Chapter 265 Ex-Husband as Brother
She was about to suggest that he should be more concerned about Isabella Harrington, but then she remembered his request from earlier in the evening not to mention her.
Every time Isabella’s name came up, nobody was happy.
So, she swallowed the words she was about to say and instead suggested, "Maybe you should be more concerned about yourself?"
Alexander seemed to know what Ava was about to say, but since she didn't go through with it, he didn’t press the matter and deliberately avoided talking about Isabella.
"Ava, believe it or not, I have no ill will toward you. I'm just afraid you'll get hurt. Not all men out there are good, and I just want to help you differentiate," he said sincerely, perhaps with a hint of jealousy.
"You're my ex-husband. If I were to look for someone new, you might approve, but that doesn't mean my new guy will," Ava replied, clearly displeased.
Alexander furrowed his brows, "Didn't I say that I'm like your brother and you're like my sister? What’s wrong with wanting to check out my future brother-in-law?"
The sour, jealous tone in Alexander's voice sounded less like a protective sibling and more like he simply didn't want her to date anyone.
He had plenty of ways to scare off any potential suitors.
Adding to the conversation with defiance, Ava said, "Since when is an ex-husband supposed to act like a brother? It's absurd. After all this, are you just trying to stop me from seeing other men? So, it's okay for you to be with Isabella Harrington after our divorce, but I can't see anyone else? If we're following your logic, shouldn't you bring Isabella to me for approval, as your 'sister'?"
"Didn't you already meet her?" Alexander replied.
"Yeah, I've seen her," said Ava Anderson. "But you never asked for my opinion, you were the one who insisted on being with her."
Alexander Mitchell replied bluntly, "So what’s your opinion? Do you think she's not good enough?"
"What if I asked you to break up with her, would you?" she blurted out.
He had dared to ask, so she dared to speak, especially since they were divorced—what did she have to lose?
...
Faced with Ava's soul-searching question, Alexander was struck dumb.
It went around and around, and he was the one who ended up looking like the fool.
"Well, go on, why aren't you saying anything? Didn’t you ask for my opinion?" Ava challenged, wanting to see just how far Alexander would go in his obstinacy.
Alexander didn't speak for a long time, his silence proving to be the best answer, hitting harder than any response could—irrespective of the situation, he couldn't part ways with Isabella Harrington.
Watching Alexander's frozen expression, Ava suddenly burst into laughter. "Hahaha."
"Why are you laughing?" Alexander's brows furrowed in confusion.
"I'm laughing because you're so amusing. Got you, didn't I? Haha."
Seeing Ava's relaxed expression, Alexander finally realized that she had been joking the whole time, pretending to be angry and sad.
"So you were pretending," he said, a mix of relief and exasperation in his voice.
He thought she was genuinely upset.
He was panicking.
"What else? Did you really think I would hold a grudge?" Ava said, smiling and sitting beside him. "I finally tricked you. I didn't expect you to look so cute when fooled."
She was close to him, and the atmosphere between them was lighter than usual.
Seeing Ava all smiles and happy, Alexander felt an urge to tease her.
He had been so worried, thinking he had actually upset her, that his words had hurt her.
When did she become so cunning?
Noticing that Alexander looked displeased, Ava leaned in closer and teased, "What's the matter? You're not mad, are you?"
Alexander Mitchell lifted his hand and pinched her nose firmly, "I'm mad at you, you sneaky girl. Ever since the divorce, you've become so unpredictable. You need a lesson."
