Hi Ex, Your Uncle Is My Hubby Now - Chapter 60: Chapter 60

He was visibly disappointed, but still kept his gentlemanly facade. "That's fine. Just spending time with you is enough."
Irene was just about to turn him down politely when Dorian's phone rang again.
He stiffened immediately, eyes locked on the phone in her hand.
His voice was tight. "Another scam call?"
Irene didn't miss the flicker of tension in Dorian's expression. She glanced down at the phone screen.
An unknown number. Location: Halverra City.
That was where Amaris lived.
She quickly memorized the digits, then gave a small shake of her head. "Doesn't look like a scam—just an unfamiliar number. Says it's from Halverra City. Could be a sales call?"
"Let me take it," Dorian said, reaching out with practiced ease. "Might be someone trying to get in touch."
Irene handed the phone over, but just before it left her fingers, she lightly curled her pinky and tapped the screen—silently answering the call.
"Dorian." Amaris's voice rang out clearly, sweet and unexpected.
The second Dorian heard her, his hand clenched into a fist beneath the table.
A cold sweat broke out across his back.
Irene turned to look at him, her expression calm—but razor-sharp. No yelling. No accusations.
Which made it that much more terrifying.
Dorian's mind raced. Within seconds, he came up with a plan.
He took the phone to his ear, his voice smooth and detached. "Hello, this is Dorian. Who's calling?"
A beat of silence on the other end.
Then, in a light, almost playful tone, the woman said, "Oh?"
She sounded surprised. "Oops, wrong number? Isn't this Saul's phone?"
Dorian exhaled quietly. Smart girl. She'd picked up on the situation and was playing along.
He kept his tone cool. "Sorry, wrong number."
Then he hung up, placed the phone back on the table, and said casually, "Must've been trying to call my brother. Dialed my number by mistake."
Irene raised a brow. "You've had this number for, what, over two years? Kind of hard to believe someone would still mix it up."
"We're on a family plan," Dorian explained smoothly. "Our numbers are almost identical—only a couple digits off."
That, at least, was true.
The Barnes family had a private telecom setup. Their numbers were encrypted and filtered—ordinary spam calls couldn't even get through.
Irene cursed silently. 'Unbelievable. Those two actually pulled it off.'
She didn't press the issue. Instead, she gave a theatrical sigh of relief and patted her chest.
"God, you scared the hell out of me. For a second, I really thought you were keeping some slut on the side. That 'Dorian' just now? Gave me chills."
Dorian raised his glass and smiled. "Is that how little you trust my love? You should know," he said, meeting her eyes, "you can always believe in me."
Irene clinked her glass against his and took a sip, then casually continued, "She sounded young. You think she might be one of your brother's secret flings?"
Dorian's brother, Saul, had been married once. He was now divorced.
He had gone blind as a child—allegedly after handling toxic heavy metals—but his condition didn't exactly render him celibate.
A divorced man with money and urges? Keeping a mistress wasn't out of the question.
Dorian shrugged. "Who knows." He always spoke of Saul with open disdain.
Watching Irene relax again, Dorian finally let his guard down.
After dinner, Irene excused herself under the pretense of touching up her makeup.
As soon as she locked the stall door, she pulled out her phone, typed out the number she'd been reciting in her head like a mantra, and sent it to Valerie.
Irene: [Valerie, do me a favor. Trace the IP on this number.]
Valerie: [Whose number is this?]
Irene: [That skanky bitch's.]
Valerie: [Say no more. I'm on it.]
Irene: [Also—save it for me. I'm wiping everything on my end. If I need it again, I'll come to you.]
Once the last message was sent, Irene deleted the entire chat history and walked out of the restroom, composed as ever.