Regretful CEO Ex-Wife Don't Leave Me novel Chapter 7

7.Chapter 7 Birthday Party Invitation

Declan’s eyes briefly lit up with hope when he heard his phone ringing. However, seeing the caller’s name, his expression instantly fell to disappointment. It was from Jennifer.

“Hey Deck, my grandpa’s birthday is around the corner, and my folks dumped the invite-sending job on me. Are you free later? I’ll pass by your office. I can drop off the invitation and maybe grab some lunch with you.” Jennifer’s voice was cheerful as it came through the phone.

“Sure,” Declan replied in a flat tone.

Jeniffer said, “Great, catch you later then.”

After hanging up, Declan felt even more irked and could hardly focus on the documents in his hand. He couldn’t believe Phoebe had the guts to cut off contact so decisively.

Just then, a knock at the office door sounded, and Patrick walked in with a serious look. “Mr. Richardson, I just heard the Eastern District land is going up for auction sooner than expected.”

“Notify the project lead and shareholders. Have a meeting in five minutes,” Declan commanded with a frown.

When Jennifer arrived, Declan was still tied up in his meeting, so Patrick stepped in to greet her. “Ms. Greene, Mr. Richardson has just started a meeting. He asked me to take you to his office to wait for him.”

“Thanks,” Jennifer said with a gentle smile.

After escorting Jennifer to Declan’s office and offering to assist if needed, Patrick left.

Jennifer, about to place the invitation on the desk, caught sight of a red brocade box on the desk, and she paused her movements.

The box was used to contain jewelry. With her own birthday nearing, she couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Could it be a birthday surprise Declan prepared for me?’

After a moment’s hesitation, curiosity got the better of her. She thought, ‘It’s probably something he got for me, so peeking should be fine.’

She opened the box to find a necklace Declan had bought at the Settlea auction. When she had asked whom it was for back then, he hadn’t replied. Now it all made sense—it was meant to be a surprise for her.

Feeling a rush of happiness, she smiled, closed the box, and placed it back on the desk.

An hour later, Declan returned from his meeting. Noticing Jennifer, he showed a faint smile, his eyes conveying his apology. “Sorry, I had a sudden meeting.”

Jeniffer stood up and watched him with a gentle smile. “It’s okay. I get it. I already ordered our lunch; it should be here any minute.”

“Cool.”

Jeniffer added, “By the way, I left the invitation on your desk. It’s my grandpa’s birthday next Saturday. Hope you can make it.”

Declan frowned slightly and replied, “I might be out of town for a business trip, but I’ll try my best.”

“Okay, um, have you heard from Pheebs lately? I keep getting her voicemail. Do you know where she is?”

At the mention of Phoebe, Declan’s expression turned colder. He asked, “Why are you looking for her?”

Jennifer pressed her lips together, her face filled with concern. “You know Pheebs and her rocky relationship with our family. She was only recognized by them at sixteen, and she always felt our parents favored me.

“Things have been tense, so I thought it could be a good chance for her to mend fences with our family on Grandpa’s birthday.”

There was a brief silence before Declan icily replied, “I’ll talk to her about it.”

Seeing that Declan was not keen on discussing further, Jennifer changed the subject to something lighter.

*****

And Phoebe’s defiance only drove a deeper wedge between them. Now, just mentioning Phoebe triggered Olivia’s disdain.

Liam shot Olivia a sharp glance and said, “Remember, Phoebe is now Declan’s wife.”

Olivia snorted, “As if she’d have married Declan if Jennie hadn’t gone abroad. Now that Jennie’s back, and Declan doesn’t even like Phoebe, we might as well push for a divorce and get him to marry Jennie. It’s better for everyone.”

Liam frowned, mulling over Olivia’s words. Every time he hinted at Phoebe to sway Declan in favor of the Greene family, she refused, which frustrated him.

With Phoebe and Declan childless after three years of marriage, replacing her with Jennifer seemed harmless and beneficial to the family. However, cautious as ever, Liam wasn’t about to act without gauging Declan’s stance.

“Let’s table this discussion. And I’m warning you, don’t badmouth Phoebe until I give the okay. If this blows up, you’ll have to pay the price.”

Olivia’s face clouded, and she retorted, “Fine, they’re bound to split sooner or later. I’m not playing the villain.”

After a pause, Liam lowered his voice and said, “Maybe you could be a bit nicer to Phoebe. We do owe her.”

A flicker of disgust crossed Olivia’s eyes, and she shot back with a glare, “You can be nice to her; don’t get me involved. Jennie’s my only daughter. And don’t forget what that fortune teller said later…”

“Olivia!” Liam cut her off, his eyes blazing. “Stop talking about it, or I’m really gonna show you a piece of my mind.”

Olivia paled under Liam’s outburst, not recovering until he stormed off.

She shuddered at the thought, and her disdain for Phoebe only deepened—if it weren’t for Phoebe, they wouldn’t be in this mess.

As Phoebe was about to leave work, Cora burst in, all fired up. “Phoebe, got any plans tonight?”