Compared to Damien’s other friends, Anta Barry had rarely chatted casually. She had the most contact with Barry, but every time they spoke, it was always because of something related to Damien. Outside of that, she and Barry had little interaction. This was partly because he was no longer working at Westgate Group; Damien had sent Mary to handle his affairs.

Not even a second passed before Autumn dismissed that thought. Even if he wanted her to resign, Damien could have just had Britney relay the message. This kind of thing wasn’t important to him, and he knew she would obediently listen as before. A simple reminder from anyone would have been enough; there was no need for a special trip. Besides, she hadn’t blocked Damien yet, since she still needed to contact him to finalize the divorce. Thus, Damien could have reached out to her directly.

Seeing she wasn’t speaking, Barry said, “It’s just a casual chat. If you really don’t want to talk, we can just have coffee. And we won’t talk about anything sensitive, okay?” It wasn’t like they were complete strangers, and having time for a chat without any hidden agenda wasn’t a big deal, so there was really no need to overthink it.

At the cafe, Barry ordered a coffee for himself, then looked at her.

“I’ll have the same as you,” Autumn said.

Barry smiled at the server. “Two coffees, please.”

The server, probably a part-timer, looked barely of age; she was very young, to say the least. When Barry gave her that smile, she blushed instantly and hurried away.

Barry turned back, and he realized Autumn was watching him, causing him to stiffen instantly. Crap, he had forgotten she was there.

“Sorry, I’m just used to smiling at…was that…?”

“I know. You’re used to being surrounded, right?”

Barry was momentarily at a loss for words and wished he had a calmer demeanor.

“Tim not actually that kind of pay.”

Autumn gave him a puzzled look. Why did I feel like he was acting strangely? He had always been carefree and jovial before, joking about anything and everything.

“No need to explain,” she said.

Barry lowered his gaze. outwardly, he still looked the same, but inside, he was full of frustration. Not to mention, his heart was beating too fast. The night at the charity banquet, he had thought it was just a physiological reaction, a one-off. But just now, when he saw Autumn, his heart had again raced uncontrollably. Moreover, he felt an inexplicable urge to talk to her. Hence, why they had come here to the cafe.

During the few seconds of their locked gazes, Damien did her lens. also stayed quiet. She had always been this way—cold and distant—as she didn’t want to waste words on people who didn’t matter. Only when truly close would she light up.

Barry remembered that look in her eye all too well. A hesitant look, he would observe occasionally. But gradually, he found himself thinking about it often. Maybe the Autumn from back then had once tried to break into his circle, only to hit a wall. For someone like him, trying again was unlikely; there would never be a second attempt. Harry suddenly felt grateful that, by nature, he wasn’t the type who enjoyed seeing women hurt or left out. He hadn’t been one of those who provoked dislike, which was why he could still keep this lukewarm connection with her. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even be able to buy her a cup of coffee right now.

Neither of them spoke until the server brought over the coffees. When the coffees were placed in front of them, Barry took a sip and finally said seriously, “The… uhm… back in the country, I accidentally sent you a video; I thought you did… uhm… I’m really sorry,” Barry apologized sincerely.

In truth, he had dared to do it on purpose because he wanted Autumn to leave Damien.

“I’ve been meaning to apologize to you.”

“Yeah, I’ve never explained myself. But honestly, it was just a careless mistake. I’m sure that…”

Autumn remembered that at the time, she had miscalculated, and Damien hadn’t cared at all. He was completely focused on cleaning his run, while Autumn was hit physically and emotionally devastated. She thought about her past life now, something very damaging. Back then, she had been in so much pain she wanted to die. But now, she was actually grateful to Barry. If that video hadn’t been the final blow, she absolutely wouldn't have had the courage to take the first step toward divorce. She would have remained trapped in an unhappy marriage and drained herself completely dry without even realizing it.

If Kanylate hadn’t brought it up, Autumn wouldn’t have mentioned her. But since he did, she said calmly, “It’s a good thing it happened; I wouldn’t have made up my mind to divorce otherwise.”

Ladowany user to that realization last night.

Barry couldn’t help but feel excited when he heard her say that. In truth, he had invited her for coffee as a way to test the waters, because her answer really mattered to him.

His expression was one of genuine shock. “Really? You’re serious about divorcing him this time?”

“I know that back when I threatened Damien with divorce, you were all betting on how long it would take before I came running back. And I’m sure you’ve made your purses this time on…”

As expected, Autumn knew everything.

“Sorry.”

“It’s perfectly normal. The person I used to be was a joke,” Autumn said calmly. “But this time…”

For a moment, Barry felt a pang of sympathy. Though he wasn’t sure if it was just because he couldn’t bear to see any woman hurting, or because the person sitting across from him was…

“That said, you’ve always been tough. In fact, you’re tougher than any of us.”

Barry knew deep down that he didn’t have the courage to love someone without holding back, to give everything of himself. In that sense, Autumn was braver than he was, as she was more willing to throw herself in completely.

“Of all the men I’ve met, Barry, you’re the best at comforting. I was such a fool, yet you’re still here calling me tough. You have my respect.”

Harry was speechless. So basically, she was saying he was a flirt, that he acted this way with everyone. No, he really wasn’t like that with just anyone!

The feeling suddenly changed. Where he had been smiling, there was now a hint of gloom.

Baffled, Autumn asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Usually, I just really wanted someone to talk to today.”

“Is there something on your mind?”

“I broke up with my girlfriend.” Barry was referring to his previous girlfriend. She had pursued him so persistently that he thought it would be cruel to refuse, so he agreed to be with her in the end. Even after spending several million dollars on her, he never slept with her, and then they broke up…

In truth, Harry had been voluntarily celibate over the years; of course, many people wouldn’t believe that if they heard it. In fact, some even thought he slept with everyone, men and…

“To that, sp?” Autumn asked.

“You sound surprised,” Barry observed.

“No, I just don’t think you’re the type to fold over a breakup.”

Barry’s dating story made Olivia look conservative. If he stayed with a girlfriend for months, that was considered a long-term relationship by his standards. Sometimes, it lasted only a few weeks, and there were even cases where it lasted just a single day.

Barry was speechless; he tried to recall just what kind of terrible impression he had left on Autumn over the years. Never mind, it was probably not great.

“I’ve changed my mindset now. This whole dating thing is pointless,” Harry said.

Autumn’s face clearly showed she didn’t believe a word. This made Barry even more speechless. At this moment, he wanted nothing more than to rip his heart out and show it to her to prove he meant it. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to be easy, given his dating history. But there was no rush; by this point in the conversation, he was already feeling satisfied. He had confirmed Autumn’s determination to get divorced and made it clear he was single himself. That was enough for now.

He casually shifted topics. “Actually, I didn’t even plan to play tennis today. One of my really annoying relatives asked me out; I didn’t want to go, but he shamelessly complained to my…”

“What about your… Why did you decide to talk to me?”

Naturally, it was because it was hard to turn down her enthusiastic invitation. But the truth was, Autumn was willing herself to do something different from before.

“I wanted to do something different from before,” he replied.

“That’s a great mindset to have,” Autumn said seriously. “Hope you keep it up.”

They were sitting by the large windows of the cafe, bathed in sunlight. At that moment, a Cullinan drove by, shaking the windows.

Harry was lounging lazily on the couch, a smile playing on his lips as he chatted casually, not particularly attached to the flow of the conversation. Meanwhile, Autumn listened with a calm expression and occasionally interjected with a word or two.

(Dumlentowned – Shine when had the two pairs stand)

Considering his talent, Barry was relatively familiar with Autumn, but their relationship wasn’t close enough to be casually chatting this comfortably.