Chapter 174 A Little Too Close\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 174 A Little Too Close\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why are you even here?\u201d James snapped.\u00a0<\/p>\n
+10 Free Coins\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf my mom didn\u2019t make me check on you, would I bother coming?\u201d Max shot back. His mother had basically become his built-in excuse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It gave him a perfect reason to approach James, so Ayla wouldn\u2019t suspect anything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
James raised a brow. \u201cSo you\u2019re jealous of your mom now?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Max didn\u2019t answer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He sat down on the couch, grabbed a glass, filled it with whiskey, and downed it in one go.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His eyes kept drifting toward Casey.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He needed to remember everything this fool did to Ayla tonight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
James clicked his tongue. \u201cYour temper is insane. If Ayla wasn\u2019t here, I\u2019d already give you a good slap.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Max let out a cold laugh. \u201cIf you think you can take me, be my guest.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
James stood up a little straighter. \u201cYou think I can\u2019t?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want to fight, come on. I\u2019ll even let you hit first.\u201d But then Max saw Casey pick up a piece of fruit and hold it out to Ayla. She accepted it like it was nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Max\u2019s jaw tightened in disbelief.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now he couldn\u2019t hold back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why did he even come here? To torture himself?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ayla was making him rethink everything. Before, her world had only one person in it-Troy. But now marriage was no longer holding her down; she was completely free, doing whatever she wanted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And now her eyes were only on the male escort. She didn\u2019t even look at him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seriously? He was better-looking than the escort, richer, and had a better personality. If Ayla wanted someone, why not pick him-the most convenient choice?\/\u00a0<\/p>\n
If James weren\u2019t here or if he weren\u2019t afraid of scaring Ayla, Max would kick everyone out and drink with Ayla himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He tugged at his collar, restless. Something was missing between him and Ayla. A reason that kept him from stepping into her world without hesitation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Max was straightforward, but something held him back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He just couldn\u2019t move forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
13:10 Thu, Jan 1\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 174 A Little Too Close\u00a0<\/p>\n
All he could do was watch.\u00a0<\/p>\n
65\u00a0<\/p>\n
+10 Free Coins\u00a0<\/p>\n
James noticed Max pulling at his sleeve and thought he was finally ready to fight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Normally they only traded verbal jabs; they\u2019d never actually thrown a punch.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mainly because Max never truly took James seriously, and fighting him felt beneath him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
James didn\u2019t want to actually throw punches, so he changed the topic fast. He glanced at Max, then at Ayla, then clicked his tongue. \u201cMax, you and Casey kind of have the same vibe. Even your smiles look equally annoying.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ayla had been watching the whole show like it was free entertainment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But now she gave James a long, hard look.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t judge Casey\u2019s profession. He was just doing his work, but James was very clearly dragging Max into the same category.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What a cousin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Max\u2019s jaw tightened. \u201cWhat\u2019s that supposed to mean?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
James shrugged. \u201cI\u2019m saying you\u2019re good-looking. If you weren\u2019t, you wouldn\u2019t even be on the same level as a male escort.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then he smoothly turned to Casey. \u201cRight? Don\u2019t you think so?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Casey, who had been focusing on doing his job and staying alive, was suddenly called out. He jumped, then instinctively looked at Max.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He wasn\u2019t sure what he should say.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Good grief. He almost gets himself killed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The guy was handsome, sure-but those eyes? Terrifying.\u00a0<\/p>\n
James made his joke, poked Max, and now he was happy. But the one suffering was the poor guy just trying to make a living.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Casey cleared his throat. \u201cMr. Reagen, I could never compare with Mr. Bennett.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He had learned Max\u2019s name earlier when they were all snapping at each other.\u00a0<\/p>\n
James wasn\u2019t done bullying his cousin. \u201cDon\u2019t be humble. Let\u2019s test it and find out.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then he grinned at Max. \u201cGo on. Make Ayla smile.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Both Max and Ayla fell silent at this.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ayla honestly thought Max would throw a tantrum, storm out, and never talk to James again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
13:10 Thu, Jan 1\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 174 A Little Too Close\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead, Max stood up, shot James a deadly glare, and said coldly, \u201cThank you so much.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then, he walked toward Ayla.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He gave Casey a sharp look, basically telling him to disappear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Casey flinched, but he didn\u2019t leave. Instead, he searched for Ayla\u2019s eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That stare was scary, but Ayla was his client right now, so he looked to her for permission.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ayla said calmly, \u201cJust sit with me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
+10 Free Coins\u00a0<\/p>\n
James was delighted to stir even more chaos. \u201cCasey, make some room. Let Max show off. See if he has the skills for this line of work. You can watch and pick up some tips, right?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Casey and the other male escort that was serving Halle were dumbfounded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Because the whole thing was completely ridiculous.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What were these people even talking about?\u00a0<\/p>\n
James didn\u2019t even wait for Ayla to approve. He pushed Casey aside like moving furniture.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ayla honestly had never met someone who loved chaos this much. She stared at Max, speechless. \u201cYou\u2019re really doing this?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Max gave a small smirk. \u201cIt\u2019s not a big deal.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
James whistled loudly and encouraged him. \u201cMax, if you ever go broke, you\u2019ll never starve. You\u2019ve got\u00a0<\/p>\n
talent.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Max ignored James\u2019s barking. He looked only at Ayla. \u201cAyla, what do you want to drink? I\u2019ll pour it for you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
James jumped in again. \u201cFeed her with your lips!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ayla didn\u2019t move. But Max-surprisingly gentle-poured her a glass anyway and sat beside her without making a scene. Quiet. Smooth. And very, very close.\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
13:10 Thu, Jan 1\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 174 Chapter 174 A Little Too Close\u00a0 Chapter 174 A Little Too Close\u00a0 \u201cThen why […]<\/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-24609","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\/24609","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=24609"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24609\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}