\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 172 A Complicated Night\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 172 A Complicated Night\u00a0<\/p>\n
James finally understood what she meant. He chuckled, \u201cSo what does loosen up look like?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ayla pointed at herself. \u201cLike this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She leaned closer and let Casey feed her a drink.\u00a0<\/p>\n
James felt the scene stung his eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
365)\u00a0<\/p>\n
+10 Free Coins\u00a0<\/p>\n
But honestly, this was exactly why he had liked Ayla in the first place. She had a strong personality, and tonight she was showing it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo way,\u201d he said. \u201cI still need to call a few friends over.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ayla grabbed his phone with one hand. \u201cIf too many people show up, I\u2019m leaving.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
James was about to argue when his screen lit up with a call from Max.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ayla saw it too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Max was a man with sharp taste and a perfect sense of style. The fact that James had saved his name with an annoying little note beside it was already enough to make Max dislike him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And honestly, Ayla thought James was getting more and more ridiculous by the day.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The more someone disliked him, the more he poked at them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
James stared at the caller ID. \u201cWow. I can\u2019t believe my eyes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He picked up. \u201cWhat\u2019s up? Miss me already?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Max nearly smashed his phone. \u201cYou came to Trensea. My mom told me to check on you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
James never questioned a thing. \u201cYour mom still cares about me. Well, I\u2019m at a bar. Come over.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ayla finally understood.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Max didn\u2019t care about James\u2019s party. He was here because his mother sent him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
James hung up and asked, \u201cYou don\u2019t mind, right?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ayla said, \u201cIf too many people show up, I\u2019m leaving.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, okay. Just him. I won\u2019t call anyone else.\u201d James said that, but he still couldn\u2019t help pulling some trick.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He opened his group chat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Draven was in that group too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
James wrote, \u201cAyla refused to come to the amazing single-party I planned for her!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
13:09 Thu, Jan 1\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 172 A Complicated Night\u00a0<\/p>\n
Will commented, \u201cShe definitely knows you\u2019re up to no good.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
65\u00a0<\/p>\n
+10 Free Coins\u00a0<\/p>\n
James shot back, \u201cUp to no good?! I even invited my friends from the entertainment industry. They\u2019re all handsome and single. She\u2019s wasting resources!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Herman-who never talked unless there was gossip-finally showed up. \u201cEven with all that, you still couldn\u2019t convince her? Useless.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
James protested, \u201cShe doesn\u2019t like the guys I pick, okay?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Will jabbed, \u201cAyla doesn\u2019t care about men.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just like his boss doesn\u2019t care about women.\u00a0<\/p>\n
James continued, \u201cIf she truly didn\u2019t care about men, I\u2019d have no frustration. But she DOES!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Herman replied, \u201cOh?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Will was curious. \u201cHuh?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
James reported, \u201cShe\u2019s drinking with her best friend. They ordered several male escorts and are doing couple shots.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Will doesn\u2019t believe him. \u201cYou\u2019re making that up.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
James argued, \u201cDo I look like I have time to lie to you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stopped there, then looked back at Ayla. \u201cI want to post something on Instagram. How about \u012e show a blurry side shot of you? What do you think?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ayla had seen his Instagram before.\u00a0<\/p>\n
James was good at taking photos-people, objects, anything. Everyone in his circle was rich, polished, and good-looking. Scrolling through his feed felt like stepping into a world drenched in luxury and excess.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSure,\u201d Ayla said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
James snapped a few shots, then showed them to her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her face wasn\u2019t visible-just her side profile. Casey was in the frame too, but his face wasn\u2019t clear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
James really did know how to take a picture. With the warm bar lighting and the cozy atmosphere, none of\u00a0<\/p>\n
the shots were bad.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ayla picked the one with the strongest vibe. James posted it on Instagram.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The first like came from Max.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then he left a comment, \u201cWhat is this?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Right after commenting, he unliked the post.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
13:09 Thu, Jan 1 JA \u2022\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 172 A Complicated Night\u00a0<\/p>\n
James went ahead and messaged him anyway. \u201cWhere are you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Max didn\u2019t reply. He didn\u2019t want to.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then Troy called him. \u201cWhere are you? I\u2019m coming over. Let\u2019s get a drink.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After Troy went home, he locked the divorce certificate in his safe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
4065\u00a0<\/p>\n
+10 Free Coins\u00a0<\/p>\n
He handled a few work matters, but once he had nothing to do, the bad mood hit him again. And just like always, he looked for Max first.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Max, meanwhile, was already furious thanks to James\u2019s Instagram post. He expected trouble. Nothing good ever comes from James\u2019s single parties.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But he didn\u2019t expect Ayla to adapt so well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If Ayla had been the type who knew how to have fun, she w\u00a0<\/p>\n
So clearly, this was James\u2019s influence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
fit into their social circle long ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And Max was jealous. Angry with Ayla, angry with James, and angry with himself. So, out of spite, he decided to make Troy suffer too. Max said, \u201cSure. Come over.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Max\u2019s jealousy came from Ayla being with another guy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Troy\u2019s anger came from Ayla being with another guy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Different reasons. Same storm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But as soon as Max hung up, he regretted it. Ayla didn\u2019t want to see Troy. If Max brought him here, she would hate it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So Max hurried to book a private room at the bar. He planned to slip out later and check on Ayla to see what exactly was going on.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t take long before Troy arrived.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t say a word. He just drank. Sip after sip. Heavy, tense, quiet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His stomach hurt a little. He frowned, then drank again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Max noticed and finally couldn\u2019t take it anymore. \u201cYour stomach\u2019s bad. Why are you drinking like this?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Troy\u2019s hand froze on the glass.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He couldn\u2019t help thinking of Ayla, how she used to make warm lemon tea for him, and how she used to pack stomach-soothing lunches for him the next day.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He had to admit it. Ayla had taken really good care of him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Editorial Board Our editorial team works behind the scenes to refine each chapter, maintain consistency, and deliver the best reading experience.<\/p>\n
Unwritten Feelings Drift by Austen 172 \u00a0 Chapter 172 A Complicated Night\u00a0 Chapter 172 A Complicated Night\u00a0 James finally understood […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-retired-from-your-heart-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24607"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24607\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}