My CEO Ex: Let Me Go.-Chapter 181

Vivienne’s POV

By noon the next day, Sophie and I were completely wiped out from shopping, so we decided to take a break and grab some lunch at a restaurant.

While waiting for our food, I checked my phone and asked, "Has Julian arrived yet? No messages from him?"

According to the flight info Julian had given me, he should’ve been in Sydney by this morning.

Sophie glanced at my phone over my shoulder and smiled slightly. "Maybe his flight was delayed. Just give it a little more time."

"Alright, I’ll wait."

Just then, everything went black.

A large pair of hands covered my eyes!

Instinctively, I grabbed at the hands in front of me.

The voice behind me was low, playful. "Guess who I am?! If you guess right, there’s a surprise!"

As soon as I heard the voice, I knew exactly who it was. I laughed and said, "Julian, seriously?"

He pulled his hands away, a little frustrated. "Was it that obvious?"

"Of course!" I chuckled. "Where are you sitting?"

There were still empty chairs next to both Sophie and me.

"Here," Julian said, pointing to the seat next to mine. He wasn’t super familiar with Sophie, so it made sense he’d sit next to me.

I moved a little to the side, placing my bag on the empty chair across from me, and glanced over at him. "When did you get here? Why didn’t you let me know?"

Julian started arranging the utensils in front of him. "I wanted to surprise you."

"How did you even find this place?"

Julian shot a quick glance at Sophie. "I guessed. I recommended this place to her."

"Pretty clever," I said. "Are you done with work?"

"Yeah, everything’s wrapped up before the New Year. Anything left will have to wait until next year."

Hearing "next year" made me sigh. "Time really flies, doesn’t it? Another year gone already!"

I reached into my bag and pulled out a small, elegant square box, placing it on the table. "By the way, I got you a gift." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Julian smiled, glancing at me twice, but didn’t open it right away. "I got you something too."

He pulled out a small box from his pocket.

It was so small it could only hold a ring or a pair of earrings.

I raised an eyebrow, a little surprised. "Why did you bring me a gift? It’s not a holiday or anything special!"

Sophie’s gaze flicked between Julian and me, clearly enjoying the little drama. "Vivienne, Julian brought you a gift. Just take it."

Julian nodded. "I told you, didn’t I? If you guess right, you get a gift. This is your reward!"

I grinned. "If I’d known, I would’ve guessed wrong."

Julian laughed. "If you guessed wrong, I’d just give it to you some other time."

As I was thinking of a polite way to refuse, Julian pulled out another small square box from his pocket and pushed it toward Sophie. "This one’s for you too, Sophie. First time traveling with two girls, so if I missed anything, bear with me."

Sophie opened the box and, seeing the delicate earrings inside, smiled. "Of course, no problem. Vivienne, aren’t you going to open yours?"

Since we were both getting gifts, I couldn’t refuse anymore. I took the box and, just as I was about to put it aside, Julian said, "Aren’t you going to open it?"

I opened the box to find a pair of earrings—identical to Sophie’s.

"Do you like them?" Julian asked, his tone a little unsure. "I’m not great at picking gifts, so it took me a while to choose."

"They’re beautiful," I said with a smile.

Honestly, they were just... okay in my eyes, but I could tell it was either a genuine gesture or his personal choice.

I had to admit, his taste in gifts could use some work.

I suddenly remembered all the jewelry Alexander had given me. It was all beautifully crafted, but none of it had been his choice.

It was always Jane who picked out the best-sellers at the jewelry store—safe, but impersonal.

I’d never worn any of it.

"It’s the thought that counts," Julian said, shrugging.

Sophie smiled and tucked the box away. "Perfect. We’ll wear them tomorrow, matching best-friend style. Oh, by the way, you haven’t seen the gift Vivienne got for you yet. Yesterday, we ran into a crazy person while shopping, but thankfully the store manager was sensible."

Julian picked up the box from the table, examining it closely. "Looks like a watch. Just what I need, actually."

Julian opened the box, revealing a sleek, understated mechanical watch. It had a refined, almost subtle elegance to it.

“Wow, Vivienne, you’ve got great taste! I love this watch. Come on, put it on me.”

Julian handed me the watch and rested his wrist on the table.

I took the watch and slipped it onto his wrist.

“All set.” I made a small adjustment, holding his wrist gently. “Is that good?”

Julian glanced at his wrist, a grin spreading across his face. “Perfect. I’m not taking this off!”

I smiled back, but a sudden chill ran down my spine.

Could Alexander be nearby?

No, that’s impossible.

I quickly scanned the room, making sure Alexander wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

It must’ve just been my imagination.

Alexander’s POV

On the second floor of the café across from the restaurant, I spotted Julian. His expression was dark enough to drown in.

Why the hell is Julian here?!

This guy just won’t stay away.

Then I saw Vivienne hand him a box.

My eyes widened in disbelief as I stared at the gift box. It’s the men’s watch Vivienne bought yesterday!

So, it’s for Julian?!

She already knew he was coming today?!

Did they plan this?

Why is she giving Julian a gift?!

And now Julian’s giving her one, too... What a perfect match.

My fists clenched, my knuckles cracking with rage.

No wonder she kept pushing me away, telling me not to follow her—she was trying to hide that she was meeting with Julian!

Looks like she’s already decided to be with him.

I ground my teeth, furious.

Julian wants to be with Vivienne?

Dream on!

My expression darkened as I pulled out my phone and dialed a number.

"Do you know all the collaborations Julian’s involved in?"

"I’m not entirely sure, but as far as I know, there’s a reality show, two ad campaigns—all of which should start after the New Year. Oh, and there’s a movie for our company..."

"How’s the prep going? When does filming start?"

"It’s almost ready. Originally, it was scheduled for after the New Year..."

"Start shooting tomorrow."

"Uh??" The voice on the other end sounded completely stunned, as if they couldn’t believe what they were hearing. "CEO Hawthorne, are you serious?"

"I’ll cover any additional costs for the early shoot."

"Well... it’s not just the costs. Moving up the schedule could cause conflicts with other actors’ availability..."

"I’m giving you three days to sort it out. In three days, I want Julian on set, filming."

"Okay... okay... I understand. I’ll handle it right away."

Other actors don’t matter. As long as Julian shows up, that’s all that counts. He definitely has time now.

"I’ll be waiting for your update."

I ended the call and shot a cold glance at Julian across the way. I can tolerate him for a few more days, but not for long.