His Beloved Ex-Wife

Chapter 431

Chapter 431 A New Neighbor

The hallway was alive with the hustle and bustle of people milling about. Contrary to what one mightexpect at such an early hour, these individuals were not clad in the typical attire of a moving companybut were instead employees from the property management office. The door of the adjacent apartmentstood. conspicuously open, facilitating the transportation of items inside.

Surprisingly, someone was relocating at the unheard hour of three in the morning.

Once Lysander ascertained that there was no danger associated with the newcomers, she felt a senseof relief wash over her. Deciding to dismiss the disturbances, she proceeded to the bathroom to indulgein a relaxing bath and prepare herself for bed.

The next morning, Lysander was abruptly awakened from her slumber by the persistent ringing of herdoorbell.

Still groggy from sleep, she shuffled into her loungewear and approached the door, querying cautiously.“Who is it?”

Adrian’s familiar voice responded from the other side. “It’s me.”

Instantly, Lysander snapped to full alertness, though she hesitated to open the door further, insteadreminiscing about the prior evening’s events. Observing the assortment of packages Adrian wasbalancing. she inquired with a mixture of curiosity and caution, “Dr. Sutton? What brings you here atthis hour?”

The bags, prominently displaying the logo of a local supermarket and packed to the brim, indicated atsubstantial purchase had been made.

1

Adrian responded with a gentle tone, “Did I interrupt your rest?”

Only then did Lysander glance at the clock, noting with a slight blush that it was almost noon, Shereplied, somewhat apologetically, “No, it’s just that your visit was unexpected.”

She wa

was still grappling with how to discourage Adrian’s evident affection for her.

Adrian offered a comforting smile and explained, “I had a free day today and remembered you hadn’tcaten much last night. So, I thought it might be helpful to pick up some essentials for you from thesupermarket. I’ve brought various ingredients and some ready–to–cook meals; they’re quitestraightforward to prepare and will keep well in the fridge.”

Lysander acknowledged his thoughtfulness with a nod, responding, “Thank you, you’ve reallyconsidered everything; it’s just that…”

She was midway through articulating her reservations when White Coat, having been dozing on thecushion, bounded over to Adrian with familiar enthusiasm, clearly delighted by his presence.

The puppy, still quite diminutive in size, stretched up on its hind legs, barely reaching a person’s kneeseven at full stretch.

As Adrian was laden with bags, he could not scoop it up immediately. Instead, he carefully set down hisparcels and crouched to extend a comforting pat to the excited creature.

“Woof!” White Coat joyously snuggled into his hand.

GL

1/4

22:59 Mon, 3 Jun

Chapter 431 A New Neighbor

witnessing the affectionate exchange between him and the dog melted her resolve, leaving hermomentarily speechless.

35%

Standing up with White Coat, Adrian explained, “I couldn’t bring everything back from before, so thistime I included some dog food, chew sticks, the medicine it recently needed, and a few toys.”

At the mention of these items, White Coat’s bright eyes immediately shifted to the shopping bags.

Finding it increasingly difficult to dismiss Adrian’s gestures of goodwill, Lysander reluctantly steppedback, inviting him in with a resigned, “All right, come in then.”

Adrian conscientiously slipped into the guest slippers and proceeded to unload the groceries into thekitchen, filling the nearly empty refrigerator to half its capacity. Then, rolling up his sleeves, he donnedan

apron.

Lysander tried to intervene, “Dr. Sutton, what are you doing-novelbin

Adrian looked up innocently, “White Coat is still a puppy. I spoke with the vet last night, and theysuggested its upset stomach might be from its current dog food. They recommended a temporarychange. I’ve brought chicken breast and carrots to cook for it. Could I use your kitchen?”

Caught off guard and unable to refuse, Lysander consented, “You go ahead, I need to freshen up.”

diet

She had neglected to wash her clothes the previous evening due to unexpected events and now tookthe opportunity to handle her laundry while also brushing her teeth and washing her face. When shefinally reemerged from the bathroom, the dining table was laden with a variety of foods.

In addition to the basics like oatmeal, scrambled eggs, and sandwiches, Adrian had prepared severalbeautifully arranged appetizers.

Emerging from the kitchen with a plate of freshly fried ham, Adrian explained, “Since I was alreadycooking for White Coat and had some time, I thought I’d make us breakfast too. I wasn’t sure of yourpreference, so I included both Epean and Ecronian options.”

This spread was clearly not the work of an amateur.

Nearby, White Coat contentedly munched on a mixture of chicken, carrots, and its usual dog food.

After setting the last dish on the table, Adrian removed his apron and inquired, noticing Lysander’shesitation. “What’s wrong? Don’t you like the food?”

“No,” Lysander replied, shaking her head as she finally seated herself.

Adrian’s culinary skills had always impressed her, and that day was no exception. He looked concernedas he asked. “Why aren’t you eating?”

With a rueful smile, Lysander struggled to articulate her feelings without causing hurt, “Dr. Sutton,please don’t go to this much trouble in the future.”

The mood at the dining table immediately grew tense.

Adrian sat opposite her, his demeanor more subdued than before. He nodded in acceptance. “All right,I won’t do it again.

Wanting to soften the blow, Lysander suggested, “Loty

cat first.

2/4

Chapter 431 A New Neighbor

号.35%

They began their meal in silence, each savoring a bowl of plain oatmeal. As they neared the end oftheir meal, the doorbell rang unexpectedly.

When Adrian made a move to answer it, Lysander quickly intercepted, opening the door herself.Outside stood a friendly–looking woman, evidently the new neighbor from next door. “Hello, I’m yournew neighbor,” she greeted politely. “I haven’t fully stocked my kitchen yet, could I borrow someketchupt

The woman, still clad in her cooking apron, clearly needed the ingredient urgently. This was evidentfrom her apologetic demeanor as she stood awaiting a response.

Normally, Lysander did not keep such condiments on hand, and she turned to glance at Adrian, butbefore she could speak, he preemptively offered. “We have some, I’ll get it.”

He quickly retrieved a brand–new bottle of ketchup from the supermarket stash and handed it to thegrateful woman.

“Thank you so much,” the lady expressed her gratitude.

“No worries, we’re going to be neighbors, so it’s only right if we help each other out.”

“Absolutely,” she agreed, smiling, “Oh, do you have a puppy? It’s really adorable.”

White Coat, seeming to recognize the praise, wiggled with excitement and hurried over to join in thefun. But like a fluffy ball losing control, it couldn’t manage to stop in time and ended up tumbling rightonto

the floor.

Just as Lysander was about to turn around and head inside, she noticed a small, fluffy bundle darting

underfoot

Startled by the sudden obstruction and terrified of causing harm to the dog. Lysander pivoted sharply toleave the scene. However, her slipper slid unexpectedly on the smooth floor, causing her to lurchforward toward the doorway.

Instinctively bracing for impact, she adopted a protective stance, but before she could hit the ground,she felt a strong grip pull her back by her waist.

Adrian, who had reacted just in time, looked visibly shaken, his complexion pale as he quickly asked,“Are you all right?”

Im fine…

The neighbor, who had just borrowed some ketchup, was equally startled by the near mishap. Uponseeing that Lysander was safe, she let out a relieved sigh, patting her chest as she said, “Thankheavens, it’s a relief that nothing happened.”

Caught in such an awkward public display, Lysander wished momentarily that the ground would openup and swallow her. She was about to extricate herself from Adrian’s supportive embrace using thedoor frame for support when a familiar voice echoed down the hallway.

Aiden spoke as he walked. “Josiah, Martha ran out of ingredients for cooking and she’s gone to borrowsome. Have a little snack to tide you over for now. You can have your breakfast once it’s ready.”

“Mm,” another voice responded.