Ch. 11..20

Pursuing My Ex-Wife Isn't Easy [by Inked Snow] Chapter 11 - Not long after Neil sat down, the waiter began to serve Aura.

Neil reached out his hand to stop the waiter who was delivering food to Aura-and asked with his big eyes blinking, "Hi, what's this dish?"

The little boy was so cute and well-behaved that the waiter could not help but to stop and smiled at him. "This is filet mignon. If you want to eat it, ask your mom to order you one!"

Neil looked at the waiter with a smile and nodded. "Thank you, you're very beautiful!"

The waitress, in her forties, was delighted by the little boy's compliment, and even the steps of serving food became a lot lighter. "Do you want to eat that steak?" asked the frowning Anne.

Neil smiled slyly. "No."

"Then why did you just—" "Godmother," interrupted Neil before Anne could finish.

"Let's make a bet."

The boy took Anne's cell phone and started the stopwatch. "I bet that woman won't be able to continue eating in ten seconds."

Anne eyed him dubiously. "She just started eating."

She gave Neil a side-eye. "Are you jealous she gets to eat steak?"

"Five, four, three, two..."

Neil put the phone on the table and continued the countdown triumphantly: "One."

Smack!

Aura, who was not far away, threw her chopsticks onto the table as her face contorted into an ugly expression.

Anne was shocked as Aura rushed into the bathroom in embarrassment.

"What...?"

Smiling slyly, the boy lowered his head and started eating his spaghetti.

Aura stayed in the toilet for half an hour.

She just had a bite of steak! Even if she ate something rotten, she would not feel the effects so quickly!

The woman slumped back to the table when she found a small note under her chopsticks.

On it was a sentence written neatly in a clear and delicate font. [The price of doing bad things.]

Aura shredded the piece of paper angrily. "Get me your manager and find the CCTV footage!"

She wanted to see who was that bold and dared to touch her!

"I'm sorry, Ms. Gibson, but the surveillance system in the store was hacked just now, and all the surveillance videos have been cleared..."

"You trash!"

Standing in the monitoring room, she smashed the glass in her hand on the computer screen.

The collision between the glass and the display made a loud, cracking noise.

It must be Luna Gibson-it must have been!

10pm.

The black Maserati stopped in front of Blue Bay Villa.

Joshua ended the last international call and got out of the car, exhausted.

When he walked to his bedroom habitually, the man stopped. He turned his head and, glancing at the children's room at the end of the corridor, walked in.

No one was in the children's room.

"You've returned, Sir." Hearing the noise from the children's room, the butler greeted him, "Are you looking for the Little Princess?"

Joshua raised his eyebrows slightly. "Where is she?"

The butler sighed. "The Little Princess insisted on sleeping with Luna, and there's only a small bed in the children's room... So, the little princess went to the servant's room downstairs and slept with Luna."

He carefully studied Joshua's expression. "Should I go wake Luna up and bring the little princess back?"

Joshua did not speak but turned and went downstairs, standing still before Luna's closed door.

The butler could read his intentions and quickly took out the key to open the door.

The room was pitch-dark save only a bedside lamp left lit beside the bed. His long legs brought him into the room as he looked at the two girls-an adult and a child-on the bed condescendingly.

Luna wore light gray pajamas as she held Nellie, who was clad in pink, in her arms. Although the woman was asleep, her arm was still wrapped protectively around Nellie's injured face.

It baffled him, but the sight made Joshua feel that the scene in front of him looked warm and homely.

He laughed self-deprecatingly; he must have lost his marbles.

Nellie was his and Luna Gibson's daughter, a testimony of their love, but this Luna before him was just a maid who harbored ill- intentions, trying to get close to him for her own interests.

After a while, the man turned and left.

"An extra bed will be added to the children's room tomorrow."

"Yes, Sir!"

The door of the room was closed, and the sound of footsteps in the corridor drifted further and further.

Under the bright moonlight, Luna opened her eyes, her lips raised in a sneer.

The night passed peacefully.

The next day, Luna got up early in the morning and began to make breakfast for Nellie. She also cooked an extra serving for Joshua.

She would cook breakfast for him back then when they were together.

She wondered if his taste had changed after six years.

When she brought her breakfast to the table, Nellie finished washing up and came out in her tiny pajamas.

"Wow, there's my favorite waffles for breakfast!" The little girl's eyes lit up, and she trotted all the way to a chair to sit down. "What a sumptuous breakfast!"

"Really?" Before Nellie could finish her words, a man's low voice came from upstairs, carrying a hint of laughter.

Nellie raised her head and looked at the man who was coming down the stairs. Aloof, arrogant, handsome, so much so that she did not know the suitable words to describe his beauty.

The little girl's face blushed inexplicably. "Good morning, Daddy."

This was her daddy, the daddy she just met yesterday!

"Good morning." The man smiled and sat down opposite her.

Nellie forked a small piece of the waffle in her bowl and put it in front of Joshua. "Daddy, try it. Auntie made this waffle, and it's delicious!"

Joshua glanced lightly at the untouched dessert in front of her. "You haven't eaten it yet. How do you know it is delicious?"

She smiled awkwardly. "I can guess!" The little girl then shoved a piece into her mouth. "It's really delicious!"

The man looked at her stuffed little face. "Does it still hurt?"

It took Nellie aback before she realized he was asking about her face.

"It doesn't hurt anymore."

At the mention of this, she secretly glanced at Luna, who stood at the side of the room. "Daddy, why don't you ask Auntie if it hurts? Her injuries were more severe than mine."

Joshua lowered his head, eating his breakfast, and said carelessly, "She's an adult, it won't hurt. Even if it does, it's none of my

business."

Nellie lowered her head and bit her lip silently.

After breakfast, Joshua left.

The butler took Nellie and Luna around the villa to familiarize themselves with the environment.

Blue Bay Villa was incredibly huge. For Nellie who was here for the first time, everything was unknown to her and was filled with surprises, but it was a walk down memory lane for Luna.

She seemed bored and uninterested throughout the morning.

There were memories of her and Joshua everywhere, and every memory reminded her of how stupid she was to be infatuated

with that man.

At lunch, Nellie had no appetite and only ate very little.

Luna felt that she was still unaccustomed to the food since she had just returned home from a long stay abroad, so she went out

during her lunch break and wanted to buy her some oranges that she liked.

Unexpectedly, just after walking out of Blue Bay Villa, a red Ferrari stopped beside her.

The car window lowered, and it revealed Aura's arrogant face. "Shall we talk?"

Pursuing My Ex-Wife Isn't Easy [by Inked Snow] Chapter 12 - Luna merely passed her and continued to walk toward the bus stop. "We have nothing to talk about."

"Is there nothing to talk about, or are you just afraid to talk?" Aura opened the door and got out of the car, grabbing Luna's wrist. "Don't think I don't know what's on your mind!

"You should be younger than me. Let alone having a baby, you're still a child yourself, right? A woman who has never given birth to a child, yet you're desperate enough to slave away under a six-year-old girl just for a salary of a few thousand dollars a month?"

Luna shook her hand away. "Then you tell me: what am I doing this for?"

Aura narrowed her eyes.

The situation was chaotic yesterday so she paid no attention to the woman's appearance. As she was up close to her at this moment, however, she found her face to be flawless as if it was carved by an artist.

"You're pretty, but you should also know that Joshua is my fiance. I advise you not to set your sights on him so shamelessly!" Luna smiled.

Did she consider the fact that Joshua was her husband when she hooked up with him?

With their roles switched, she had the guts to warn her not to be shameless?

If this was being shameless, then Aura's honor and pride were long gone!

At that thought, she bore into Aura's eyes coldly. "Then, what if I insist? What can you do to me?"

She raised her eyes and glanced at the blazing sun in the sky. "Can you k**I me right now, in broad daylight?"

"That's impossible," sneered Aura as she revealed a voice recorder from her pocket. "You're not the only one who can record things"

Luna's gaze narrowed. What a fast learner.

"I'm going to play this recording for Joshua now. You just wait to be fired!"

With that, she returned to her car with a smug expression on her face, started the engine, and drove away, leaving Luna standing with a frown.

She did not expect Aura would come up with such a trick and go to Joshua with the recording.

Still, it did not matter. Everything had just begun, and Joshua did not trust her much, anyway.

Aura took the recorder and went to Joshua's office in a frantic manner.

In the office, a man was holding a transnational international conference facing the computer. "Joshua!"

No matter how Lucas tried to stop her, Aura still managed to barge in.

She rushed in regardless. "I knew there was something wrong with the maid the moment I saw her in your house yesterday! I go the evidence after all!"

The man scrunched his eyebrows, his voice as cold as his eyes, making it difficult for everyone in the room to breathe. "Get out." "Joshua, I..." She wanted to continue, but the voices of the executives in the company blared from the computer, "Mr. Lynch, if it's inconvenient for you now, we can discuss it next time."

Aura realized. Had she...interrupted Joshua's work?

"We'll discuss it next time." The man turned off the computer with a cold expression on his face and looked up at Aura's pale face. "Talk."

Aura pursed her lips and pressed the play button on the recorder hesitantly.

"I advise you not to set your sights on Joshua shamelessly!"

"Then, what if I insist?"

"What can you do to me?"

"Can you k**l me right now, in broad daylight?"

After the recording ended, Aura looked at him righteously. "Joshua, this woman who's taking care of Nellie is selfish. She has ill intentions toward you! Didn't you say you won't allow any suspicious characters to stay by your side for too long?"

The woman bit her lip and softly added, "Although she does her best with Nellie, she doesn't genuinely like her. Such a person can't stay."

"I know." Joshua leaned back in his chair lazily. "But Nellie is very dependent on her now. She's just returned to me, and I don't want her to be unhappy. Besides, she takes care of Nellie quite thoughtfully."

Aura fell silent for a while. "Actually...I can take care of Nellie. No matter what, Nellie is my sister's daughter, and we're still related by blood..."

"You, taking care of her?" Joshua curled his lips and smiled mockingly. "How would you care for her with your slaps?"

The warm words that she had prepared were forced back down her throat.

After a while, the woman sniffed, "Joshua, about yesterday, I know that you misunderstood... But at first, I really didn't know that Nellie was you and my sister's child. I thought she was a fake, so I hit her..."

With that said, she even lowered her head and shed tears. "I'm her aunt anyway, so even if I made a mistake because of a misunderstanding, you can't do this...

"If my sister was still alive, she'd choose to let me, her Aunt, take care of Nellie instead of letting a conspiring stranger..."

Her sobs were extremely loud and extremely fake, and it somewhat upset Joshua.

The man glanced at her. "There have always been many who harbor ill intentions toward me," he scoffed. "When I first got together with Luna, didn't you also hide a hidden agenda? Didn't I allow you to stay?"

With his words, Aura's tears stopped immediately. She opened her mouth and attempted to say something, but nothing came

out.

When he mentioned this incident, she knew it proved that Joshua would not act according to her wishes.

After a long while, Aura sighed, turned, and left in frustration.

"Sir." After Aura left, Lucas knocked on the door and came in, placing a thick document in front of Joshua. "This information on her was all collected abroad."

His slim fingers flipped open the document.

"It seems that Luna's information was real."

Lucas lowered his head and explained softly, "She had indeed grown up, studied, and worked abroad, and just returned home a few days ago. However, Luna was a senior jewelry designer when she was living abroad, and though she wasn't considered a master, she was still good enough.

"Why would such a person come back here and be willing to come work for us as a maid for the Little Princess Nellie?"

Joshua narrowed his eyes.

This file about Luna was very detailed. Too detailed.

It was so detailed that even important witnesses in each stage of her life were clearly marked out, but the more perfect it was, the more it seemed to conceal something deliberately.

The man frowned slightly. "Continue investigating. She said she's short on money, but her annual salary as a designer abroad was quite substantial. She isn't low on money nor is she a superficial woman."

The man put his hands together and looked into the distance, gaze cold and indifferent. "If her aim in approaching me is just me personally, then it's fine.

"I'm afraid..."

He was afraid she had other goals.

He always knew this woman named Luna was not a simple character.

Pursuing My Ex-Wife Isn't Easy [by Inked Snow] Chapter 13 - There were ten pages of information on Luna.

Joshua studied the document for a long time but found no flaws in them. Mildly annoyed, he got up and went to the bathroom.

"Okay, you'll have to take care over there." Joshua heard a crisp childish voice the moment he entered the bathroom, and he stopped washing his hands.

The company clearly stipulated that staff members were not allowed to bring their children to work. Why were there children in the company at this hour?

The man furrowed his brows and followed the voice before it led him to a compartment. The moment he walked to the door of the compartment, and before he could knock on the door, it opened.

Smack!

The door to the compartment slammed into the man's forehead loudly, and Joshua hissed as he instinctively covered his forehead.

Neil walked out of the cubicle a trace of sly pride flashed in his eyes for a second before he raised his head and looked at Joshua apologetically. "I'm sorry, so sorry! I didn't know someone was outside so I opened the door! I'm sorry!"

Joshua released his hand that covered his forehead and glanced down at the little boy who stood only a little taller than his knee Although he was fairly short, his features were exquisite as they emanated a heroic aura even at such a young age.

He had no interest in children in the past, but at that moment, he looked at the boy before him and thought that he should be around the same age as Nellie. Unexpectedly, he could not bring himself to act stern.

The man scrunched his eyebrows slightly, voice cold as he asked, "Why are you here?"

"That's a strange question you're asking, Uncle." Neil's lips curled. "I came to the bathroom...so of course I came to pee."

No, he did not come to pee at all. He saw Joshua come out of his office and waited here on purpose, all to hit him. Who said his mistress could bully Nellie?

Joshua frowned as his voice grew colder, "I mean, why are you in this building? Who are your parents? Where are they?" The man's serious look caused Neil to flatten his lips and his tears began to fall. "My father is d**d; the grass on his grave is two- feet-tall...

"My mother is accompanying my sister while working and earning money. It's very hard for us...'

33

He took a deep breath and raised his hand to stop Neil. "Since your parents aren't here, why are you here?"

"I came with my godmother." Neil flattened his lips. "My godmother is here to discuss business..." Joshua's scrunched brows relaxed slightly.

"Waa...waa...!" Neil cried, gaze sweeping Joshua's serious expression with the corners of his eyes. "I blame my father! Why did he d*e so early?! If he had been alive for a few more years, my mother wouldn't have ended up like this today!"

He cried louder and louder, and his deprecating words toward his father grew more and more reproachful.

Mysteriously, Joshua felt a little uncomfortable as he listened to the boy's berating words for his father. Could it be because he grew to love children more after reacquainting with Nellie?

The man squatted down and patted his back lightly, and it stunned Neil silent.

He held back his smile, raised his hand, and wiped his tears. "You're right, people can't come back from the d**d. I hope my unscrupulous dad can be a good person in his next life!"

This kid was growing more and more ridiculous...

Joshua stood up. "It's better for children to not criticize adults."

"OK."

Neil knew his limits and stopped crying. He took a deep breath, turned, and walked out of the bathroom.

"Neil!"

Anne had been waiting a long while for him outside the bathroom. Seeing the little boy coming out, she waved her hand excitedly. "Here!"

The moment she did, she caught a glimpse of a tall and cold man behind him. Was that... Joshua?

Anne's body stiffened slightly.

"My godmother is waiting for me, so I'll be going now!" Neil smiled and bade Joshua farewell before he trotted all the way back to Anne's side.

"The Lynch Group does not allow staff to bring their children to the office," a man's indifferent-sounding comment was heard just as Anne was about to take Neil and escape. "Although you're not an employee of the Lynch Group, please try not to bring your children the next time you come."

The man finished and turned to leave.

"Hah!"

Neil silently rolled his eyes at his retreating form.

The boy's boldness frightened Anne. She hurriedly pulled Neil toward her and lowered her voice, "Why did you come out with him?"

"We went to the bathroom together, of course!"

Anne raised her hand and tapped her knuckles on his head. "You know I'm not asking you about that." She took a deep breath, dragged Neil behind her, and strode into the elevator. "I told you: the man just now was Joshua!

"Joshua, the richest man in Banyan City! This entire building belongs to him!

Not only is he rich, but he's also very dangerous. If we p**s him off, we won't be able to survive in Banyan City! Stay away from him in the future!"

Neil nodded. "I know."

He never wanted to grow close to him in the first place.

"Daddy, the food Auntie made is particularly delicious, isn't it?" asked Nellie, wearing a small pink skirt at dinner as she blinked her big dewy eyes.

"Not bad." Joshua lowered his head, frowning as he ate. "The taste is somewhat familiar."

It was very similar to the food Luna Gibson cooked back then. It was apparent that this Luna had done her homework to approach him.

The man raised his eyes and glanced coldly at Luna, who stood beside him. "Did anything happen today?" he spoke indifferently "Yes." Luna nodded and spoke generously, "When I was grocery shopping this afternoon, I ran into Ms. Gibson. She came to me on her own initiative and asked if I was...if I had inappropriate thoughts about you."

Raising her head, she continued, "I think Ms. Gibson is deeply prejudiced against me. To not affect the relationship between you and Ms. Gibson, I suggest that I come here every day to take care of Ms. Nellie, and I'll return home in the evening."

She raised her head and looked at Joshua seriously. "Would this be alright?"

If she did not live in the villa, she would have free time to take care of Neil. Luna wanted to take care of Neil, not because Neil was too incompetent that he could not even take care of himself.

It was because she felt that Neil was too smart for his own good, and she would not be able to prevent him from doing something inappropriate if she did not keep an eye on him.

"There's no need for that." Joshua raised his fork and spoon gracefully as he spoke calmly and neutrally in between bites, "She has no right to control who I allow into my house."

Luna smiled. "But isn't Ms. Gibson your fiancée?

"Mr. Lynch, there's something I don't quite understand. I saw on the news that the two of you have been engaged for more than five years. Why has it been more than five years yet you neither married Ms. Gibson or let her move in?