THE DIVORCE GAMBIT From Dumped Wife to CEO's Forever novel Chapter 195

After replying to Skyler's message, Gordon quickly set his phone down and resolutely ignored it.

He remembered something he'd read in a book: when dining with a woman, the biggest faux pas was constantly checking your phone.

Gordon had always been the model student—whatever he did, he strived to do it perfectly.

Meanwhile, across town, Skyler read Gordon's reply and rolled her eyes. "Another meeting, seriously? All he ever talks about is work! Total workaholic." She grumbled to herself, still annoyed that Gordon hadn't chipped in for Boss Caitlin's birthday gift—and now he was supposedly stuck in yet another meeting.

Little did Skyler know, the so-called "meeting" Gordon was attending was actually dinner with Caitlin at a French bistro.

Not only that, he was claiming to be easygoing about food—a bold-faced lie considering Gordon was infamously the pickiest eater in the entire Sylvester family.

He refused this, wouldn't touch that.

The French bistro's dishes were small and refined, so Caitlin ordered a few extra plates. As she scanned the menu, something caught her eye—spicy tripe stew. She arched a brow, surprised to see it on a French menu, and glanced up at Gordon.

"Would you eat spicy tripe stew?"

She knew a lot of people couldn't stand the idea of eating organ meats, and some didn't like spicy food either. Plus, the dish was pretty hefty, so she figured she'd better check Gordon's preferences first.

"I'd eat it," Gordon replied with a slight nod.

"Alright," Caitlin nodded back and handed the menu to the waiter. "We'll add the spicy tripe stew, please."

"Certainly, miss."

After their meal, the waiter brought over a beautifully decorated White Swan birthday cake.

"Happy birthday, Miss Kensington."

Caitlin blinked in surprise. "You guys serve complimentary cakes for birthdays?"

White Swan cakes weren't cheap—a tiny one could cost over six hundred dollars.

The waiter smiled, "There's a misunderstanding, Miss Kensington. The cake was purchased in advance by this gentleman and kept here for you."

Caitlin turned to Gordon. "You got this?"

"Yes," Gordon said as he lit the candles. "Catie, make a wish?"

"Okay."

Caitlin clasped her hands, closed her eyes, and made her birthday wish with heartfelt sincerity.

The candlelight flickered, mingling with the city's neon glow outside the window, casting a gentle shimmer across her delicate features. A soft breeze drifted in, playfully tousling her hair. The whole moment felt timeless and serene.

Gordon found himself momentarily lost in the scene.

Whatever wish she'd made, she kept to herself. A few seconds later, she released her hands and blew out the candles in one breath.

"Catie, how about I take a photo for you?" Gordon offered.

"Sure!"

He pulled out his phone and switched to camera mode.

Caitlin flashed a peace sign, effortless and charming. She barely had to pose—her natural beauty made every photo look like a magazine cover.

Gordon snapped several shots in quick succession.

"I'll send them to your WhatsApp."

"Perfect," Caitlin said with a smile.

When dinner was over, Caitlin walked to the register to pay.

The moment she opened her front door, her cat Snow leapt into her arms.

"Meow, meow, meow!"

"My precious baby, you're here again!" Caitlin scooped Snow up and smothered her in kisses.

Every time this happened, Caitlin couldn't help but think—life without cats just wasn't worth living.

Meanwhile, at Sylvester Gardens, Gordon wandered through the house searching for Snow.

He looked everywhere, but there was no sign of the cat.

Weird. Where had that rascal gotten off to now? He hadn't seen Snow in days.

Gordon's disappointment was obvious.

Beatrice, lounging on the sofa with half-closed eyes, noticed her son's odd behavior. "Gordon, you've been coming home a lot more often lately. What's up with that?"

Gordon used to complain Sylvester Gardens was too noisy, rarely coming home more than once every couple of weeks.

What surprised Beatrice even more was that, almost every time Gordon walked through the door, the first thing he did was look for Snow—as if he'd caught some kind of cat addiction.

Strange, indeed.

Gordon's expression didn't reveal much. He simply replied, "Nothing. I just feel more at ease staying here these days."

"Really?" Beatrice arched a skeptical eyebrow—she clearly didn't buy his answer.

"Yes," Gordon nodded.

Just then, something occurred to Beatrice. "By the way, Skyler messaged me earlier. She said today's Catie's birthday. Did you get her a present?"