The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep - Chapter 131: Chapter 131

Serena couldn't help but wave her hand in front of Graham's face, a puzzled look in her eyes. "What's the matter... did I say something wrong?"
Graham's expression shifted through a mix of emotions before he finally let out a helpless smile. He said, "No, nothing is wrong, and that is exactly the problem.
"This is only your first meeting with Ms. Johnson, and you're already this thoughtful. Honestly, it makes me feel a little inadequate."
Among his peers in the design industry, Graham had never really admired anyone in particular. But after meeting Serena, he finally understood what it meant to meet someone with exceptional talent—someone who simply had it in them.
Graham spoke with a mix of teasing and sincerity. "Maybe I should be the one learning from you. I know I'm technically your group leader, but you're definitely the real expert here."
Serena quickly waved it off. "Come on now. Don't say that. You handle the details way better than I do. I wasn't even in this industry for the past few years. You've been way more grounded and consistent than I have."
She felt that every team needed someone to lead, and Graham had always done a good job of that. There was no need for him to sell himself short or dismiss everything he had contributed up until now.
"Since we're already here, why not stay and have a meal before we go?" Graham asked as he called over a server and ordered a couple of dishes. "I noticed you barely ate anything at lunch."
Serena didn't turn him down. She really hadn't eaten properly earlier at the office, too caught up thinking about the collaboration.
While they were still waiting for their food, Graham suddenly spotted a familiar figure near the entrance. His brows lifted in surprise. "Mr. Brannon? What brings you here?"
Hearing his name, Keith turned around. The moment he did, his gaze landed on Serena sitting across from Graham. A flicker of surprise crossed his otherwise composed expression. "Oh, what is this?"
Serena took the initiative to respond, "We were meeting with a client."
Keith gave a slight nod. "I was just at a meeting myself. I just got done with it."
Graham said, "We were just about to grab a bite. Would you like to join us, Mr. Brannon?"
He was only being polite. Back at the office, Keith rarely ate with the team, let alone now, during their personal time.
But to his surprise, Keith didn't hesitate at all. He walked straight toward them and said, "Sure. We can head home together after."
He didn't think there was anything strange about what he said. But when he turned around, he saw both Graham and Serena staring at him, visibly startled.
Graham asked, "Uh, are you two living together, Mr. Brannon?"
"It's not like that," Serena quickly cut him off before he got the wrong idea. "It's just that Mr. Brannon's kid needs someone to look after, so I'm staying at his place for now."
Even so, Graham still looked stunned. But after a moment, he managed to convince himself that maybe it was all perfectly normal.
Keith spoke up. "When I came in just now, you two seemed to be getting along well. What were you talking about?"
For some reason, Graham thought he heard something passive-aggressive in that tone. But he quickly shook the thought away, figuring he was just being paranoid. Keith wouldn't get upset over something so trivial.
So, Graham simply told the truth. "I think Serena's got real talent. She's even better than me. I asked if she would be willing to mentor me, but she turned me down."
Keith replied, "Serena does have a good eye."
As he said it, his expression didn't shift at all, like he wasn't the one who had just complimented her. That made Serena feel oddly self-conscious.
Since Keith had decided to stay, Graham went ahead and ordered another dish.
After they finished eating, Serena got into the car with Keith. The moment the door closed, she felt something wasn't quite right.
She wondered, 'Didn't I just say last night that I shouldn't let my coworkers find out I'm staying with Keith? How did that end up slipping today?'
Still, Serena managed to brush it off, figuring it had all just happened by chance. No one could have predicted that both parties would end up at the same restaurant.
Plus, Graham was always tight-lipped, so she figured he wouldn't go around talking about it. And with that, she stopped worrying about it.
Keith suddenly spoke from the driver's seat, asking, "What's going on between you and Graham? You were in such a rush to explain our relationship to him just now. Don't tell me you two have a thing for each other?"
His tone was light, as if he were just making casual conversation.
Serena quickly shook her head. "Of course not. Graham and I are just colleagues. This client of ours is a little tricky to deal with, so he brought me along."
She purposely left out the fact that Graham had confessed to her before, especially since it happened ages ago and he was already over it. She figured it wouldn't be fair to expose something so personal.
"So, you guys are friends," Keith said with a faint smile, his deep voice carrying a hint of something hard to place.
For some reason, Serena felt a subtle pressure in the air. She gave a small cough before asking, "What is it? Is something bothering you?"
Sensing the slight tension in her voice, Keith let out a helpless laugh. "What could possibly be wrong? Brannon Creative Group doesn't ban office romances. Even if you and Graham did like each other, it's not a big deal."
The moment he said it, they both felt the awkwardness settle in. The atmosphere inside the car was already strange, and Serena chose to stay quiet.
When they arrived at the house and she opened the door, a small figure came running toward her, eyes sparkling with joy.
Keith glanced at the scene, his expression touched with quiet resignation. "Alyssa, you really don't treat me like your dad anymore."
He had walked in with Serena, yet Alyssa threw her arms around Serena and acted like he didn't even exist.
Hearing that, Alyssa giggled and then gave Keith a quick hug as well.
"You didn't forget about your dad. You're just small, so you can only hug one person at a time, right, Alyssa?" Serena smiled, her eyes crinkling.
Alyssa nodded enthusiastically, completely agreeing. With that, she reached out, took Keith's hand in one and Serena's in the other, and pressed their hands together, her eyes full of anticipation as she watched them.
Serena felt the warmth of Keith's hand on hers and froze for a second, caught off guard by Alyssa's unexpected move. It was a little awkward, but she didn't have the heart to pull away and disappoint the little girl.
Keith, on the other hand, knew Alyssa all too well. He had already picked up on what she was thinking. She wanted Serena to be her mom. It wasn't the first time she had hinted at it, and he had seen it coming.