CEO Ex-Husband, Don't Bother Me-Chapter 145 - 132: Moving (Part 2)

Jean Coleman, however, didn’t know about their shared history, so she just assumed he was genuinely interested in Anna.

"What can I do? I’ve just taken a liking to her."

He took a drag from his cigarette, a smile tugging at his lips through the swirling smoke as he glanced at Jean Coleman and spoke.

’It’s you I love, you I’m in love with.’

"Then what about Dylan’s mother?"

Jean Coleman posed the question to Julian Donovan. She remembered the guilty look on his face when he’d mentioned Dylan’s mother before. She had thought he would try to win her back, so how could he suddenly be interested in Anna?

"That’s a separate issue!"

Julian Donovan muttered, then added, "I have to run. I’ll leave Dylan with you. I’ll be back to get him tonight!"

"Go on, you handle your business. I’ll be sure to take good care of your son!"

Jean Coleman hadn’t quite caught his last remark, but she didn’t press the matter. To be honest, she quite liked that girl, Anna Quinn. Not only was she pretty and refined, which appealed to her, but she was also kind, gentle, and thoughtful. It didn’t even matter that she had a daughter. But her connection to Sean Donovan... Ugh. She heaved a heavy sigh and turned back toward the house. ’Who ends up with whom is all a matter of fate. What happens next is up to the kids.’

Naomi Shaw watched from the window as he drove away and breathed a sigh of relief. If he had kept hovering around her like he just had, she was sure she would have had a breakdown.

But her relief was short-lived, as his call came in to pester her. Staring at the number on the caller ID, she was torn. She didn’t want to answer, but she couldn’t just ignore it. She hadn’t wanted to memorize his number, but somehow, after just a few calls, she had.

In the end, she answered. She knew if she didn’t, he would be relentless and just keep calling. His voice came through the phone, sounding quite cheerful. "Dylan has a school event in a few days. Let’s go together!"

"I’m not free!"

She refused without a second thought. ’What will it take for him to leave me alone? Hasn’t he already made my life chaotic enough?’

"Naomi Shaw, whatever is going on between us shouldn’t affect Dylan, right? Do you really want all the other kids to have both their parents there, while he’s the only one with just a dad and no mom?"

He reasoned with her in a slow, deliberate tone.

The moment Dylan was mentioned, Naomi Shaw was left with no choice. She had never been to a parent-child event like this, so she had no idea that most children only had one parent show up, or sometimes even their grandparents. Her heart ached for Dylan, and so, she let herself be swayed and agreed. "Okay..."

"Great! I’ll pick you up then."

She could hear the smile in his voice. He hung up immediately after he spoke, as if afraid she would change her mind. Naomi Shaw put her phone away with a helpless sigh.

In the afternoon, she said a quick word to Jean Coleman and left. She planned to visit a real estate agency to look for an apartment. Her goal was to move out over the weekend so she could return the keys to Sean Donovan on Monday when she went to work.

She felt truly sorry when it came to Sean Donovan. For three years, she had taken advantage of the warmth and care he’d given her. She blamed herself for being too weak, for being too dependent on others. From now on, she would be strong and build a good life with Joy.

Before she left, she pulled Dylan aside and hugged him affectionately. "Dylan, be a good boy and listen to your grandma, okay? Mommy can’t spend much time with you this weekend. I have to go find a new place to live. Once Mommy is all settled, you can come over all the time!"

Dylan furrowed his little brow, confused. "Mommy, why are you moving?"

She reached out and gently smoothed his brow, smiling softly. "Don’t frown so much."

It was the exact same expression Julian Donovan made, one that made him look deep and calculating.

She didn’t answer Dylan’s question. Even though Dylan was very mature for his age, she still preferred to treat him like a simple six-year-old and shield him from the complexities of the adult world. She wasn’t like Julian Donovan, who always treated him like a miniature adult and told him everything.

Dylan was smart enough not to ask again. He gave her a kiss goodbye, and she left the orphanage with Joy in her arms.

The moment she left the orphanage, Dylan was on the phone with Julian Donovan. "My mom says she’s going to find a new place and move!"

"For real?"

On the other end of the line, Julian Donovan was in the middle of a discussion with Caleb Rhodes and Felix Draper about acquiring the Donovan Group. He was so happy when he got Dylan’s call that he leaped out of his chair.

’She’s looking for a new place to live? So, all of Sean Donovan’s antics didn’t bring her closer to him but drove them apart instead? Talk about digging your own grave. I bet Sean Donovan never saw that coming.’

’My Naomi is so awesome! I was just racking my brain for an excuse to get her out of Sean Donovan’s house, and now she’s moving out on her own! It’s like that saying: you can wear out iron shoes searching for something, only to find it by chance. It must be fate. See? Even the heavens are on my side.’

"It’s true! She told me right before she left. You’d better make your move!"

Dylan coolly hung up. Julian Donovan immediately left Caleb Rhodes and Felix Draper hanging, stepping aside to make a call. He ordered his men to keep an eye on her apartment hunting. Whichever place she set her sights on, he’d have the agency drop the rent to rock bottom.

’Even if she still hates my guts, at least her breaking things off with Sean Donovan takes some of the pressure off, right?’

When Julian Donovan returned from his call, he was grinning from ear to ear. The brilliant smile on his face made Felix Draper openly jealous, so he decided to rain on his parade. "Hey, Donovan," he said cheekily, "how about you sing a little song for me?"

Sure enough, Julian Donovan’s face darkened. "Get lost!" he snapped.

Felix Draper clutched his stomach, laughing, before his expression turned serious. "Okay, okay, all jokes aside. How’s your practice going?"

"I’m working on it, I’m working on it! Can you just drop it?"

Julian Donovan got annoyed the moment Felix Draper brought it up. It was all because of some stupid idea Felix had cooked up. He’d never done anything like this in his entire life!

"We’re all really looking forward to it. Right, Boss?"

Felix Draper said with a grin, turning to Caleb Rhodes, whose face also held a smile he couldn’t suppress. "I am indeed quite looking forward to it!" Caleb confirmed.

Julian Donovan shot them a glare, and only then did the two of them wipe the smiles off their faces and get back to business.

Naomi Shaw took Joy to a residential complex situated between Donovan Hospital and Joy’s kindergarten. It was a beautiful and quiet neighborhood. Being adjacent to the hospital and the school, as well as close to the sea, made it a prime, high-end location. She had come here despite the expensive rent, mainly because the convenience for her work and for taking care of Joy was worth it.