Boss, Your Ex-Wife is Unreachable Now! novel Chapter 145

Juliette quietly drew a breath, set down her fork, and forced a polite smile. "First things first—you need to know exactly who your rival is."

Lionel's eyes darkened. "I've already looked into it. Turns out, the girl's got a thing for the Sinclairs' second son, York."

Saying this, Mr. Scott's expression twisted with a mix of frustration and uncertainty. "That York Sinclair is about my age. You don't think she'll mind the age gap, do you?"

Juliette frowned. "How old is Miss Cordelia, exactly?"

Lionel jumped in before she'd even finished the question, rattling off the answer. "She just turned nineteen. She's a freshman in the painting department at Kingston Academy of Fine Arts."

Juliette had little experience with these high-society heirs and heiresses. In fact, the only one she really knew was the flamboyant Lionel sitting right in front of her.

Even her friend Willow's ultra-wealthy husband, Beasley, was nothing more than a face she'd glimpsed in financial news articles.

Meeting him in person? Not a chance.

Unless one day Willow's husband decided to go public with their marriage, Juliette doubted she'd ever even shake his hand.

Not that she was obsessed with the idea. All she wanted was for her friend to have a normal marriage. But being a society wife usually meant giving up any say in your own life. Who knew if Willow would ever have a baby? Maybe if they had a child, Beasley would finally acknowledge their relationship.

Juliette always believed that an open marriage—the kind you didn't have to hide—was the only way to live as a real couple.

Secret marriages always seemed so shameful, like something you had to keep in the shadows. It felt degrading.

"…Hey! I'm asking for your advice here. Why are you zoning out?" Lionel waved his long, well-defined fingers in front of her face, snapping her back to reality.

Juliette blinked and recovered quickly. "I was just thinking really hard about how to help you," she improvised.

"So, did you come up with anything?" Lionel drew his hand back, his face hopeful.

Lionel froze, napkin suspended less than an inch from her lips.

"First of all, you need to break that bad habit," Juliette said, nudging his hand away with her silverware.

Lionel looked genuinely puzzled. "How is that a bad habit? I thought it was the gentlemanly thing to do."

Juliette shot him a look. "Maybe you're used to looking after your ex-girlfriends, but I'm not one of them."

"This kind of chivalry is fine for your girlfriend. Do it for another woman and it just screams ‘no boundaries.' Your girlfriend wouldn't just get jealous—she'd probably walk right out on you."

"Seriously?" Lionel recoiled, hands in the air.

To be fair, Lionel had always been this way—even when they were kids. His "gentleman" act had left quite an impression on her back then. But the truth was, his rakish charm was all in his wardrobe and style. It was just his personal flair, nothing to do with his character.