My CEO Ex: Let Me Go.-Chapter 169

Vivienne’s POV

After I came down the snow slope, I received a WhatsApp message from Frederick.

As expected, his friend had declined.

I replied, “Too bad, maybe next time.”

Frederick responded with a meme.

We went to a restaurant with a large floor-to-ceiling window that offered a panoramic view of the scenery outside.

Since tourists didn’t have set meal times, the place wasn’t very crowded at the moment.

Halfway through our meal, someone suddenly exclaimed, “Look! Isn’t that Aurora?”

A faint green hue appeared in the deep blue sky—barely noticeable unless you looked closely.

Still, it drew the attention of many tourists.

Before long, the Aurora erupted in a spectacular display, waves of green mixed with hints of white and purple-red lighting up the vast sky.

Some tourists, who had been resting in their hotel rooms, rushed outside to catch the sight.

The three of us put down our cutlery and went outside to photograph the Aurora.

As I was adjusting my angle, I suddenly felt a sharp gaze land on me, making me feel uneasy—just like the night before.

I instinctively glanced around, trying to locate the source of that stare.

But the other tourists were all busy taking pictures of the Aurora, and no one was looking at me.

I shifted my gaze toward the second floor of the cabin hotel.

At that moment, the intense stare disappeared.

I lowered my head, thought for a moment, then turned back to continue taking photos of the Aurora.

Suddenly, I felt that gaze on me again.

I pretended not to notice and kept snapping pictures, but the stare seemed to follow me, lingering on every move I made.

I was certain this wasn’t just some random glance from a tourist—it was directed at me.

I turned around abruptly, scanning the second floor of the cabin hotel.

Some rooms had their lights on, and many had open windows where guests were taking pictures of the Aurora.

Maybe some of them had run outside to photograph it and left their lights on.

Other rooms were completely dark, with the curtains drawn.

I couldn’t tell which room the stare was coming from.

I raised my phone and aimed it toward the cabin hotel, pretending to photograph both the hotel and the Aurora. But in reality, I slowly zoomed in, inspecting the windows of each room.

Then, through the lens, I caught a glimpse of a curtain fluttering slightly—as if it had just been lowered when I turned around.

The room had no lights on, the window was shut, and the curtains were drawn.

But someone was inside!

I made a mental note of the room number. Based on the hotel’s layout, it seemed to be room 0207.

Noticing that Sophie and Ariana were still enthusiastically taking pictures, I excused myself, claiming I was tired, and headed back to the hotel.

Everyone values their privacy, so I knew I couldn’t just ask the front desk about it.

I thought for a moment, then walked quickly to the restaurant and said to the bartender, “Excuse me, my friend has a stomach ache. Could you bring her a cup of hot water? Her room number is 0207.”

I glanced anxiously out the window and muttered to myself, “Not the best timing... Aurora’s almost over.”

Then I added, “Please hurry. I’ll go take photos outside!”

Before the bartender could respond, I pretended to be in a rush and left.

Once I was out of sight, I ducked into a corner of the restaurant, pressed myself against the wall, and peeked, watching the bartender’s actions.

He didn’t seem suspicious. He prepared a bottle of hot water and a cup, then carried them on a tray as he left for the second floor.

I silently followed, standing at the hallway entrance and peering around the corner.

I saw the bartender knock on room 0207’s door. A young man emerged from inside. He looked at the bartender and asked, “What’s up?”

The bartender, probably assuming my friend was delicate and fragile, seemed a bit surprised to see the young man. He repeated what I’d said.

The young man raised an eyebrow and immediately pieced things together.

He smiled and took the tray from the bartender, thanking him before closing the door.

I quickly pulled back, pressing myself against the wall.

The young man—Frederick Montgomery!

I knew it. I knew something was off about him!

He must’ve been the one watching me that night, too!

There was more to him than just knowing me from the news.

Just then, my phone buzzed with a WhatsApp message.

It was from Frederick. He sent: “I have a stomach ache?”

His blunt question made my heart skip a beat. After a moment of hesitation, I replied, “I saw you were staying in the room, so I was worried you might be uncomfortable. How did you know it was me?”

Frederick’s response was straightforward: “I was watching you. How did you know I was in this room?”

I hadn’t expected him to admit it so easily. “I saw you go in earlier this morning,” he said.

Alexander’s POV

Upon seeing Vivienne’s message, Frederick couldn’t help but chuckle. He glanced at me before speaking, "Well, I should thank you for your concern. I wasn’t feeling well, so I went to bed early. When I heard the noise outside, I pulled back the curtains to see what was going on."

Actually, I’m staying in room 0208, but I did come by here earlier this morning.

As Frederick typed, he said to me, "She’s pretty sharp."

I snatched the phone from his hand and saw Vivienne had sent another message: "You should rest up then. Are you sure you’re not coming with us?"

It was clear Vivienne was trying to figure out Frederick’s intentions.

My expression darkened as I typed a response: "No, my friend doesn’t like traveling with strangers."

"Such a shame you’re here with a friend. You can’t just leave him behind. Maybe we can go together another time."

My face darkened even more. I quickly typed, "I have a girlfriend."

My finger hovered over the send button. After a moment of hesitation, I deleted the message and instead typed, "Sorry, I don’t like traveling with women either."

I hit send.

Frederick watched me with an amused grin. "She doesn’t really like me, does she?"

At that, my face darkened like a storm cloud. I growled, "You’re leaving for home tomorrow, and I’ll be stuck here alone."

Frederick taunted me with a smirk. "So, you don’t need me anymore? Fine, I’ll go on the trip with them. You won’t have to pay, and you won’t have to worry about interfering with my plans."

I was seething now.

Vivienne read the message, her expression a little puzzled.

At first, when she invited him, Frederick had shown some interest. But those last two lines? They didn’t sound like him at all. He wasn’t that formal, or serious.

She decided to probe Frederick a bit. "Is it that you don’t like traveling with women, or is it that you don’t want to travel with me? Do you think I’m divorced and that’s why you don’t want to be friends?"

Reading her message, I felt an overwhelming surge of emotions—anger, frustration, and a strange kind of pain. I scowled, glaring at the phone screen, my mind racing in confusion.

What did she mean by that? Was she really interested in Frederick? Didn’t she like Julian? Had she moved on that quickly?

And why couldn’t she like me?

Frederick, laughing so hard he could barely breathe, continued to egg me on. "Haha, I think Vivienne’s really into me. Hey, bro, when are you going to let go? Once you do, I’m jumping in. Honestly, I kind of like her too..."

"Get lost!" I hissed through clenched teeth.

I quickly typed a response to Vivienne: "Since you’ve guessed it, I won’t hide it anymore. I don’t like you, so please stay away from me."

"Are you Frederick’s friend?"

I froze, my finger trembling over the screen. I stared at the message for a long time before finally replying with two words: "No."

I stared at the screen, waiting for a response from Vivienne, but none came. The tension in my chest only grew tighter. I felt uneasy, wondering if I should be worried that she had figured me out—or, even more so, that she hadn’t.