Breaking Up Doesn’t Need a Reason

After the summit ended, Ava said goodbye to Mia, then found a barbecue stand for a late-night snack and ordered food while waiting for Amelia to arrive. 

On the phone earlier, Amelia had clearly heard Sebastian's voice, so when Ava invited her for a late-night snack, she didn't hesitate—immediately tearing off the face mask she'd just applied and rushing to the barbecue stand as quickly as possible.

When Amelia arrived, the skewers had just been served. She glanced at the thick layer of napkins Ava had spread on her chair and asked, "I thought we were getting a late-night snack. Why did you come here?"

Ava, with a weary expression as she propped her head up, slightly raised her chin: "This is where everyone comes for late-night snacks."

Back in high school, Ava had come here once with Jacob, Sebastian, and a few of his friends. Since then, whenever late-night snacks were mentioned, this barbecue stand was the first place that came to her mind.

Amelia withdrew her gaze, understanding but not commenting.

In reality, Ava had mild germophobia. When given a choice, she would typically opt for high-end restaurants with better environments.

Ava reached for a few beef skewers and handed them to Amelia: "Try these. The owner's cooking is excellent—they're sweetened, you should like them."

Amelia took them and gently bit off a small piece.

Ava looked up at her: "How's the taste?"

"Not bad at all!"

Amelia nodded.

"I told you they were delicious!"

As she spoke, Ava casually picked up a beef skewer and examined it. Since it was charcoal-grilled, the metal skewer inevitably had some dust on it. She wiped it meticulously for quite some time before putting it in her mouth.

"During my years abroad, this barbecue was what I missed the most."

In the past, she had always come here with Sebastian. She was always so proper then—worried about getting food on her face one moment, concerned about not looking elegant while eating the next. She had never truly enjoyed the food without restraint.

Hearing this, Amelia smiled knowingly: "Are you missing the barbecue or the person you used to eat barbecue with?"

Ava avoided answering.

Amelia pressed: "Did you run into Sebastian at the summit today?"

She hadn't come just to eat barbecue tonight. No matter how delicious it was, she hadn't forgotten her real purpose.

Ava hesitated for a moment: "Yeah, I ran into him."

She looked up: "Didn't you hear everything on the phone?"

Amelia quickly explained: "I wasn't eavesdropping! As soon as I realized it was Sebastian, I hung up."

Ava looked up at her friend, twirling the skewer in her fingers, casually saying: "Why'd you hang up? Weren't you curious?"

"Of course I was curious! How could I not be?"

Amelia smiled: "That's why I came looking for you right away!"

"Tell me, did anything happen between you two?" Amelia asked eagerly.

Ava brushed it off with a dismissive tone: "Nothing much, just had an argument."

"An argument?"

Amelia found this hard to believe and hesitantly asked: "Because of Aurora?"

Ava thought carefully for a few seconds: "Not really. It just... somehow turned into an argument out of nowhere."

"What did you two say?" Amelia asked curiously.

"Hmm..."

Ava tilted her head, recalling for a moment: "He said I've grown quite bold, talking behind my ex-boyfriend's back."

After a pause, she continued: "He probably overheard what I was saying to you."

"...I see."

Amelia frowned, confused. "But weren't you in the restroom? How could Sebastian have heard you?"

Ava rolled her eyes in exasperation: "Who knows why he suddenly appeared there in the first place."

The more Amelia thought about it, the stranger the situation seemed. Why would Sebastian follow Ava all that way just to argue with her?

With this thought, Amelia made a bold guess: "Do you think he might be trying to rekindle things with you?"

Ava shot down the idea immediately: "Absolutely not."

"Besides, his current girlfriend was there today. Even if he wanted to juggle two relationships, he wouldn't be so obvious about it."

Hearing this, Amelia pondered for a moment: "That Aurora isn't really confirmed as his girlfriend... it's just rumors. Might not even be true."

After a pause, Amelia added: "Sebastian has always presented himself as single publicly."

Ava's eyelashes fluttered slightly as she replied with practiced indifference: "Whether he's single or not has nothing to do with me anymore."

"..."

Amelia glanced at her, pressing her lips together and swallowing whatever she was about to say.

After a moment, Amelia asked: "What about yesterday? Where did you run into him yesterday? Coming back for just two days and running into your ex twice—what kind of luck is that..."

Ava seemed to find the situation just as absurd, as she took a few seconds before responding with a mix of disbelief and exasperation: "Yesterday, remember I said I was having dinner with Penelope? Well, when I got there, I discovered it was actually a setup to match me with Sebastian."

"What?!?!"

Amelia's jaw dropped, cringing with secondhand embarrassment for her friend...

Though, considering they were similar in age and both single, plus the fact that their families didn't know about their past relationship, it was somewhat understandable.

After a pause, Amelia cautiously asked: "Why did you break up with Sebastian back then?"

As one of the few people who knew about their relationship, she had witnessed Ava's entire pursuit process. After all that effort to win him over, what could have possibly made Ava not only break up with him but also leave the country for five years? She was genuinely curious.

At this question, Ava's expression momentarily went blank, but quickly recovered, answering with forced casualness: "I just wanted to break up, that's all. Does there need to be a reason?"

Someone with Ava's pride could never bear to let anyone know that the man she had secretly loved for three years and worked so hard to pursue didn't actually love her back. Where would she put her pride?

Amelia asked curiously: "Was Sebastian not good to you?"

She knew how much Ava had liked Sebastian back then, so she couldn't imagine any other possibility besides him treating her poorly.

Ava cast her eyes down with a faint, wistful smile.

How could she ever claim Sebastian hadn't treated her well?

Whether as a brother or as a boyfriend, Sebastian had always treated her wonderfully—so perfectly that she couldn't find a single fault.

But his kindness wasn't directed at "Ava" specifically—it was for Jacob's sister, for Sebastian's girlfriend.

She had no one to blame but herself for the late awakening, for being so lost in her girlish fantasies that it took hitting rock bottom to finally see reality.

Ava snapped back to reality: "Of course not. Like I said, I just wanted to break up. Does breaking up really need a reason?"

She looked up at Amelia and countered: "Have you had a specific reason for breaking up with every one of your exes?"

Amelia: "..."

That question caught her off guard.

After all, everyone knew she had quite the track record when it came to dating.

After a pause, Amelia nodded firmly in agreement: "You're right. Breaking up doesn't need a reason."

...

-

After that day, Ava threw herself completely into her work at the studio and hadn't seen Sebastian for a while.

The two partners who had originally founded the studio with her had long since been poached by other companies, and most of the remaining staff were either mediocre talents or fresh graduates.

When Ava first returned, she found the entire company in complete shambles. She spent over two weeks overhauling the personnel—retaining the valuable staff and letting go of the rest—until she finally managed to assemble a small team of about a dozen people.

But the studio had been hemorrhaging money for too long. It hadn't landed a major contract in over a year and was surviving on small projects. Occasionally, Jacob had to transfer money from his company to keep the studio afloat. If it weren't for him, the studio probably wouldn't even be able to make payroll.

Today, Ava was frowning at the company's financial statements, her brow furrowed with concern.

Her design assistant Lin knocked and entered: "Ms. Flores, I have some news. A subsidiary of the LibertyNova Group is looking to venture into the bridal industry. They've just opened a new bridal shop and are searching for suitable partners."

At this news, Ava's eyes instantly brightened: "Where did you get this information? Is it reliable?"

LibertyNova Group was considered a leader in the domestic fashion industry, primarily focused on women's clothing. She hadn't heard anything about them expanding into bridal wear.

Lin nodded: "My college senior mentioned it in a private group chat. She's been working at LibertyNova since graduation, so the information should be solid."

As she spoke, Lin handed over her phone.

Ava quickly scanned the screen. If Eternity could land this contract, it might just be the lifeline they desperately needed.

She returned the phone to Lin: "I understand. You can go back to work now."