The car pulled up to the courthouse entrance. Before it had fully stopped.Ella stepped out.

Jason immediately moved to follow her, but Ella turned and held up her hand,blocking his path.

"Wait in the car," She said firmly, her back to him.

Jason's expression soured. "You're not seriously keeping me from witnessing this spectacle, are you?"

"This is a divorce, not a reunion," Ella snapped, stomping her foot in frustration. "Jason, could you please not make this harder than it already is?"

Jason fell silent.

Ella closed the car door and instructed the driver, "Sir, please don't let him out without my permission."

"You're treating me like a dog?" Jason called out from inside.

Ella stuck her tongue out playfuly, then turned to walk away.

She collided suddenly with a solid chest, immediately enveloped by the familiar scent of tequila cologne.

Her eyelashes fluttered as she looked up to see Austin's sharp jawline, his dark gaze lowering to her.

She swallowed hard and tried to maintain her composure. "Sorry."

Austin's eyes flicked to the car where Jason sat, his gaze shifting

calculatingly between them.

"Let's go," He said, his voice cold and detached.

Ella couldn't read his emotions.

Previously, he'd fly into a rage whenever he saw Jason or Anthony around her. Perhaps now he truly didn't care anymore.

Ella watched his retreating before hurrying to catch up.

Austin noticed how far Ella had fallen behind and stopped,fixing her with an icy stare. "I used to think you possessed at least some intelligence."

Ella looked at him questioningly.

"Never expected your taste in men to be so poor."

Ella's lips twitched with annoyance.

She realized he was misunderstanding her relationship with Jason,but rather than correct him, she deliberately provoked him.

"Jason is handsome, funny, and charming. Men like him are rare finds. I'd rather marry ten men like Jason than ever be with someone like you again."

Before she could finish, Jason burst out of the car, having witnessed what appeared to be an argument.

He rushed to Ella's side, slightly out of breath.

"Is Austin giving you trouble?" He demanded.

Austín's expression darkened further.

Jason grabbed Ella's shoulders and shook her vigorously. "Say something!"

Ella, dizzy from the shaking, pushed his hands away irritably. "Could you please keep your hands to yourself?"

"S-sorry," Jason stammered,realizing he'd overreacted.

Ella suddenly felt as though bringing Jason along had been a terrible mistake.

Though she and Jason weren't actually involved in the way Austin assumed, the situation was becoming embarrassing.

"Who told you to get out of the car?" She asked Jason crossly.

"I was worried about you!" Jason defended himself. "Ella, you're only tough with people who care about you!"

Austin observed their heated exchange with growing displeasure.

The way they argued seemed almost intimate, like lovers' banter.

They weren't even divorced yet!

How dare Ella parade another man in front of him?

Was this some new tactic to get his attention?

Austin felt a strange irritation growing inside him, despite his supposed indifference.

Jason's voice-not paticularly loud but persistent-grated on his nerves.

"Ella!" Austin's voice cut through their argument like ice.

Both instantly fell silent.

The chilling aura emanating from him made Ella's scalp tingle and raised

goosebumps on her arms.

Austin glared at Jason with murderous intent.

Thankfully, Ella positioned herself between them.

"Weren't we here to finalize the divorce?" She asked, tugging at Austin's arm toward the courthouse.

Austin allowed himself to be pulled along for a few steps, though he continued looking back at Jason with undisguised contempt.

Once inside the courthouse, Ella and Austin proceeded directly to the appropriate department.

"We're here to file for divorce," They stated simultaneously.

The clerk looked at the attractive young couple with regret. "So young to be divorcing. Would you like a one-month cooling-off period to reconsider?

"

Austin opened his mouth to speak.

"That won't be necessary," Ella stated firmly, her eyes resolute.

Seeing Ella's determination, the clerk didn't press further.

She guided them through the process, and Ella and Austin completed the necessary paperwork.

They emerged from the courthouse as officially divorced individuals.

The weather seemed fitting for the occasion.

It had begun to rain.

Right on cue, a pink luxury car cut through the curtain of rain.

Judith stepped out, thoughtfully carrying an umbrella as she rushed to Austin's side.

Austin's expression softened slightly as he looked at her,accepting the umbrella with a gentle smile. "You came all this way in this downpour?"

"The forecast mentioned rain. I was worried you might catch a cold,"Judith explained considerately, then glanced toward Ella with feigned surprise. "Ella! How will you manage in this rain?"

Ella,noticing Judith's insincere concern,felt nauseated.

Without acknowledging her, Ella walked past the pair toward a waiting vehicle.

Jason,seeing her emerge, immediately followed.

Judith watched the scene, gripping the umbrella handle tightly.

She hadn't expected that Jason had such a close relationship with Ella.

No wonder Jason had always been cold toward her.

Judith's fingers dug into her palms as jealousy flashed across her eyes. She quickly turned to Austin. "You're not upset, are you?"

Austin's face remained expressionless. "What would I be upset about?"

"Ella is barely divorced and she's already entangled with another man,"Judith remarked.

Austin's face showed no reaction as he told Judith, "I have you now. That's all that matters."

Judith remained silent, but her heart swelled with sweetness.

Indeed, as long as she had Austin, she had everything.

What did Ella matter now?

Even with Jason supporting her, Ella would remain forever beneath her feet, never to rise again.

With these thoughts, Judith confidently linked her arm through Austin's.

Together they shared the umbrella as they walked into the misty rain.

Ella witnessed this scene as she entered her car. Her expression remained unchanged,betraying no emotion as she instructed the driver, "Let's go."

"Has our company settled on a location yet?" Jason asked casually from beside her.

Ella raised her eyes. "Can you afford anywhere decent?"

"High-end places are out of our budget, but," Jason pulled out an advertisement and showed it to Ella, "What about renting here?"

Ella examined the location-downtown,surrounded by tech buildings and prestigious companies from various industries.

Her expression grew thoughtful, somewhat surprised. "How did you find this place?"

"Flatter me and I might tell you," He teased.

Ella immediately lost interest.

Just then, her phone vibrated repentedly.

Ella opened it to find messages from the investors she'd met at the alcohol-fueled networking event. They wanted to sign contracts.

Madison had sent the earliest message: [Ella, I believe in you. I'm signing the contract first.]