After Divorce

“Are you implying something else with the statement?” Juliet’s voice escalated instantly.” You say there’s no other meaning, but buying such a huge bunch of roses, isn’t that implying something? You’ve clearly laid out your intentions plain as day!”

“You know, there’s this saying online that fits perfectly here. Late affection is like weeds. You used to ignore her affection, and now you regret it and want to treat her nicely. Have you even thought about how much you’ve hurt her over the years? And now you want to change your relationship with her with just a bunch of flowers? Oh, and about the elevator incident, let me tell you, it was just luck. Don’t read too much into it!” Juliet unleashed a torrent of words at Cyril, leaving him speechless.

“Let me tell you, pack up your cheap display of affection. And this bouquet of roses, is that what she lacks? If Sylvia needs flowers, there are plenty of people who can send them to her. Don’t be a nuisance here!” Juliet continued, her words hitting Cyril where it hurt.

“And also, please convey to Frank that there’s no need to consider the collaboration between our two companies anymore. We’re not lacking in potential partners, and we’re not interested in debating the pros and cons with you. Even if we need to collaborate, we’d rather choose someone more reliable. After all, birds of a feather flock together!”

Besides dealing with issues in their subsidiary company, the two of them had been busy looking for other tech companies to collaborate with. After today’s incident, Juliet was determined not to collaborate with Frank anymore.

She initially thought she couldn’t get rid of Sylvia, but unexpectedly Sylvia agreed after a moment of silence. Then, they started looking for other companies to collaborate with.

Due to their busy schedules these past few days, they hadn’t had the chance to inform Frank of their decision. Now, Cyril was hearing it from them, which made no difference since Cyril

and Frank were on the same side.

Cyril seemed a bit agitated upon hearing about the collaboration falling through. He turnedConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

to Sylvia, unsure of what to say.

After a moment of silence, he could only awkwardly ask, “Is there really no room for collaboration? You’ve spent so much time selecting Frank’s company. Since his company‘ principles align with yours, why cancel the collaboration for other reasons? If it’s just because you don’t want to see me or have any contact with me, I can assure you, the company’s affairs will primarily be managed by Frank. I’m just here to oversee, not to meddle in your cooperation.”

“This matter doesn’t concern you much. Even if what you said is true and Frank’s company shares our principles, making it the ideal partner, there may be other suitable companies. It might take a little more time, but it’s no big deal. Iván Group isn’t lacking in time or partners.” Sylvia’s tone was cold, widening the rift between them.

Cyril couldn’t ignore Sylvia’s rejection. He thought that after the incident, their relationship might ease up a bit, but now he realized he had been overly optimistic.

Despite sharing a secret with Sylvia, it didn’t mean she would view him differently. If anything, she seemed more repelled by him because of it. 

“If there’s nothing else, I’d like to invite you to dinner, as a way of repaying you for helping me in the elevator that day. Besides, I hope we can minimize our interactions in the future. Also, the choice of who to collaborate with does have personal reasons behind it, but it’s mainly for the greater good.” Sylvia’s words sounded noble, but she knew rejecting Frank’s collaboration was indeed due to personal reasons.

Even though it was because of her personal reasons, she didn’t want to admit it to Cyril. Whatever she wanted to do, her brothers wouldn’t oppose it. She just needed to find another way to resolve this matter satisfactorily.

After Sylvia finished speaking, both Cyril and Juliet were left stunned. Juliet had thought Sylvia finally wouldn’t shut Cyril out anymore.

But she hadn’t expected Sylvia to actively invite Cyril to dinner. Was she dreaming? How else could she explain this surreal turn of events?

“Uh, you…”

“Let’s go. We’ve already made a reservation, haven’t we? One more person won’t hurt.” Sylvia interrupted Juliet, leading the way. Cyril hesitated for a moment before following Sylvia, leaving Juliet feeling like she was in a surreal world.

But she gritted her teeth and followed suit. After all, hadn’t they agreed? It was just to repay Cyril for helping Sylvia in the elevator that day. Nothing more, nothing less.

If she didn’t keep an eye on things, what if something really did happen? Three of them sat in the restaurant, Cyril completely ignoring Juliet, his gaze fixed on Sylvia with unfriendly eyes. Juliet couldn’t help but intervene.

“Can you please tone down the hostility? It’s like you’ve never seen Sylvia before. Haven’t you known her for years?”

Juliet’s words hit Cyril hard, and he withdrew his gaze after a moment.

“You know, you didn’t have to accept the dinner invitation…”

“Fine, if you think you don’t need to join us for dinner, then leave. Why sit here and order food if you’re just going to reject it now? Didn’t you think of that from the beginning? Now that you’ve already ordered, you say you don’t need it. Aren’t you being ridiculous?” Juliet interrupted Cyril, exasperated by his indecisiveness.

“Juliet, can you please calm down?” Sylvia was getting frustrated. She knew Juliet meant well, but it was unnecessary.

Juliet finally toned it down a bit, but she still couldn’t stand Cyril. “Hmph, I was just saying. If he doesn’t want to listen, he doesn’t have to.”