After the CEO Divorced Me, He Wants Me Back (Aveline and Lucas)

Diana glanced back and noticed that Sidney had already walked off.

Her expression darkened.

"What is with this guy?"

Did he not realize today was essentially a setup for them to meet? His attitude was downright dismissive-so disrespectful! Feeling frustrated, Diana turned and left.

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Sidney had walked a few blocks when his phone rang.

Seeing it was his mother, he answered.

""Hey, Mom."

Sidney's tone was calm but distant.

Ruth's voice came through quieter than usual. "Sidney, what do you think of Diana?"

Sidney sighed. "Mom, I'm not in the mood to date right now. Please stop trying to set me up."

Ruth's voice grew sharp. "I didn't ask if you want to date! I asked what you thought of Diana. Stop dodging my question."

Sidney pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling cornered. "I don't have any particular thoughts about her."

Ruth pressed on, "Do you think she's pretty? Is she your type? Answer me directly, and don't try to change the subject!"

Sidney, clearly exasperated, said, "Yes, she's pretty. But she's not my type."

Ruth huffed. "You've got to be kidding me! She's gorgeous, and you don't like her? What's your type then? Don't tell me you're still hung up on Aveline. She'll never like you back, and you know it!"

"I'm not hung up on her," Sidney replied firmly, sitting down on a bench and letting the evening breeze cool his thoughts.

Ruth sighed on the other end. "I liked Aveline too, but that's over, Sidney. You need to let her go. There are plenty of great women out there. Diana's one of them. I'm not asking you to start dating her tomorrow just get to know her. Sometimes feelings develop over time." Her tone softened at the end. She didn't want to push too hard and risk making Sidney pull away completely.

Sidney, feeling weary, replied, "Okay, I hear you."

Satisfied for the moment, Ruth ended the call without further discussion.

Sidney, feeling unsettled, unlocked his phone again and found himself scrolling through Maria's recent beach photos. He stared at them, his thoughts once again in turmoil.

...

Maria had spent a week enjoying

herself in Dalee, and by the time she returned to Cloudflare City, a week had passed. She brought back gifts for everyone at the studio, but when she got to Sidney's desk, she noticed it was completely empty.

Puzzled, she asked, "Where's Sidney?"

Alex, one of the employees, grinned. "Mr. Troy went out. I think he's on a date." Huh? A date?

Maria raised an eyebrow in surprise. "He's seeing someone?"

Alex chuckled. "Seems like it. There's been a gift picking him up after work yday for the past week. They're

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getting pretty close. I even took a picture. Want to see?"

He pulled up his phone and found the photo he had taken.

In the glow of the setting sun, Sidney stood face-to-face with a girl.

She was cute, with delicate makeup and a floral dress, smiling up at him.

Sidney stood there casually, one hand in his pocket, looking relaxed. He didn't seem distant or annoyed, which caught Maria's attention.

Maria's eyes flickered as she glanced at the photo, then she turned away.

"That's nice," she said.

Alex sensed something off in the atmosphere but couldn't quite place it.

Maria placed Sidney's gift on his desk and retreated to her office. Sidney hadn't moved into her space, so everything remained unchanged, including the lingering scent of the orange-scented air freshener she liked.

Still, the image of Sidney with that girl kept replaying in her mind.

"Well, look at him, always such a charmer."