Love’s New Bloom By Simone Hastings

Chapter 93 Rivals 

Instantly, Erin was surrounded by several female designers. It was almost lunchtime, and everyone was starting to relax. 

“Is it from your husband?” 

“Even though you’re married, your husband still sends you roses? How romantic!” 

The wild assumptions kept coming, and Erin made a firm decision. She said, “You’ve misunderstood. It’s not from my husband. I’m actually divorced now…” In order to prevent any further misunderstanding, Erin decided to reveal the truth. 

Mixed expressions flashed across her female colleagues‘ faces when they heard the truth. An awkward atmosphere settled in for a moment. 

Standing not far away, Ella walked over to help defuse the situation. She smiled and said, “Erin’s husband cheated on her during their marriage. He’s truly despicable! But look at Erin. She’s young and beautiful. She has plenty of options. You see, even her admirers are sending flowers to the office!” 

With just a few words, Ella managed to convey the situation to the surrounding gossiping colleagues. After offering a few comforting words to Erin, they all returned to their seats. 

They noticed that their director, Caleb, was standing not far away. Although there were still five minutes left until lunchtime, they decided to resume their work and pretended to be occupied. 

Casting a warm smile toward Erin, Ella also returned to her seat. 

Just as Erin set the roses down on her table, she caught sight of Caleb. Her expression became somewhat uneasy as she recalled their last unpleasant encounter at the café. Erin still felt slightly apprehensive about facing Caleb. 

If it weren’t for Chandler’s strong disapproval of her resignation and her own passion for design, she probably wouldn’t have chosen to return to the design department. 

Caleb casually glanced at her and headed straight back to his office. 

Thoughts of Caleb’s gaze lingered in Erin’s mind as she settled back into her seat. A bitter feeling crept into her heart. Even though they might never be able to be friends again, maintaining a professional relationship wouldn’t be a bad idea. 

Once she had come to terms with this realization, she no longer dwelled on the past. She glanced at the roses on the floor and realized they were too large to be placed on her desk and were quite distracting. 

She had already noticed the note on the flowers when she received them, which read, “From your hubby.” 

Although Ella had told the other female designers that the flowers weren’t from Erin’s ex–husband, they were actually from 

him. 

Hubby was Ian’s nickname. 

She couldn’t refuse the delivery because the courier had explicitly stated that even if she wanted to discard the flowers, she had to do it herself. Their delivery company was only responsible for ensuring accurate and precise delivery. 

Erin retrieved her phone and sent a message to Ian. “Please stop sending me flowers in the future. It attracts too much attention at the office.” 

Soon, Ian replied, “Erin, can you give me another chance?” 

Upon seeing his response, she remembered that tomorrow was the 8th. It was her birthday. 

However, it was also the day her parents got divorced years ago. 

Now, she was divorced from Ian too. 

A sense of disappointment engulfed Erin, and she quickly replied, “You don’t have to put so much effort into persuading me. I won’t change my mind.” 

Sitting in his office, lan let out a deep sigh when he saw her message. He felt helpless and listless. 

Since he slept with Tracy again, he had already introduced her to work in another company. 

He admitted feeling somewhat guilty. He feared Erin would come to his company and discover Tracy’s presence one day. It would be difficult to justify the situation, no matter how many excuses he came up with. 

Erin’s reluctance to forgive lan made him realize it would be a prolonged battle. 

Fortunately, the chairman of the Frost Corporation, Quentin Frost, had returned to the country. Ian believed it was related to the anonymous email he had discreetly sent. 

Deep down, he understood that esteemed families like the Frost family would never accept Erin. She lacked power, influence, and status. In aristocratic families, alliances were formed based on strength, and even marriages were driven by interests. 

Ian stared at Erin’s text and typed another message. “Erin, Mom’s condition has improved these past few days, and she wants to see you. Do you have any free time to come home for a visit? It would mean a lot to her.” 

He firmly believed that his gentle approach would work on Erin. Whether it was feigning hardship or appealing to their familial bond, he was willing to employ it as long as it yielded results. 

The thought of Chandler, the man who had everything, ignited a jealous frenzy deep within Ian. If he also lost his ex–wife to Chandler, he would consider his life an utter failure! 

A gentle knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Ian put his phone away and said, “Please come in.” 

The office door was pushed open by a man in his thirties. It was Yandel Dawson, Ian’s newly appointed male secretary. 

“Mr. Sloan, a lady named Miss Brown is looking for you at the front desk.” 

A hint of impatience appeared in Ian’s eyes as he heard the name. He said, “Tell her I’m busy, and it’s inconvenient for me to see her right now.” 

“Yes, Mr. Sloan,” Yandel responded promptly and closed the door before he left. 

Once he was gone, Ian threw his phone irritably onto the desk. Ever since that night when he took the initiative to seek out Tracy, this woman had been clinging to him like a leech! 

Yet he felt reluctant to completely cut ties with her. At least until he won back Erin, Tracy could occasionally fulfill his physical 

needs. 

However, Tracy’s change in behavior was giving him a headache. It seemed like this materialistic woman had actually fallen in love with him. 

Things were becoming a bit complicated. 

It was already 5 pm when Chandler and Kyle took the private elevator to the underground parking lot. 

Early in the morning, Gaston Frost, Chandler’s grandfather, called Chandler and asked him to return to the Chandler family home for dinner that evening. 

Chandler could never reject his grandfather’s requests. 

After they entered the car, Kyle glanced at the rearview mirror and noticed a black car not far behind them. He said, “Mr. Frost, this car has been tailing us for a while. Shouldn’t we do something about it?” 

With closed eyes, Chandler casually replied, “Since Ian trusts private detectives so much, let him follow us. He won’t be able to pull off any tricks.” 

“Understood.” 

“Is lan still in contact with Tracy?” Chandler suddenly asked. 

Speaking of which, Kyle became excited. “Mr. Frost, how did you predict everything? lan went to Tracy’s apartment a few days ago and didn’t leave until 10 am the next morning.” 

Chandler wasn’t surprised at all. He suddenly opened his obsidian eyes and spoke sarcastically, “Men like him who cheat once. will cheat again. If Erin, that foolish woman, can’t let go of her past feelings, she will eventually soften up to him. We can only present evidence to make her give him up completely.” 

When it came to tactics, Kyle truly admired Chandler. Chandler probably didn’t know how to please Erin because he had always been the one to be pleased by others. 

However, in terms of playing mind games, Chandler never took a newcomer in the field like lan seriously. 

“Mr. Frost, according to the information we received, the chairman will likely approach Miss Lane in the next few days, just as he always did. He sent away your past paramours with money, which explains why none of them dared to bother you again.” 

Kyle couldn’t help feeling puzzled at how nosy the chairman was, even interfering in his son’s personal relationships. 

Chandler’s dark gaze shifted towards the window as the car exited the underground parking lot and emerged onto the road. The window blocked the glaring sunlight outside. 

He narrowed his eyes slightly and said, “I’m quite curious to see how Erin will respond to my father…”