CEO Ex-Husband, Don't Bother Me-Chapter 83 - 81: Going to Meridia Together 5

"Let me out! I want to see Ronan Joyce! I want to be with Ronan Joyce!"

"Have you made enough of a scene?!"

Finally, her mother, at the end of her rope, strode forward and grabbed her.

"What’s so good about that poor boy? Why are you defying us like this for him?!"

"Everything about him is good, even if he doesn’t have money!"

Lara Nash roared, her eyes red.

"I’m not like you! I won’t marry Dad for money!"

Lara Nash’s mother was the King of Gamblers’ second wife. The man was a full twenty years her senior, so it was obvious she had married him for his money. Enraged by her daughter’s accusation, she slapped her hard across the face. Within moments, five bright red finger marks bloomed on her fair skin.

Lara Nash stood there stubbornly, glaring at her mother. Lara’s mother was a glamorous woman, a former singer who, after marrying the King of Gamblers, had only given birth to one child—Lara. She was already resentful that she wouldn’t receive a larger share of the family inheritance for failing to produce a son. How could she possibly agree to her daughter throwing her life away on some poor boy?

Trembling with rage, she ordered the bodyguards,

"Men, lock her in her room!"

The bodyguards moved to drag her away, but she fought back like a madwoman.

"If you don’t let me see Ronan Joyce, I’ll kill myself right in front of you!"

Hearing her threats of life and death, the King of Gamblers, Hector Nash, who had been silent until now, slammed his hand on the table and barked,

"Nonsense!"

Although he had a vast fortune and many children, Lara was his only daughter. Her generous and lovely personality, coupled with her talent for singing and dancing, made her exceptionally likable, and so he doted on her endlessly. He could never agree to let his precious daughter suffer hardship with some poor boy. Most importantly, no matter how much he spoiled her, she was born into a family where marriage had to prioritize the family’s interests.

The King of Gamblers had barely finished speaking when someone came to announce,

"Sir, Mr. Joyce is here!"

Lara, still held by the bodyguards, broke into a tearful smile. She knew her Ronan wouldn’t leave her to fight this battle alone. The King of Gamblers gestured for the bodyguards to release her, then ordered in a low voice,

"Show him in!"

Outside, Ronan Joyce clenched his fists tightly, his lips pressed into a thin line as he walked through the brilliantly lit gates. After tonight, he would be completely separated from the girl he loved. His heart was already numb with pain, but he had to keep living. Her parents had threatened the lives of his parents back in Syan to force him to break up with her. They said she would only fall into despair if he was the one to cruelly initiate the breakup and abandon her.

He didn’t want to give up on her like this. But when he saw the photo of his father’s bloodied face and his mother crying hysterically beside him, he wept. Then, he chose to compromise.

The moment Ronan Joyce entered, Lara threw herself into his arms, crying.

"Ronan, you’re finally here!"

But Ronan just pushed her away coldly. He had just heard her threat to kill herself.

"Lara, dying for love isn’t worth it. It’s so stupid!"

"Ronan Joyce, what did you say? Dying for love isn’t worth it? It’s stupid?"

Lara stood there, stunned, questioning him dazedly as hot tears streamed down her face. If her parents had still refused, she had been planning to swallow a whole bottle of sleeping pills tonight to threaten them. Even if she really died, she would have had no regrets, because she knew she could never love another man in this lifetime.

’And yet he said, dying for love is stupid.’

He looked down at her, his eyes filled with indifference.

"Yes, it’s stupid. And not worth it. I still have great ambitions for my life, and I have parents I need to honor. I’m sorry, but when faced with a choice, I selfishly choose myself over love. So, let’s break up. I won’t die for you!"

You don’t die from a lack of love. It just makes life a living hell.

Lara’s face was a mask of disbelief. Ronan Joyce’s lips curled into a cruel, sarcastic smile.

"Also, I forgot to tell you, I have a fiancée back in Syan. These past four years with you... oh, right. The main reason I was with you was to marry into a wealthy family. I just didn’t expect your parents to see right through me. They won’t let us be together, so... my plan failed. I have no choice but to confess everything to you!"

Lara’s face turned horrifyingly pale. He could say he wouldn’t die for her. He could say he wanted to break up. But how could he say something that so cruelly insulted her and their four-year relationship? Crying, she shook her head, unable to believe that the snobbish man before her was the same one she had loved for four years.

Ronan Joyce’s words finally drove her mad.

"Ronan Joyce, you fucking bastard!"

Losing control, she snatched a gun from a nearby bodyguard, aimed it at him, and pulled the trigger.

A gunshot rang out. Ronan Joyce clutched his chest and collapsed.

The family, who had been watching in silence, was suddenly thrown into a panic. They had only wanted the two to break up; no one expected the hot-headed Lara to actually try to kill someone. Hector Nash hastily ordered the driver to get the car ready to rush Ronan Joyce to the hospital.

Lara wasn’t frantic like the others. In a daze, she walked over to Ronan Joyce, who lay on the ground covered in blood, and looked down at him.

"Ronan Joyce, if you die, I will go with you. If you live, let’s never see each other again for the rest of our lives."

With that, she dropped the gun and resolutely turned to go upstairs.

His weak voice came from behind her.

"I swear, I will never set foot in Thailos again as long as I live!" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

This was the line they had demanded he say. Ronan Joyce’s vision blurred as he watched her slender back, forcing the words out.

Her body finally swayed, her vision went black, and she collapsed.

After hearing Naomi Shaw’s story, Julian Donovan quickly comforted her.

"Naomi, I’ll call a doctor I know right away and have him go save Ronan Joyce. Don’t worry!"

Naomi Shaw sobbed quietly. She couldn’t help but cry, thinking of Lara, who was also in the hospital after suffering from such an immense shock.

"Julian, Lara’s a complete emotional wreck right now. I want to stay here and be with her for a while. Once she’s better, I’ll go to Meridia to find you, okay?"

"Okay. You stay with Lara. I’m hanging up now to call the doctor!"

Julian Donovan hung up and immediately contacted the best gunshot wound specialist to treat Ronan Joyce. In his opinion, Lara and Ronan should never have gotten together in the first place. The disparity in their status was too great. Lara’s family was too prominent; winning their approval would have been incredibly difficult.

’Ronan Joyce must have been threatened by Lara’s parents to say something so cruel and ruthless.’

When Lara woke up and saw Naomi Shaw by her side, she said calmly,

"Naomi, I’m fine. You don’t have to stay with me. Go to Meridia and be with Julian Donovan. It took so long for him to come back to you; don’t let that other woman take advantage of the situation!"

Given Lara’s personality, it would have been normal for her to be screaming and crying her eyes out. But her calmness only made Naomi more anxious. She grabbed Lara’s hand and said hurriedly,

"Lara, Ronan isn’t that kind of person! He must have had his reasons!"

Lara closed her eyes.

"Naomi, don’t ever mention that name in front of me again. Whatever kind of person he is, it has nothing to do with me anymore!"

"Lara, please don’t be like this. Won’t you just cry it out?"

Naomi felt terrible. She knew better than anyone how much Lara loved Ronan Joyce. Lara gave a bitter smile.

"Naomi, it’s not that I don’t want to cry. But my eyes are so dry I can’t even produce a single tear. I just see things clearly now. I see that no matter how passionate a love is, it can’t withstand the cruelty of reality."

Naomi thought about Lara’s prominent family and her four-year relationship with Ronan Joyce, and could only sigh inwardly. ’Maybe I should be grateful to my own father for being so supportive of my relationship, for even helping me.’

"In the future, I’ll marry a man they all approve of, and I’ll just live out my life like that."

Lara raised a hand and gently caressed her stomach. ’Live out my life like this, protecting his child.’

That’s right, she was already carrying his child. She hadn’t told anyone. She had originally planned to surprise him with the news, but now there was no need. If anyone tried to force her to get rid of this child, she really would kill herself in front of them.

In the end, Ronan Joyce’s life was saved. Naomi Shaw went to see him a few times, but he just kept his lips pressed together, saying nothing. Naomi didn’t know what to say either, so she just told him to rest and recover before leaving. As soon as his wound healed, Ronan Joyce left Thailos and vanished without a trace. From that day on, Lara became a different person—silent and withdrawn, just like the Ronan Joyce who had once been with her.