Who's Crying Now, Ex-Husband?

Chapter 456 "How do you feel about my suggestion, Ms. Sutherland?" On the second floor of the restaurant, by the window, Johnnie's voice was gentle as he spoke, his right fingers absentmindedly tracing the silver bracelet and red cord on his left wrist.

"The suggestion is..." Mila had just begun when her bag started buzzing. Across the table, Johnnie smiled and gestured for her to take the call, assuring her he didn't mind.

She fished out her phone.

A moment of silence.

Forrest? Why is he calling? Thinking back to their recent conversation in the tea room, and then glancing at the current scene, Mila felt a touch awkward-though it was really just a hint. She waved at Johnnie, then stepped to a corner further from the table to answer.

"Forrest?" "It's me." His voice, as always, was gentle and calm. "Have you had dinner yet? I found a great new place I'd love to take you to. I could pick you up later if you're free." The familiarity of his words tugged at her heart. Years ago-seven or eight, back in college-that's exactly how it used to be: the two of them exploring the city, discovering hidden restaurants, sharing good food and new adventures.

Those were sof the happiest days of her life.

She almost said yes without thinking, then quickly caught herself, a note of apology in her tone. "Tonight's not great, I'm out having dinner with someone." There was a brief silence.

Then Forrest's voice again, even and steady. "Is it a work meeting? Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. We can pick another time." "No, it's not that." Maybe it was the memories, or maybe she just didn't see any reason to hide. Mila's reply was frank and open. "This is actually a blind date my great-aunt set up. The guy's the son of one of her old friends. I couldn't really say no. He just got back from overseas, so I picked him up from the airport and now we're grabbing dinner. So... tonight's out." Forrest seemed surprised by her honesty. He didn't say anything for a long moment, long enough that Mila called his na couple times before he finally answered-chuckling softly. "Mimi, you really..." "What?" Mila sounded confused.

"It's a relief." "Huh?" But Forrest didn't elaborate. He just laughed. "Let's meet another tthen. How about tomorrow night?" Mila mentally ran through her schedule and sighed. "Tomorrow's tough. I've got a work thing. But the day after- I'm free then, for sure." "Alright." When the callˇended, Forrest was standing in the hallway outside the Federal Security Bureau's conference room. He ran a fingover a photo of Mila on his phone, her smile bright and warm. He found himself smiling too. So many years had passed; so many faces in his memory had changed-including his own. But Mila was still the same-forthright, gracious, with that sradiant smile.

She hadn't changed at all.

Just then, a message popped up on his screen from Giselle, still waiting for an answer: "Forrest, have you decided yet?" At the stime, The conference room door opened and a staffer stuck his head out, calling down the hall, "Mr. Whitmore, the meeting's about to start." "Coming." Forrest replied, quickly texted Giselle back, then turned off his phone and stepped into the meeting room.

Back in the restaurant.

When Mila returned to the table, Johnnie didn't ask about the call. He simply repeated his earlier proposal.

To avoid all the pressure from their families and the endless string of blind dates, the two of them would pretend to be seeing each other at least in front of their relatives. private, they'd stay out of each other's way. If one of them found someone they genuinely wanted to marry, the deal would end automatically.

Given that both their families lived abroad, keeping up the charade wouldn't be too difficult. Mila agreed.

It would put her great-aunt's mind at ease for now-and spare her from constant nagging.

"But just to be clear," Mila added, "our cover story is only that we're getting to know each other and it's going okay. That way we can buy stime." "Of course." Johnnie smiled and offered his hand. "Then here's to our partnership, Ms.

Sutherland. From now on, we're friends." "To our partnership." They shook hands, both feeling a wave of relief. At last, they wouldn't have to face the never-ending parade of awkward dates-at least for a while.

With that worry off their shoulders, the food suddenly seemed a lot more appetizing. Their conversation grew light and easy as they finished dinne Mila insisted on paying, citing seniority, and Johnnie didn't@rgue. They left the table together, and as they walked downstairs, Mila caught another hint of the subtle, rosy fragrance on him.

It wasn't overpowering-just fresh, elegant, and lingering. There was something unique about it, a note she hadn't encountered in any store-bought rose fragrance.

Remembering that the Fontaines had been master perfumers for q.m generations, Mila-Who knew a thing of two about scents herself thanks to her work in fashion -couldn't help but ask. "You mean 'Lush Dream'?" Johnnie smiled.

"Lush Dream," Mila repeated softly, genuinely impressed. "That's a lovely name.

Is there a story behind it?"

"I'm not really sure." Johnnie's smile was modest. "I only fine-tuned the proportions of sof thingredients. The original concept cfrom my mentor. The roses we use are pretty special, too. Even the nwas her idea."