Cold Husband Burning Regret: The Divorce He Couldn't Handle novel Chapter 321

His appearance at an event like this was enough to cause quite a stir.

Tricia watched him weave through the crowd, convinced he’d be just as unable to ignore her brilliance as everyone else.

She was just about to greet him when Judd walked straight past her, not sparing her so much as a glance.

As the whispers around her grew louder, Tricia gripped her wine glass tighter.

Judd stopped beside Charlotte. Right in front of everyone, he took her glass from her hand and offered her a juice instead. “Girls shouldn’t be drinking.”

Caught off guard, Charlotte had no choice but to accept the juice. She managed a smile. “Are you planning to micromanage even this?”

“You’re not here to schmooze.” Judd took a sip from the wine glass he’d confiscated.

Charlotte’s eyes widened in disbelief. She reached out. “That was my—glass!”

But it was already too late.

He looked down, catching her stunned expression. “What’s wrong?”

“…Nothing.”

Judd was an infamous germaphobe.

If he knew she’d just taken a sip from that glass, he’d probably be horrified.

“Who is Mr. Carstairs to that woman, anyway?”

“You guys don’t know? She was Old Mr. Carstairs’s student. Technically, she has some say in the project.”

“But compared to Miss Winthrop, she’s barely contributed anything, right?”

“Connections are all that matter.”

Tricia listened to the murmurs about Charlotte, a cold smirk tugging at her lips. A woman who’d only gotten into this circle by latching onto a man—how could she possibly compare to her?

…

Halfway through the conference, Charlotte and Judd were deep in conversation with two city officials from Riverspire. One of them was Deputy Commissioner Winston Rivers. Both men were dressed so discreetly that even the reporters failed to recognize them.

They were only attending out of respect for Old Mr. Carstairs.

After a few minutes of polite conversation, Winston turned to Charlotte. “Dr. Sterling, would you mind if we spoke privately for a moment?”

Did that mean…

No. Impossible.

She was a Sterling. There was no way she had anything to do with the Rayburns.

That afternoon, the conference ended.

Charlotte and Judd stepped out of the building together. Suddenly, Judd spoke up. “What did Deputy Commissioner Rivers want to talk to you about?”

“His wife’s birthday. She invited me.”

“That’s all?”

She paused on the steps, looking back at him. “What else would it be?”

Judd arched an eyebrow. “Well… I suppose I’ll have to make an appearance too, then.”

Charlotte stared at him, about to retort, when a car horn sounded behind them.

She turned, just as the back window of a nearby car slid down. Evander’s gaze flickered over her, settling on Judd, his expression unreadable. “Mr. Carstairs, care for a lift?”