun!"

After shouting her reply, she skipped into the house to wash her hands for dinner. After receiving a sharp look from his dad, Dylan shot a fierce glare at her cheerful back.

After dinner, Cheryl Nash and Joy played downstairs. Although Joy was a bit introverted, she had gotten used to playing with Cheryl over time. Cheryl was six months older than Joy, and the two girls—one introverted, the other extroverted—had complementary personalities and got along quite well.

Dylan, on the other hand, was summoned to the study by Julian Donovan. The moment he met his dad’s eyes, he deflated and confessed, "I couldn’t help it. She kept pestering me to take her to see her dad..."

Julian Donovan was an incredibly sharp and shrewd man. He had already sensed something was fishy a few days ago when Cheryl Nash insisted on coming over to find Dylan. Just now, he’d noticed her unusual excitement with a single glance. A quick call to the driver to ask where he had taken them today, and he understood everything.

"I seem to recall warning you!"

Julian Donovan chided him in a low voice. In truth, Naomi Shaw had asked him several times to contact Ronan Joyce. She didn’t want Lara Nash and Ronan Joyce to be separated either.

But he felt it wasn’t a child’s place to meddle in such matters. "You’d better think hard about how you’re going to explain this to your Aunt Lara!"

Lara Nash rejected Ronan Joyce, whether it was out of too much love or too much hate.

Dylan scratched his head helplessly. ’How else am I supposed to explain it? I’ll just have to take it one step at a time.’

「A few days later.」

Lara Nash called Naomi Shaw. After asking if Cheryl Nash had caused any trouble, she said, "I’m making a trip to Wincastle tomorrow. I’ll bring her back with me then."

"Why the sudden trip to Wincastle?"

Naomi Shaw was puzzled. There was a physics conference in Wincastle these past few days, and hadn’t Lara insisted she wouldn’t come, no matter what?

"It was a last-minute decision!"

Lara Nash said furiously, "You know how I was planning to build a hotel in Wincastle? I was just about to sign for a plot of land I’d picked out, and someone suddenly swooped in and bought it for a higher price!"

"You have to understand, I painstakingly selected that piece of land! I heard the person who bought it is still in Wincastle. I’m going to go meet them and see which shameless bastard is trying to make my life difficult right now!"

Lara Nash was beside herself. Building a hotel required a massive investment of financial and material resources; the location couldn’t be changed lightly. She had to go negotiate with the other party and try to get that land back.

She was already swamped and stressed enough as it was, and now someone was making things difficult for her at a time like this. It ruined her mood for planning her wedding, and she wished she could fly to Wincastle that very night to settle the score with that person.

Of course, Naomi Shaw also understood the importance of location selection. Hearing Lara’s story, she was also furious at what that person had done, but she could only try to comfort Lara. "I’ll pick you up from the airport tomorrow. Try not to be so angry. We can talk things over properly once you’re here and have met with them."

Lara gritted her teeth on the other end of the line. "Fine!"

That night in bed, Naomi Shaw told Julian Donovan about Lara’s upcoming visit. Julian’s thick brows shot up. "Oh? So Ronan Joyce has already made his move?"

"Huh? Ronan Joyce?"

Shocked, Naomi Shaw sat up and stared at him. Then, she asked happily, "Are you saying Ronan Joyce did this?"

"Who else would it be?"

He reached out and pulled her back into his arms. "If not Ronan Joyce, who would be reckless enough to compete with the Nash Family? And if he didn’t do this, how else would he get Lara Nash to show up?"

Naomi Shaw relaxed in his embrace with a sigh of relief. "That’s wonderful. They can finally meet. I knew Ronan Joyce still had feelings for Lara!"

She had originally thought one of Lara’s business rivals had done this maliciously and was worried Lara wouldn’t be able to resolve it. Now, it seemed there was no need to worry. ’Sigh, then again, maybe there is. Now I have to worry about whether the two of them will actually reconcile.’

Some attachments linger, old as a scar. The more you avoid touching it, the more it faintly aches.

Thinking of your cheeks, your hair... I’m not afraid. Let’s just let time give us the answer.

Are you all still enjoying the story of Lara Nash and Ronan Joyce?

Lara Nash arrived in Wincastle around noon the next day. Naomi Shaw drove to pick her up. Lara’s expression was awful; she must have been fuming about the plot of land the entire trip.

Knowing she was upset, Naomi Shaw suggested, "Let’s go to my place and see Cheryl Nash first."

Naomi Shaw already knew that Cheryl Nash had properly met Ronan Joyce. Ronan had been picking Cheryl up every day for the past few days. But today, because Lara was coming, the little girl didn’t dare go meet him and obediently stayed home to wait for her mother.

Naomi Shaw had offered to bring her along to pick up Lara, but the little girl, feeling guilty, didn’t dare face her mother just yet. She wanted to wait until her mom and dad had talked to see what her mother’s attitude would be.

Lara waved her hand irritably. "I’m in no mood to see her right now! Just take me to meet that person first. Our appointment is soon!"

"Do you know who you’re meeting?"

Naomi Shaw was puzzled. Logically, if Lara knew the other party was Ronan Joyce, she would never have agreed to meet. She would reject someone just for having the surname Joyce.

Lara said furiously, "Of course I know! It’s a woman with the surname Chi!"

"Oh, I see..."

Naomi Shaw nodded in sudden understanding. She remembered Cheryl Nash mentioning that Ronan Joyce had an assistant with the surname Chi. ’So that’s how Ronan lured Lara out.’

Lara, consumed by her anger, didn’t notice that something was off about Naomi Shaw’s tone. "That’s what I don’t get! I’ve looked at all our rival hotels, and not a single one has an heiress with the surname Chi. None of their spouses are named Chi, either. I have no idea what this person is trying to do. Are they just trying to drive me crazy?"