Sweet Love 2x: Miss Ruthless CEO for our Superstar Uncle-Chapter 163: Some Lessons Can’t Be Taught

Nate’s bar was calm that evening. The place rarely became crowded on weeknights, which was exactly how Nate preferred it. The lighting remained warm and low, reflecting softly across the polished counter while the rest of the room stayed comfortably dim. A few regular customers occupied the tables near the far wall, their conversations blending with the quiet music drifting from the ceiling speakers.

Behind the counter of the group’s private booth, Nate wiped down a row of glasses while watching the door.

It opened a moment later. Julian stepped inside first.

"You look bored," Julian said as he crossed the room.

"I look relaxed," Nate replied.

Julian slid onto one of the stools. "That’s not the same thing."

Nate set a glass down in front of him. "You’re early."

Julian leaned one elbow against the counter. "That’s because I assumed you would pretend to charge me for the first drink if I arrived late."

"I always charge you."

"You always threaten to."

The door opened again before Nate could respond. Franz stepped inside, the cool evening air slipping briefly into the bar before the door closed behind him.

Julian lifted his hand in greeting. "There he is."

Franz approached the counter. Nate pushed a glass of water toward him automatically.

"You’re trending again."

Franz sat down beside Julian. "That seems to happen often lately."

Julian turned toward him. "I saw three separate theories about your mystery woman before lunch."

Franz lifted the glass. "People enjoy guessing."

Nate leaned forward. "You could end the entire conversation in five seconds."

Franz glanced at him. "How."

"Tell everyone who she is."

Franz took a calm sip of water. "That would remove the mystery."

Julian laughed. "So it is someone."

Franz didn’t answer.

The door opened once more. Gilbert entered quietly. He paused just inside the doorway long enough to remove his coat before crossing the room.

Nate nodded toward the empty stool. "You’re late."

Gilbert sat down. "Traffic."

Julian studied him for a moment. "You look like someone stole your company."

Gilbert glanced at him. "No."

Julian tilted his head. "Then why do you look like that."

Gilbert rested his hands lightly on the counter. "Nothing unusual."

Nate poured a drink and placed it in front of him anyway. "That’s not convincing."

Gilbert didn’t touch the glass immediately. Instead he said, "I spoke with Audrey yesterday."

The conversation paused. Not abruptly. But enough that the shift in tone became noticeable.

Julian leaned back in his chair. "That explains the expression."

Franz remained silent, watching him.

Nate rested his forearms on the counter. "That was fast."

Gilbert looked at him. "It was a professional call."

Julian raised an eyebrow. "And?"

Gilbert lifted the glass and took a small sip before setting it back down. "We discussed a corporate report."

Julian waited.

Gilbert continued calmly. "The conversation itself was normal."

Nate frowned. "That’s a problem?"

Gilbert shook his head. "No." He leaned back in his seat. "But the familiarity between us hasn’t disappeared."

Julian gave a quiet laugh. "That happens when people date for two years."

Gilbert didn’t argue. Instead he said, "I ended the relationship because of circumstances that no longer exist."

Nate crossed his arms. "Such as."

Gilbert answered simply. "Media scrutiny."

Julian nodded slowly. "Pemberton was expanding at the time."

"Yes." Gilbert continued. "Her journalism career was also becoming more visible."

Nate understood the implication immediately. "You didn’t want her credibility questioned."

"Exactly."

Julian looked between them. "So your solution was to break up."

"At the time," Gilbert said calmly, "yes."

Julian shook his head. "That sounds exhausting."

Gilbert glanced at him. "It was practical."

Julian leaned back again. "You broke up with someone you liked because the press might talk about it."

Nate added, "That sounds like something Arianne would do."

Franz gave a faint smile.

Gilbert noticed. "You disagree."

Franz rested his elbow on the counter. "No." He looked at Gilbert briefly. "I understand the reasoning."

Nate gestured toward Gilbert. "So what’s the problem now?"

Gilbert answered quietly. "The reasons I ended it don’t exist anymore."

Julian laughed softly. "You’ve been overthinking this for five years."

Nate nodded. "That’s generous. Alex and Arianne warned you before. You’re going to regret it."

Gilbert didn’t respond to the teasing.

Franz studied him for a moment. Then he said simply, "Ask Arianne."

Gilbert looked at him.

Franz’s tone remained calm. "She understands Audrey better than any of us."

Julian nodded immediately. "That’s true."

Nate added, "And she’ll give you the answer without pretending to be polite."

Gilbert considered that.

Franz finished his drink. "If you want a clear answer," he said, "ask her."

The conversation gradually shifted after that. Julian began complaining about a supplier who had delayed a shipment. Nate argued with him about inventory management. Franz listened quietly.

But Gilbert remained thoughtful for the rest of the evening.

–

The following night the Rochefort residence was quiet. The sitting room lights cast a soft glow across the interior while the tall windows reflected the dark garden outside.

Arianne sat near the low table with a thin folder open in front of her. Several pages lay arranged neatly beside it. Franz occupied the armchair nearby, one ankle resting over the opposite knee as he skimmed something on his phone.

The calm atmosphere of the house had settled naturally into place.

Gio appeared in the doorway. "Gilbert’s here."

Arianne closed the folder. "Send him in."

A moment later Gilbert entered the room.

"Good evening," Arianne said.

"Evening."

Franz stood briefly. "Drink?"

Gilbert shook his head. "Not tonight."

Franz walked to the cabinet along the wall anyway and poured himself a glass of water. When he returned, he placed a second glass beside Arianne without comment.

She reached for it a moment later. The movement was small. Familiar.

Gilbert noticed it. The quiet ease between them. The way she reached for the glass without looking. The way Franz placed it exactly where she would expect it.

Franz returned to his chair.

Arianne rested her hands lightly on the table. "You said you needed my opinion."

Gilbert sat down across from them. "Yes." He paused briefly. "It’s about Audrey."

Arianne waited.

Gilbert continued. "We spoke the other day."

Franz said nothing. He’d already heard all of this last night.

Gilbert folded his hands loosely. "It was a professional call."

Arianne asked, "But not entirely professional."

"No." Gilbert looked down briefly before continuing. "I ended the relationship five years ago because I believed the circumstances surrounding Pemberton would eventually damage her career."

Arianne listened quietly. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"At the time," Gilbert said, "her journalism career was gaining recognition."

Franz leaned back slightly in his chair. Gilbert glanced briefly toward him before continuing.

"I didn’t want her credibility questioned because of my position."

Arianne asked one question. "Why now."

Gilbert answered calmly. "Because the reasons I ended it no longer apply."

The room remained quiet for a moment.

Arianne considered his words. She remembered that conversation five years ago. She and Alex had both told him. You’re going to regret this. Gilbert had been so certain. So convinced that protecting Audrey was the right thing. He had chosen practicality over everything else.

Now he was here, asking for permission to undo it.

Then she said simply, "Then speak to her honestly."

Gilbert looked at her. "That’s all?"

"Yes." Arianne lifted the glass Franz had placed beside her earlier and took a small sip. "If Audrey didn’t care anymore, she wouldn’t still be cautious around you."

Gilbert watched her for a moment. The advice was simple. But clear.

A few minutes later he stood. "Thank you."

Arianne nodded. "You’re welcome."

Franz walked him to the door.

Outside the night air was cool. The street beyond the gate remained quiet.

Gilbert stopped beside his car. For a moment he looked back toward the house.

Then he reached into his pocket and took out his phone.

Audrey Sawyer. Her name appeared on the screen.

Gilbert studied it for a moment.

Then he pressed call.

The phone began ringing.

And the quiet street remained still around him.

–

Franz closed the door softly and returned to the sitting room.

Arianne had already reopened the folder on the table, though her attention wasn’t on the pages. She looked up when he entered.

"He’s actually going to call her," Franz said, settling back into his chair.

Arianne nodded once. "Yes."

Franz studied her for a moment. "You sound certain."

"I am."

He reached for his glass. "I didn’t expect him to listen so quickly."

Arianne’s expression shifted—the barest suggestion of a smile, there and gone. "He’s been thinking about this for five years. He didn’t need convincing. He needed permission."

Franz considered that. "From you."

"From someone who knows Audrey." She set the folder aside completely now. "And someone who watched him end it the first time."

The room settled into quiet for a moment.

Then Franz asked, "You warned him back then?"

Arianne nodded slowly. "Alex and I both did." Her voice remained calm, but something beneath it carried the weight of memory. "We told him he would regret it. That the reasons felt practical now, but they wouldn’t feel that way forever."

She paused. She was thinking about that conversation. The three of them. Gilbert so certain he was doing the right thing. Alex, already gone now. And her, watching her friend choose the logical path, knowing it would break.

"He didn’t listen," she continued. "He was too convinced that protecting her from the press was the right choice."

"And now?"

"Now he’s spent five years discovering we were right." She lifted the glass again but didn’t drink. "Some lessons can’t be taught. They have to be lived."

Franz watched her. "You sound like you’re speaking from experience."

She glanced at him. A small pause. Then, "We agreed. All of us." She set the glass down. "The brotherhood works because we don’t manage each other’s lives. We show up. We listen. We tell the truth when someone asks. But we don’t push."

Franz understood immediately. "Even when you know they’re wrong."

"Especially then." Arianne turned back toward him. "Relationships don’t survive outside pressure. They survive because the people inside them choose them. Gilbert had to choose. Everyone had to choose."

"And you?" Franz asked.

Arianne met his gaze. "I chose you, didn’t I?"

The words landed simply. No weight added. No emphasis needed. She stated it the way she stated everything.

Franz didn’t respond immediately. He didn’t need to. The silence between them had never been empty. It was the kind that held things safely, where words could rest without pressure to perform.

Outside, the garden lights cast long shadows across the lawn. Somewhere in the distance, a car passed along the street beyond the gate—probably Gilbert, finally leaving. Probably already on the phone.

Franz reached across the space between them. His hand found hers. She didn’t pull away.

The house was quiet. The night was still. And somewhere in the city, a call was ringing that had been five years in the making.