You're Just My Ex-Husband,My Lord-Chapter 162- I’ll owe you one.

They wandered around the supermarket for the better part of the day, and by the end of it, their haul was massive—bags upon bags of groceries, nearly filling up the entire trunk.

As the designated muscle, Dave carried everything upstairs once they got home. Laurent had tried to help, but he wouldn’t let her, so she didn’t bother arguing. If he wanted to haul everything himself, that was his problem.

Once they were home, Laurent got busy right away. She sorted the groceries, organizing the ingredients, and then started preparing everything according to her planned recipes.

While she was washing vegetables, Dave suddenly came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her slender frame firmly into his embrace.

Laurent sighed in exasperation. She was getting really tired of his antics. She struggled against him, her voice full of irritation.

"What are you doing? Let go! I’m trying to wash the vegetables."

Instead of letting go, Dave pressed even closer, his deep voice whispering temptingly in her ear,

"Didn’t you used to love it when I hugged you like this from behind?"

Dave had discovered the perfect strategy to get closer to Laurent—reminding her of all the times she used to cling to him. She had no way to refute it.

Ever since that kiss in the supermarket, he had been hooked on this tactic.

On the way home, he had been racking his brain, recalling every little thing she used to do when she was infatuated with him, just so he could use it against her. And sure enough, the moment they got home, he wasted no time in wrapping his arms around her.

Laurent, now somewhat accustomed to his shameless behavior, had at least built up some resistance.

She wasn’t the type to sit back and accept defeat. Without hesitation, she turned around and glared at him.

"Don’t make me say it," she warned.

Dave, still holding her tightly, tilted his head slightly at her words, a teasing smile playing on his lips.

"Say what?"

Laurent struggled again, but when she couldn’t break free, she huffed in frustration and snapped,

"I used to like it when you kissed and hugged me because I loved you. But now—mmph—"

Before she could finish, his lips crashed down on hers, cutting off the rest of her words in an instant. His kiss was firm, possessive, and completely silenced any protest she had. He even sucked on her lips harshly, as if punishing her for what she had been about to say.

Dave was sharp—he had already guessed the rest of her sentence the moment she uttered the first half.

She was going to say that she didn’t love him anymore. That she no longer liked his kisses, his embraces, and that he should keep his distance from her.

Like hell he’d let her say that.

So he did the only thing he could—he kissed her deeply, stealing away every last word before she could voice them. His lips moved against hers in a heated, lingering kiss, drawing her in until she lost herself in it, until her mind went blank and she forgot what she had been about to say.

Laurent was completely dazed by the time he let her go. Her face was flushed a lovely shade of pink, her lips slightly swollen from the intensity of his kiss.

"You—" she stammered, breathless.

Laurent wanted to curse him out, but the moment she opened her mouth, the words came out weak, breathless, and embarrassingly soft—tinged with an undeniable shyness. It made her so frustrated she wanted to bang her head against the wall.

"Go away!"

Flustered and desperate to escape, she shoved Dave away with surprising force. The moment he loosened his hold, she bolted to the other side of the kitchen, where their groceries from the supermarket were piled up. Squatting down, she began rummaging through the bags, her hands moving aimlessly.

Truthfully, Laurent didn’t even know what she was looking for. She just needed to put some distance between them. She couldn’t face him right now. If she stayed any longer, she feared the situation would spiral into something completely out of her control.

Dave took a deep breath, steadying himself. He looked at her, his voice low and slightly hoarse as he said,

"I’ll go pick up Emma. She should be here for tonight’s dinner."

It was obvious—she still had feelings for him. Her body, her heart, everything was still drawn to him, whether she admitted it or not.

If he stayed any longer, he wasn’t sure what would happen next. And while he wouldn’t mind letting things escalate, they had an important dinner tonight with the Brown couple. They needed to remain composed.

Besides, he had already planned to bring their daughter home for the evening. Just the two of them in this house wasn’t enough—it didn’t feel complete. But with Emma, with the three of them together, this house would finally feel like a home. Tonight’s dinner wouldn’t just be any dinner; it would be a family dinner.

Most importantly, he knew Laurent wanted to see their daughter.

Ever since she arrived in Burg Eltz, she hadn’t had the chance to truly spend time with Emma.

When Laurent heard he was bringing Emma home, she couldn’t hide her happiness. Her heart softened.

He knew.

He knew how much she missed their daughter.

And Laurent had always believed—only someone who truly loved you would be this considerate.

Just like she used to be with him.

But now, she was slowly starting to see his kindness again.

Could it be... that he really had fallen in love with her?

With Dave gone to pick up their daughter, Laurent could finally focus on preparing dinner.

She had decided to save making dumplings for last. On the way home, she had mentioned her plan to Dave—she wanted to wait until the Brown couple arrived so they could make dumplings together. More specifically, she wanted to teach them, giving them a hands-on experience of Burg Eltz’s authentic culture.

Dave had agreed with her idea. He had even said he’d check in with Morrison later—if the negotiations wrapped up early, they could bring the Brown couple over ahead of schedule.

First, Dave went to the kindergarten to pick up their daughter.

It wasn’t quite dismissal time yet, but he had arranged for an early pickup. He wanted to give Emma more time with Laurent.

After picking up Emma, he called Morrison to check on the progress of the negotiations. Morrison estimated they’d be done in about half an hour.

Eager to get home and spend time with Laurent and their daughter, Dave decided not to wait. He drove Emma home first, leaving Morrison in charge of escorting the Browns.

When Morrison realized he had been relegated to chauffeur duty, he was indignant.

"So, let me get this straight—I’m a business partner, but now I’m also a full-time driver?"

Dave didn’t even hesitate. "I’ll give you an extra one percent in profit sharing. Consider it compensation for the extra effort."

Morrison snorted. "Oh, I see how it is. Giving up the empire for a beauty, huh? Well, joke’s on you—I’m not hurting for cash!"

Dave replied without hesitation,

"Then I’ll owe you one."

Only then did Morrison finally hang up, satisfied.

After wrapping up negotiations with Mr. Brown, Morrison dutifully escorted the couple back to their hotel. He waited while they freshened up and changed, then personally drove them to the Villas—Dave’s home.

When Morrison arrived and saw that Emma Washington was also there, he smirked and turned to Dave.

"How about I stay for dinner too? Maybe I’ll pair up with Emma and form a Couple?"

"Get lost!"