Chapter 697

I hadn’t expected Ryan to get so angry, but what right does he have to be mad at his ex?

“Yeah, anyone with a shred of decency wouldn’t be getting entangled with their ex,” I kept my cool and reasoned with him.

“You…” Ryan’s fury hit a wall of ice and he fell silent.

Seeing that he was finally calm enough to talk, I got straight to the point. “Ryan, have you forgotten who you are? You’re married. Your wife’s name is Fiona.”

Ryan was silent for a long time, his voice hoarse. “Are you blaming me?”

“I’m not blaming you. I know everyone has their own choices,” I said calmly.

“So, you’ve chosen to be with Uncle Ryan?” Ryan’s voice was calm, but there was a storm raging beneath the surface. “That sense of morality you just talked about–do you really have it?”

I was caught off guard by his question, momentarily stunned.

“Neither of us is married. From getting to know each other to falling in love, which part of that goes against morality?” I replied evenly.

“But he’s my uncle…”

“I’m not your wife, or even your girlfriend anymore. We’ve been broken up for over six months,” I cut him off.

Ryan’s anger faded, and he fell silent again.

“Ryan, stop calling me. Just focus on your own life,” I said softly. I could hear his breathing grow heavy, like he was struggling to hold back his pain.

“Please, don’t marry him. Don’t become my aunt–in–law, please?” Ryan’s voice trembled as he pleaded.

My heart trembled. Ryan was actually begging me like this–does this mean he still hasn’t moved on?

“Ryan, when you were with me, did you already know your family had arranged a marriage for you?” I asked, my tone sharp.

Ryan didn’t try to hide it. “Yeah, I knew about my grandfather’s plans, but I just couldn’t accept it.”

“So that’s why you chased after me so hard, even went so far as to work as an intern for me?” I remembered how Ryan threw himself into that role–no trace of the privileged heir at all. He was always the first one in, cleaning up, wiping things down, even taking care of the flowers on my desk, changing the water and trimming them regularly.

He worked so hard that people actually thought he was broke, always hustling and never missing a beat.

“Yes!” Ryan’s voice dropped, sounding almost wistful. “Back then, I felt so fulfilled, so happy. Every morning, the first thing I saw was you.”

“That’s enough!” I snapped. “You knew from the start there was no future, but you still chased after me so relentlessly, just because you couldn’t let it go.”

“Vic, I’m sorry…” Ryan stammered, clearly flustered. “At first, I just thought it was a game, but the more time I spent with you, the more I realized I really liked you. You were intelligent and gentle, always willing to help—even lending me money to pay off my debts. Deep down, you were genuinely good–hearted, and I… I just fell hopelessly in love with you.”

“Forget it. There’s no point talking about this anymore. Ryan, to be real with you, I never planned on marrying you. I was with you because you were young, good–looking, and had stamina. As for feelings? There wasn’t much emotion involved.” I said it coldly, making sure he’d lose all hope.

Ryan was clearly shaken. His voice came out rough, “You never loved me?”

“No,” I replied, totally indifferent. “Who wouldn’t want a young, hot body?”

“You’re lying!” Ryan snapped, his voice raw with anger. “I know you cared about me. You’re just saying all this so I’ll back off and you can be with Uncle Ryan.”

“Edward gets women way better than you ever could,” I sighed quietly. “Ryan, stop clinging to the past. Let’s just move on and live our lives.”

With that, I hung up the phone.

Ryan might still not be willing to let it go, but sooner or later, he’d realize which road is really his to walk.

But what about me? What road am I really on?

Where am I even headed now?

Graduation was just around the corner. At lunch the next day, Edward suddenly slid a proposal across the table to me. “If I hand this project over to you, can you give me a result that’ll blow me away?”

I flipped it open and my jaw nearly dropped—it was an interior design plan for a massive yacht, with a budget of 1.8 billion yuan.

I glanced up at Edward. “What is this?”