Too Late to Love Her: When She Divorced, He Fell Apart-Chapter 127: A Warning in the Air

Chapter 127: Chapter 127: A Warning in the Air
Dylan’s expression turned slightly dark, and as he lowered his gaze, his eyes fell on the invitation.
In the dimness of his eyes, a trace of longing slowly emerged.
"I am not Claire, able to help you without expecting anything in return. If I invest in you and let you join that team, you must deliver good results. Moreover, I will only give you two years. After two years, you must come to present your achievements to me. You also wish to come back sooner to take care of your only mother, right?"
Tristan looked at Dylan one last time, then turned and walked away.
Dylan sat there in a daze, staring blankly at the invitation.
His phone suddenly rang, displaying a call from Claire.
Dylan tightly gripped the phone, his whole hand trembling slightly, his finger hovering over the green answer button for a long time, before ultimately redirecting and pressing the hang-up button.
Claire sent another message, asking: [Is something wrong?]
Dylan hung his head, defeated, lying on the table.
He still didn’t respond to her.
Not just because of Tristan’s words.
For a moment, he was fearfully aware that he didn’t deserve Claire, not just because of the gap in money and status.
In that first reaction, when he instinctively wanted to choose the invitation, Dylan suddenly realized, in the end, he was a selfish man who always put himself first.
...
Claire hadn’t been able to reach Dylan for three days.
It wasn’t until Jenson called to inquire about Dylan’s sudden resignation that she finally couldn’t hold back and called Tristan.
Tristan answered quickly.
"What exactly did you do to Dylan?"
She suppressed her anger.
"He’s just an ordinary person, do you have to use such ruthless methods?"
Tristan leisurely completed a prescription and handed it to a patient before stepping behind a screen, saying casually, "I just gave him a better choice; he was the one who decided to give up on you."
Claire’s heart sank, "Impossible. Even if he leaves, Dylan wouldn’t disappear without a word."
"Why impossible?" Tristan replied absentmindedly. "His feelings for you boil down to mere hormone-driven impulses. He couldn’t resist such a small temptation; do you really expect him to be loyal to you?"
Claire rubbed her forehead wearily, saying, "This isn’t about whether he likes me or not."
Tristan paused, "Then what is it?"
"Even if Dylan and I don’t end up together, he’s still my friend. On what grounds can you arbitrarily decide who stays and leaves in my life?"
Claire spoke these words feeling increasingly helpless inside.
"You know that, growing up, you were the only person by my side; I never had even one friend. Now that I’ve finally formed my own circle, do you still want to drive everyone away?"
Tristan remained silent for a moment before saying, "I’ve always been by your side, never left."
"Indeed, you haven’t." She replied coldly, "You just want to see me isolated and alone, ultimately pitying myself and begging you, acting as entertainment."
With that, Claire hung up the phone.
On Dylan’s side, she reached out to his mother to confirm that he was safe, but she didn’t try contacting Dylan again.
Saying she wasn’t resentful would surely be a lie.
Claire hates most, cannot accept, being passively abandoned without a word.
She isn’t unable to tolerate farewells, but she loathes the feeling of being cast aside.
It’s like constantly reminding her, as an illegitimate child, this is her fate for life. She can never become anyone’s number one priority.
Joy opened the office door just as she saw Claire wiping her tears.
The teardrops on her flawless jade-like cheeks were enough to make Joy feel heartache just by looking at them.
She hurriedly jogged over and gently embraced her.
When people are particularly sad and find someone to lean on, it’s easy for their defenses to completely crumble.
Claire was no exception.
Joy’s embrace, small and lacking breadth, was warm enough, simply by holding her, Claire felt as if she’d found a pillar of support.
After her tears dried, she lifted her head from Joy’s embrace and suddenly looked at her seriously, asking, "Will you be my lifelong friend, Joy?"
Joy was startled.
Claire quickly lowered her head, saying, "I was just asking offhand, don’t take it seriously."
Joy’s momentary hesitation reminded her of a brief friend she once had during school.
Back then, she also asked the other person sensitively: Could we be lifelong friends?
Perhaps the longing in her eyes, and the fear of loneliness, scared the other person. That friend subsequently began to distance herself.
Claire realized later, after the fact, that friendship requires no promises; many friends are lost to time.
"I will."
Above her head, Joy’s clear and resolute reply suddenly sounded.
Claire paused and then shook her head with a smile, "Joy, don’t answer like this just to comfort me. It’s not necessary for me to overstep in these matters."
Joy hugged her again.
"Actually, after you stood up to defend me in front of Jade, Claire, I’d already decided in my heart that I wanted to be your lifelong friend. You were the first person, besides my mom and dad, to tell me you’d never let me suffer again."
Saying this, Joy raised her head, eyes smiling as she looked into Claire’s eyes.
"I’m not afraid to admit something either. I used to think I’d never meet anyone I’d like more than Jude. But after meeting you, I realized I could like a girl this much."
Claire’s eyes reddened again, instinctively tightening her grip on Joy’s hand.
"But not that kind of liking, huh. My preferences are still quite normal."
Joy smiled shyly and then stood up, saying:
"Let me take you home."
"Okay."
At her apartment building, Claire checked the time; it was late, so she asked Joy if she wanted to stay over at her place.
Joy’s eyes brightened, "Sure."
As they walked out of the elevator side by side and stepped into the hallway, spotting the figure at the door, Claire’s smile instantly faded.
Tristan was standing at her apartment door, coolly saying, "Changed the code?"
Claire ignored him.
She held Joy’s hand and went straight inside.
Just before the door closed, Tristan placed his hand against it, his gaze falling on Joy.
His eyes clearly implying that she should leave.
Joy’s back felt cold; she was genuinely afraid of Tristan’s high-society scrutinizing gaze.
Claire noticed her fear too and said, "I’ll call you a cab so you can head back."
"No need for that trouble, I can just go directly down."
"Just let me know when you get home." Claire patted her head.
"Okay."
Joy smiled at her, and hurriedly scurried away.
But as she brushed past Tristan, Joy could clearly sense that his gaze on her was rather meaningful.
It seemed to carry a hint of warning.