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As her gaze swept over them, Stella caught her eye and immediately waved. "Come over, quick!" she called out with a bright smile.
Ivy’s lips curled into a smile as she approached the table. Stella and Ellie sat beside each other, their familiar presence warming Ivy’s heart. Next to them was Ana—a woman with delicate features, sleek black hair, and a gorgeous smile. When Ivy had worked at Licious, Ana had frequently dropped by, always eager to help Stella with the restaurant or just to hang out. She and Stella were best friends since a very long time.
Beside Ana sat Kara, a brilliant doctor and a close friend. She was young, sharp, and breathtakingly gorgeous. Though she didn’t visit as often as Ana, their group always made time to meet every few days, their bond unshaken by busy schedules.
Then there was Jane, sophisticated and effortlessly beautiful, with soft features that gave her the elegance of a princess. Now the CEO of her family’s massive shipping company, she carried herself with quiet confidence.
All of them, except for Stella, were married to billionaire men who adored them beyond reason, men who would move heaven and earth for their wives.
When Ivy left her job at Licious, she had assumed she would be forgotten immediately. After all, she was just a small employee. But Stella had insisted on keeping her in their lives, and Ivy found herself eagerly accepting their friendship. A life of loneliness was not what she wanted. Being surrounded by such good friends was a blessing.
“Hi, guys.” Ivy waved, receiving smiles, greetings, and waves in return.
"Gosh, you look completely different!" Kara breathed, her eyes scanning Ivy from head to toe. "It’s like someone gave you a full makeover."
Ivy let out a small laugh. "That can’t be. I haven’t changed anything at all… except maybe the clothes?"
Kara shook her head. "No, it’s totally visible."
"I can see it too," Ellie agreed, her eyes narrowing in scrutiny. "Japanese night cream?"
Stella smacked Ellie’s shoulder. “Don’t you get it? It’s because she has a boyfriend now!”
At once, Ivy’s face flushed red, and she turned away. "Stop it."
The group burst into laughter instead.
“And anyway,” Ivy muttered, glancing away, “he’s my husband, not my boyfriend.” A small smile tugged at her lips.
Silence fell over the table.
“Shut up! Seriously?” Stella gasped. “When the hell did you get married?”
Ivy turned back to them, smiling. “The same day we started living together. He proposed marriage for a year. To fall in love.”
They all gaped at her in disbelief.
Ivy then recounted everything, from the beginning to now.
Ivy dug into her bag, pulling out the contract Christian had given to her. She slapped it onto the table, and the group immediately leaned in, hovering over the papers as they read through the contents.
"Holy fuck. He was going to give you billions!" Ellie gaped at the document. “He was going to give you billions.” Her wide eyes lifted to Ivy. “Evans Holdings is massive in the construction business. They literally own half of many cities.” She paused, then smirked. “Break it off with him, take half the property, and then get back together with him."
Ivy snickered at her words. “I’m not doing that. He already gives me everything without asking.”
Ellie shook her head, slumping back into her chair. “Christian’s been hiding more things than I ever imagined,” she muttered. “Looks like he took a page out of my husband’s book of chasing girls—give all your money to the woman you love and live happily ever after.” She smirked.
Laughter erupted around the table again.
By the time Ivy left the café, the sky had darkened. When she entered the house later that night, the living room was quiet, there was no sign of Christian.
Glancing around, she made her way upstairs to the bedroom.
As she stepped inside, she found Christian sitting on the bed, a laptop balanced on his lap, his focus locked on the screen. At the sound of her footsteps, his head snapped up. The moment he saw her, he shut the laptop without a second thought, his expression softening.
He stood, a slow smile tugging at his lips as he strode over and pulled her into his arms.
"I missed you so damn much," he murmured, his breath warm against her neck.