CEO Ex-Husband, Don't Bother Me-Chapter 56: A Myriad of Charms (Part 1)
Felix Draper muttered as he got into his car. Julian Donovan’s car had been a brand-new Aston Martin, worth over forty million RMB, and now it was completely wrecked. He was heartbroken over it.
Once in Felix Draper’s car, Julian Donovan made a call to have his own car dealt with. Then he tossed his phone aside, leaned back, and closed his eyes to rest.
Felix Draper tilted his head and looked at him, but ultimately held his tongue, deciding not to say anything else to kick him while he was down.
After that phone call filled with her sarcasm and ridicule, Julian Donovan could never bring himself to call her again. From then on, he only learned about the child’s situation through Ken, never mentioning her name.
He learned that she was the one who had named their child Dylan Donovan, and he couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger. ’I’m the kid’s father, for crying out loud! She didn’t even bother to ask for my opinion?’
The fragile feelings that had existed between them were completely eroded by one misunderstanding after another.
Most people believe that what they fall for at first sight is love—and Donovan was no exception, as humans are, after all, visual creatures. And, at first, most people won’t admit that this assumption is wrong—Donovan was no exception here, either.
But life and experience eventually teach us that true love is something else entirely. It’s the journey from meeting to acceptance, from adjustment to change. It’s what allows two people to walk a long and winding road together and still want to be by each other’s side. And this, too, applies to Donovan.
And that is why Donovan is the one and only male lead in my heart.
Therefore, it’s impossible for the second male lead to take his place.
The theme of this novel is: A scumbag male lead’s redemption, as he tries to win back the female lead with devotion and healing. If this isn’t for you, please feel free to skip this story.
Julian Donovan returned to Thailos a few months later, once their company was fully established and operating smoothly. When the four handsome men appeared at the airport, looking grand and imposing, the sound of screams rose and fell, nearly shattering the windows of the terminal.
Caleb Rhodes was elegant and gentle, Julian Donovan was calm and astute, and Henry Hale was cold and stern-faced. As for Felix Draper... pfft, he was pure flamboyance. The other three all wore sunglasses, ignoring the surrounding crowd as they strode forward. Only Felix was grinning brilliantly at the onlookers, waving frequently as if he were some big celebrity.
As the four of them settled into the car Ken had sent, Felix Draper was still shamelessly soaking up the attention. Julian Donovan shot him a look, his face full of disdain.
"Could some people please have a little self-respect?"
Only then did Felix Draper roll up the window, shooting Julian Donovan a displeased glare.
After dropping Caleb Rhodes and the other two off at their hotel to rest, Julian Donovan finally returned to his own place. It was the same as always, but the person who used to wait up to open the door for him was gone. He had already learned from Ken that she had been living at the Shaw Residence ever since the baby was born, and that she had never returned.
The house felt cold and empty, making him feel the sudden urge to go stay at the hotel with Caleb and his friends.
He put down his luggage and went out, intending to head to the Shaw Residence to visit the son he had never met—and to see her as well. Just then, he happened to run into Ronan Joyce, who was coming out from next door. He nodded at Ronan in greeting, but Ronan was clearly surprised to see him.
"When did you get back?"
"My flight landed at 8:10. I just got back. Why?"
Julian Donovan asked, confused by Ronan Joyce’s surprised expression. Ronan explained with a helpless sigh,
"Lara and Naomi just left on an eight o’clock flight to Rhovan Lyrden!"
Ever since Naomi Shaw had finished her postpartum confinement, Lara had been insisting on dragging her out for a trip to clear her head. Since Naomi’s body was still weak and she produced very little breast milk, her son was primarily on formula, so she didn’t need to be there for feedings. Unable to refuse Lara, she had finally agreed. Lara made all the arrangements—flights, hotels, everything—and Naomi entrusted her son to Mrs. Sommers and left with her friend.
Lara had grandly dubbed the trip their "Healing Journey." She sincerely hoped that it would help Naomi Shaw forget Julian Donovan completely. And if she happened to have a romantic encounter along the way and meet a truly good man who was right for her, all the better.
Ronan Joyce’s words were a considerable shock to Julian Donovan. ’She’s not here? Felix Draper insisted on coming to Thailos just to see her and our son, and she’s not even here? How am I going to explain this to the others? This... this is a complete humiliation!’
’And it’s not just that she’s gone—she went on vacation. It seems she’s been living quite a carefree and comfortable life without me around.’
"Didn’t you call Naomi before you came back?"
Seeing his stunned expression, Ronan Joyce knew that Julian had been completely unaware of Lara and Naomi’s trip. He had heard bits and pieces from Lara about how Julian and Naomi barely communicated, but he’d assumed Julian would at least have given her a heads-up before returning.
Julian Donovan snapped back to his senses and let out a cold, irritated snort.
’He hadn’t called her in months. Did Ronan think he was bored enough to call her just to pick a fight?’
Ronan Joyce sighed and held up a note in his hand.
"Sigh... I didn’t know they were planning a trip, either. Lara never mentioned it to me. I only found out myself when I came over today and saw the note she left!"
Julian Donovan raised an eyebrow, his gaze falling on the note. Ronan Joyce quickly tucked it away.
"Oh, right, if you get a chance, could you call Naomi and see if they arrived safely? Lara said in the note that I’m not allowed to call and disturb them. You know her temper... I don’t dare cross her. If I made that call, she’d skin me alive when she gets back, right? So you should call Naomi and ask. She definitely won’t be as ferocious with you as Lara is with me!"
Julian Donovan let out another heavy, cold snort. ’She isn’t ferocious with him, no. But her cold shoulder is more infuriating than any of Lara’s fiery tirades—enough to make a man cough up blood.’
Suppressing the fire in his chest, he ignored Ronan Joyce’s request and instead extended an invitation.
"Join us for dinner tonight. A few of my friends are in town."
Julian Donovan considered Ronan Joyce to be a man with a bright future. As a top student from a prestigious physics department, he might not have had a chance to display his talents yet, but Julian believed that with the right opportunity, Ronan’s potential would be limitless. After all, countries all over the world placed great importance on physics research, which was essential for developing everything from new energy sources to advanced weaponry.
Ronan Joyce smiled and accepted.
"Sounds good!"
Without another word, Julian Donovan turned and walked away. Ronan Joyce took out the note again. It read:
"Ronan Joyce, I’ve gone to Rhovan Lyrden with Naomi. My best friend is going through a hard time, so of course I have to be there for her. This is a journey of forgetting. I’ll post updates on our trip, so don’t you dare call and pester us with questions and ruin our mood. Or else, you and I are through!"
Putting the note away, a doting yet proud smile touched Ronan Joyce’s lips. This was the woman he loved—fierce and feisty on the outside, but gentle and kind on the inside. She knew that even though Naomi Shaw had been acting as if nothing was wrong, her heart was actually in pieces, which was why she had taken her away to clear her head.
Julian Donovan returned to the Shaw Residence. Mrs. Sommers was very surprised.
"Julian, why didn’t you say you were coming back? Naomi, she..."
Lara and Naomi Shaw had kept their plans so secret that Mrs. Sommers had only been told that morning, just as Naomi was leaving. Julian Donovan responded calmly,
"I already know."
Then he walked over and bent down to look at Dylan Donovan in the baby carriage. Mrs. Sommers had been just about to push him outside for some sun.
Dylan Donovan was now five months old. His features were beginning to take shape, and his overall profile was the spitting image of his father—except for his big, clear eyes. He was lying in the carriage, happily kicking his little legs, not crying or making a fuss. In that way, his temperament was just like his mother’s: he wasn’t one to cause much worry.
Julian Donovan wasn’t sure what he was feeling. The sensation of being a father for the first time was impossible to put into words. Even though this child had been born to a woman he believed he didn’t love, his heart still softened in a way that felt inexplicably strange. ’It must be because the baby is so cute and well-behaved,’ he thought.
