Broken Memories, Intertwined Hearts

Chapter 144

On Monday, Ines received a notice when she arrived at the law firm saying there was an urgent meeting because a new colleague had joined the team.

Ines couldn't help but ask Amelia Young, "Amelia, do you know who it is?"

Amelia looked at Ines in surprise. "You don't know?"

Ines shook her head; she hadn't received any news.

Amelia smiled and said, "It's Aaron, the guy who wrote you a recommendation letter last time."

Ines' face stiffened for a moment. After the unpleasant parting last time, she didn't know how to face Aaron. Out of all the law firms, he chose the same one as hers. She didn't think this was a coincidence. She didn't know what he was up to.

Seeing Ines looking upset, Amelia frowned. "What's going on? You guys had a fallout?"

Amelia and Ines had become pretty good buddies by now, often going out for meals and shopping together. Of course, little Naomi was always part of the fun.

The lawyer Ethan introduced had started liaising with Amelia, promising a 90% chance of helping her gain custody of Naomi.

Ines didn't know how to explain the complicated relationship between them: "We had an unpleasant dinner a few days ago." Seeing that she didn't want to talk more about it, Amelia patted her on the shoulder and said, "Don't overthink it, Izzy; our team is already full. It's enough with you and me leading. Aaron has such a high status in the industry that he definitely wouldn't join our team as a regular auditor. As long as he's not on our team, even if we're in the same firm, we won't see each other much due to our busy schedules."

"Yeah, I'm probably overthinking it." Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

Sure enough, the new employee was Aaron. He didn't look too good; his already thin face looked even more angular. Seeing him like this left Ines with a bitter taste in her mouth.

During the meeting, he simply introduced his basic information, didn't say much else, and seemed cold and distant.

Just as Amelia predicted, Aaron was assigned as the manager of another project team. His office was a fair distance from theirs, so they probably wouldn't bump into each other much.

At the end of the meeting, Aaron blocked her way. Ines had no choice but to stand there.

Aaron had seen the look in Ines' eyes during the meeting. He knew she had breathed a sigh of relief when Jaime announced that he would be joining another project team. "Izzy, are you that unwilling to see me?"

"I made myself clear that day; please don't waste your time on me," Ines said calmly.

She was never good at playing coy, and she disliked emotional entanglements.

"Izzy, I just don't want the past to repeat itself," Aaron said, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. Ines felt a pang of sympathy. She figured Leila's death had left a mark on him. So she softened her tone a bit. "Aaron, I know about your feud with Ethan. You and Leila weren't boyfriend and girlfriend. Ethan's interference wasn't anything unforgivable; it was just fair competition. As for you and me, he had no idea." She paused before continuing, "Perhaps you don't understand women. Most women are simple and stubborn when it comes to love; you could say they are obstinate. Didn't Leila know about her health condition? She stayed by Ethan's side because she loved the time they spent together. Everything she did, she did willingly. You can't blame everything on Ethan, thinking his selfishness caused it all."

"Izzy, do you think that?"

Ines nodded. "You're too obsessed; you need to move on."

After saying that, Ines left. At noon, Ines took advantage of her free time to call Ethan, who was having lunch, "What's up, Izzy?"

"Ethan, if one day I'm unhappy with my work and don't want to work anymore, would you despise me?"

Ethan was taken aback, then said, "Why would I despise you? If you still want to work, just switch to a different company; if not, just come home and be a full-time wife. Mr. Meyer will provide for you."

"You said it; no take-backs."

"Silly girl, didn't you get on good terms with your boss? What trouble have you run into now?"

"It's not exactly trouble; I'm just worried you'll feel uncomfortable." She knew his possessiveness better than anyone.

Ethan raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why would I feel uncomfortable? Is there a guy at your firm who dares to hit on you?"

"No, it's just that Aaron has joined our law firm. He and Jaime are old friends. I only found out this morning," Ines said cautiously.

Sure enough, the line went silent for a moment. After a while, Ethan said, "Izzy, you don't need to inconvenience yourself for me. You're just getting the hang of this job. As long as you're happy, that's all that matters. I trust you."

"But you're still uncomfortable, aren't you?"

Ethan laughed, saying, "I told you not to worry about me."

After thinking for a moment, Ines said seriously, "Ethan, if you're unhappy, I'll be unhappy too." The smile on Ethan's lips deepened. If he was the guide to marriage, then Ines was a gifted student. She was originally someone who feared marriage, but now she had slowly learned to consider him and was so attentive and thoughtful. She brought him one surprise after another. It was hard not to love her.

"Izzy, I feel the same way."

Ines gave a faint smile. "Hopefully I'm just overthinking; maybe he's not here for me."

"That's right, wait for me to pick you up tonight; we'll go on a date."

"Another date?"

"Mrs. Meyer, what's with that tone? Don't you want to go on a date with me?"

"No, I'm just surprised. We've already been on one, haven't we?"

"What a silly girl. I've been too busy before. I'll try to make more time to be with you during this period. I'm a man who sees things through."

After chatting with Ethan on the phone, Ines was clearly happier.