You're Just My Ex-Husband,My Lord-Chapter 144- Warmth

After they went downstairs, the driver was already waiting for them.

Since they had a translator with them and quite a few people in total, Dave had arranged for a luxurious business van—spacious and comfortable.

Upon arriving at the airport, they smoothly received Mr. and Mrs. Brown, exchanging warm and polite greetings.

Mr. Brown was a small and slender French gentleman, quite different from the tall and handsome Frenchmen often seen on TV. But appearances didn’t matter—what stood out was how much he adored his wife.

Mrs. Brown was about the same age as her husband, slightly plump, and exuded elegance in both attire and demeanor. Her features were strikingly beautiful, making it clear that she had been a great beauty in her youth.

That was Laurent’s first impression of them.

She recalled Morrison mentioning their story once—how Mr. Brown and his wife had grown up together. Mr. Brown had loved her since they were young, but back then, she hadn’t reciprocated his feelings; her heart belonged to someone else.

Feeling insecure about his appearance, he had stepped aside and let her marry another man.

But her marriage had been an unhappy one. Her husband had been unfaithful, abandoning her for another woman. Through it all, Mr. Brown had remained by her side, quietly supporting her, until he finally won her heart.

Mr. Brown believed that once a man gave a woman marriage, he must take full responsibility for her and remain loyal to her—no matter the reason for their union, whether it was love, mutual benefit, or something else entirely. A marriage should be cherished and nurtured.

If a man couldn’t commit to that, then he shouldn’t enter a marriage so lightly.

Mrs. Brown had been deeply scarred by her failed marriage, and it had taken her years to heal. Because of this, Mr. Brown despised men who betrayed their wives and looked down on those who couldn’t even manage their own family relationships.

Every time he launched a new project, he would personally visit the other party’s country before confirming the collaboration. He firmly believed that a man who could protect his own family and marriage wouldn’t perform poorly in business either.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Mr. Brown turned to Laurent with a smile and said,

"Mrs. Washington, I’ve heard so much about you."

Laurent was taken aback. *Heard so much about me?*

Before this, she had been nothing more than a housewife who spent her days at home. How could Mr. Brown possibly know her name? 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Noticing her surprise, Mr. Brown pointed to Dave and said,

"I heard about you from Mr. Washington. Before our last meeting in France, I asked him to describe his wife in just one word."

"Can you guess what he said?"

Mr. Brown looked at her expectantly.

Laurent glanced at Dave, who was gazing at her with dark, deep eyes and a faint smile on his lips.

How was she supposed to know what word he had used to describe her? But to play along, she thought for a moment and then guessed,

"Foolish?"

The translator couldn’t help but stifle a laugh, then translated her response to the Browns. As soon as they heard it, the couple burst into laughter, unable to contain their amusement.

Dave, on the other hand, shot her a dark glare, his expression clearly displeased.

Laurent looked at him innocently.

She had always thought that was how he saw her. She still remembered that one time when he had scolded both her and Lilian, saying that if there was a limit to foolishness, the two of them had already reached it.

In other words, there was no one dumber than them.

So... wasn’t that how he truly saw her?

"What a delightful young lady," Mr. Brown finally said after catching his breath from laughing.

"It seems you have no idea just how highly Mr. Washington thinks of you."

Mr. Brown gave her a meaningful look before turning away to walk alongside Dave.

Just before leaving, Dave shot her another glare, clearly dissatisfied with her earlier answer.

Laurent glared right back at him.

How was she supposed to know what word he had used? She wasn’t a mind reader.

As she walked behind them with Mrs. Brown, curiosity got the best of her. Mr. Brown’s question and Dave’s reaction had piqued her interest, so she turned to Mrs. Brown and, through the translator, asked,

"What word did Dave actually use to describe me?"

Mrs. Brown smiled warmly before answering,

"Warmth."

Laurent froze for a moment, stunned.

Warmth?

He had actually used such a beautiful word to describe her?

She had always thought that in his eyes, she was nothing but a source of resentment, annoyance, and endless rejection. She had never imagined that one day, she would hear him describe her this way.

As they walked, she lifted her gaze and looked at the tall, upright figure ahead of her.

For the first time in a long while, she didn’t know how to feel.

The translator turned to her and, in English, struck up a conversation.

"Mrs. Washington, you really didn’t know about this word?"

Laurent was already in a daze from the revelation, and the translator’s question only confused her further.

"What word?"

The translator chuckled and explained,

"Your daughter’s name is Emma Washington, isn’t it? Lord Washington said that the reason he chose that name was because of a moment he witnessed—you were holding your daughter, rocking her gently, and the sunlight was warm. Your smile was warm. And at that moment, his heart felt warm too. That’s why he named your daughter Emma Washington."

Dave’s secretary, who had always strongly supported Dave and Laurent’s marriage, had once overheard him explaining the name’s origin at a dinner gathering. She had remembered it ever since.

Later, whenever someone in the company gossiped about Dave and Laurent’s supposedly strained relationship, the secretary would bring up this story to shut them down.

It was such a heartwarming detail, wasn’t it?

Over time, nearly everyone in the Washington corporation came to know the story behind their daughter’s name.

And yet, the one person who had never known—was Laurent herself.

Actually, Dave was the kind of person who rarely expressed his emotions. The only reason he spoke those words at the dinner table was because he had drunk a little too much.

Normally, he would never say such sentimental and emotional things to Laurent, so it wasn’t surprising that she didn’t know.

Laurent froze once again.

She had never known the true origin of their daughter Emma Washington’s name. She had always thought it was just a name he randomly chose...

Because of these words, Laurent felt unsettled throughout the rest of the journey. She was clearly distracted and out of sorts.

Dave noticed. When they reached the parking lot, the translator and the Browns had already gotten into the car.

Dave stopped Laurent, who was about to get in, and asked with genuine concern,

"What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Laurent looked up at him. His concern was so evident in his eyes. She thought back to what the translator had said about their daughter’s name, and she couldn’t bring herself to speak.

Dave furrowed his brow when he saw her like this.

"Not used to this kind of social event?"

Laurent shook her head, dismissing his guesses.

Then, after a pause, she hesitated before asking,

"Is it really true about the way our daughter’s name came about?"

Dave immediately understood that she had found out the origin of Emma’s name. He felt a bit uncomfortable and cleared his throat to mask his awkwardness, before answering,

"Yes."

Hearing the answer directly from him made Laurent’s heart even more troubled.

She didn’t say anything else and turned to get into the car.

Why? Why did he let her know all of this when her heart had already died?