?Chapter 132:


    Marc poured himself a drink and threw it back fast, his eyes flicking constantly toward Ste’s table across the room.


    Johnny leaned in, raising his ss. “Marc, lighten up. We’re all here with you—what’s the point of sulking alone?”


    Marc said nothing.


    Tommy, ncing in Ste’s direction, chimed in suggestively, “You’re still hung up on her, huh? She changed her name just to get away from you. Maybe it’s time to let it go.”


    Everyone at the table knew the truth.


    Ste had changed her name, her identity—just to stay as far from Marc as possible.


    And yet… Marc’s behavior didn’t add up.


    He was the one who’d cheated before the divorce. Now that Ste had finally walked away, he acted like he was the one who’d been wronged.


    Marc set his ss down with a loud clink. “I never wanted the divorce,” he snapped. “She ran off with another man. Took the patent and teamed up with him to go against Walsh Group.”


    His anger spilled out like it had been waiting for an excuse—bitter, sharp.


    No one responded for a moment, until Johnny forced augh. “Marc, seriously. You’re still young, still rich. There are plenty of women out there.”


    Marc scoffed. “Right. And what kind of life is Ste gonna have without me? No man will care for her the way I did. She’s ungratefulpletely blind to what she lost.”


    That was too much for Travis. He set down his ss with a quiet clink and looked Marc dead in the eyes. “Marc, seriously—have a little conscience. We all saw how you treated her. If you actually cared, why’d you mess around with Haley?”


    Johnny’s head snapped toward him in surprise. What the hell was he doing?


    But Travis didn’t stop. “Ste leaving you was probably the best thing that could’ve happened. Now she doesn’t have to get dragged through your mess. And as for that patent—didn’t it originally belong to her anyway?”


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    Marc’s expression darkened instantly. His grip on his ss tightened until his knuckles nched. “What do you mean by that, Travis?” he said, standing abruptly.


    Travis stayed seated, calm. “You heard me.”


    “Looks like you’re asking for trouble,” Marc growled. “You seem to have forgotten your ce.”


    Marc’s hand shot up, ready to strike—but Travis didn’t flinch. He met Marc’s fury head-on, standing his ground without so much as a blink. Before things could blow up, Johnny jumped between them, raising both hands. “Hey, heye on. We’re all friends here. No need to throw punches over a woman. Let’s just drink and cool down.” He threw a look at Tommy, who immediately moved to hold Marc back. “Marc, rx. You know how Travis is—his mouth moves faster than his brain. Don’t take it personally.”


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