Chased By My Billionaire Ex-husband
Chapter 180: Mind Your Words

Chapter 180: Mind Your Words

Evander’s POV

"What do you mean, ’never’?" I asked, my tone calm but tinged with curiosity. "You were the one who brought it up in the first place. Are we not good enough to meet this mysterious partner of yours?"

Caspian leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, and gave me a pointed look. "It’s not about whether you are ’good enough.’ It’s just that he can’t meet you. I don’t need you two interrogating them further after seeing them and making them uncomfortable.

Damian let out a snort, crossing his arms. "Oh, please, Caspian. You act like we are going to scare him off or something. We are not that bad."

Caspian shot him a glare. "Really? You are not that bad? Damian, you couldn’t even keep your mouth shut for two minutes earlier without stirring the pot. Imagine what kind of chaos you would bring if you met my partner!"

"Hey! That’s unfair!" Damian protested, throwing his hands up in defense. "I would be perfectly polite. I just have a lot of questions, that’s all. Like, who is he, what do he do, how did he manage to put up with you—"

"Damian," I warned, cutting him off before he could dig himself into a deeper hole.

Caspian sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck as if this entire conversation was exhausting him. "Look, it’s not that I don’t trust you guys. I just... I am not ready for that step yet. Introducing him to you two feels like a big deal, and I need to make sure it’s the right time."

I nodded slowly, understanding where he was coming from. "Fair enough," I said, my tone softening. "But just so you know, we are not here to judge or make things harder for you. We are your brothers, Caspian. We just want to be part of your life—even the parts you think we won’t understand."

Caspian glanced at me, his expression softening slightly. "I know. And I appreciate that. But this is something I need to handle on my own for now."

Damian huffed but didn’t argue further, clearly sensing that Caspian wasn’t going to budge. "Fine," he muttered, sinking back into his seat. "But don’t think I am not going to bug you about it later."

Caspian smirked faintly. "I’d expect nothing less from you."

"So, are you still going to pull your investments from D Entertainment?" I asked, raising a brow as I leaned back in my chair. My tone was casual, but I was watching Caspian closely.

He shot me a glare, his jaw tightening. "Damn it! I don’t want to, but since you have been bugging me about it so much, it looks like I don’t even have a choice anymore!" he grumbled.

Before I could say anything else, Caspian turned on his heel and began walking away, muttering something under his breath that I couldn’t quite catch.

"Wait," I called out, stopping him mid-step. "Aren’t you going to see Little Eliam before you leave?"

Caspian froze for a moment, then glanced over his shoulder at me, his expression torn between irritation and exasperation. "I need to cool myself down first," he said with a sharp sigh. "And please, please tell him to stay away from me for the next few hours! I am not in the mood to deal with his clinginess right now."

With that, he strode out of the study, leaving the door slightly ajar behind him.

I leaned back in my chair, shaking my head with a bemused smile. "That brat," I muttered under my breath.

Damian, who had been silently watching the exchange, finally spoke up. "Why do I feel like I am cursed to deal with psycho lovers for the rest of my life?" he murmured, leaning against the edge of the desk with an annoyed smirk.

I glared at him, rubbing the back of my neck. "Oh really?"

Damian sighed. "Tell me about it. One of them nearly killed me over a stupid rumor, and the other one almost destroyed me because of a comment I didn’t even mean."

I snorted as I crossed my arms as he gave me a knowing look. "It sounds like karma to me."

He shot me a look but didn’t bother arguing. While I reached for the cup of coffee on my desk, taking a slow sip as I thought about Caspian’s dramatic exit.

"Psycho lovers or not," I said after a moment. "We are still our family. And as much as we drive insane each other, I wouldn’t trade you guys for anything."

Damian rolled his eyes but didn’t disagree. "You guys are too much!" He glared at me.

"Maybe we are," I said with a shrug. "But someone has to keep this madhouse together, and it sure as hell isn’t going to be you."

Damian smirked but said nothing, leaving me to my thoughts as the room settled into a comfortable silence until he spoke up again.

"By the way, Evan, don’t you think something is off with Caspian?" Damian asked, pinching the bridge of his nose as he leaned back against the desk. "He didn’t used to be like this! I mean, he has been acting so mean lately, and he is making a fuss over every little thing these days. It’s not like him at all."

I frowned as I found him saying something correct for the first time. He wasn’t wrong—Caspian had been different lately, and not in a good way. His temper was shorter, his words sharper, and his actions more erratic than I had ever seen before.

"Don’t worry," I said after a moment of thought. "I will take care of it. I will look into what’s going on. I know I shouldn’t interfere in his personal life, but..." I hesitated, running a hand through my hair. "Something about this doesn’t sit right with me too. I feel like something is wrong."

Damian nodded, looking relieved that I wasn’t brushing his concerns aside. "Yeah, that’s what I have been feeling too. It’s like he is trying to push us away or something."

Without wasting any more time, I pulled out my phone and dialed Zaniel, the only person I could relay on with something serious. When he answered, his tone was professional as always.

"Zaniel, I need you to keep an eye on Caspian," I said, my voice firm but low. "Report back to me on everything he does after he leaves the mansion. And be discreet—he can’t know we are watching him."

"Understood," Zaniel replied without hesitation.

I ended the call and placed my phone on the desk, glancing over at Damian. "I know it might seem like I am crossing a line, but I can’t shake the feeling that something serious is going on with him. If he is in trouble, I need to know about it before it gets worse."

Damian sighed, his shoulders relaxing slightly. "I get it. Caspian is a pain in the ass sometimes, but he is still our brother. If he is dealing with something, we will figure it out together."

I gave him a small nod, appreciating his support. "Exactly. He is family, and family doesn’t leave each other behind—even when they are being impossible."

Damian let out a chuckle, shaking his head. "You are too soft! I mean, you have changed. But I guess that’s why you are the one holding this dysfunctional little group together in this difficult situation.

"Someone has to," I said with a smirk, leaning back in my chair. It’s not like I wanted to do something like this, but I needed to hold my family together.

"So, tell me," Damian began with a sly grin, leaning casually against the arm of the couch. "Are you not bothered by all the rumors about me and Claire? I mean, even the female lead of our movie didn’t trend with me as much as Claire did!" His tone was teasing, and he clearly enjoyed trying to get a reaction out of me.

I clenched my jaw, glaring at him. "Do you want to die for real?" I said, my voice low and sharp.

Damian raised his hands in mock surrender, but the smirk on his face didn’t falter. "Whoa, easy there! I am just saying—it’s not like I started the rumors. People just love a good story, and Claire and I gave them something to talk about. You can’t blame me for that."

"Do you really think I have been going easy on you because of Claire?" I growled, leaning forward in my seat. "Because if that’s what you think, you have got another thing coming. I didn’t react because I have self-control, not because I wasn’t bothered."

Damian blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the intensity in my voice. "Okay, okay," he said quickly, waving his hands. "I didn’t mean it like that. I was just joking, alright?"

I leaned back, exhaling through gritted teeth as I tried to calm myself. "You need to watch what you say, Damian. Jokes like that might be harmless to you, but they can stir up trouble for the people around you."

"Yeah, I get it," Damian said, his tone softer now. He scratched the back of his neck, looking almost sheepish. "I didn’t think it bothered you that much. I will be more careful next time."

I stared at him for a moment, letting his words sink in. "Good. Because if you cause problems for Claire—or for me—you will wish those rumors were the worst of your troubles."

Damian chuckled nervously, standing upright and giving me a salute. "Message received loud and clear, boss."