Filed To Story: Snatched a Billionaire to be My Husband Book (Cora & Byron)
In the end, Cora gave in.
It wasn’t easy finding a taxi on such a busy night, so she had to put in some extra money before she was able to make her way to the Cooper Villa.
The Cooper Villa was bustling with activity that night. Almost all of the family members were present, and Gideon enjoyed their company.
There were multiple cars parked outside the building when Cora arrived. The house was decorated for the festive occasion, and children were having fun among themselves in the yard. The joyful atmosphere warmed her heart.
The moment she stepped out of the car, Tyler scampered out of the house.
“Come on in, Cora! I was planning to go get you if you’re ten minutes later!”
He was wearing a navy-blue turtleneck sweater paired with black trousers that accentuated his slim figure. His every move exuded a charming, noble elegance.
“Come in! Everyone’s waiting!”
Tyler ushered once again.
Cora followed him to meet the family elders.
“Hey, is that Cora? We were just talking about you!”
Gideon greeted Cora merrily.
“Merry Christmas, Sir Cooper.”
Cora greeted the family elders, and to her surprise, she received several gifts from them.
Amidst the lively atmosphere, the Cooper family’s Christmas Eve dinner commenced.
Though not extravagantly luxurious, the meal consisted of organic vegetables and delightful small pastries.
Tyler made sure she was well-fed, perhaps worried that she was either hungry or would feel out of place.
Food filled Cora’s plate to the brim, much to the amusement of Tyler’s relatives.
“What a wonderful young lady you are. No wonder Tyler has his eyes on you.”
“Tyler is an eligible bachelor. When could we perhaps expect some good news?”
Tyler let out a chuckle.
“It’ll be up to Cora.”
Cora racked her brain in search of a suitable response so that the rejection wouldn’t hurt Tyler and would convey to him that she wouldn’t be a good match for him. However, Tyler’s mother, Cecilia
Cooper, spoke before she could,
“You won’t be hearing any good news any time soon. This is, after all, the first time Tyler brought a girl home…”
As soon as Cecilia spoke, the merry atmosphere died out almost instantly.
It was apparent that Cecilia didn’t approve of Cora, her potential daughter-in-law.
“Mom!”
Tyler quickly reminded Cecilia of the occasion, well aware of the situation, much like everyone else.
Cecilia didn’t retort and proceeded to tell the others to enjoy the meal.
Everyone shied away from the topic of marriage, maintaining a cheerful disposition while continuing to enjoy their meal at the dinner table.
Nonetheless, Cora felt disrespected even though she never planned on marrying into the Cooper family to begin with.
Consequently, she was no longer as engaged in conversations as before, only offering perfunctory answers to questions about herself and chewing on her food, her attention mainly on her phone.
Thus, she immediately saw the message Byron sent her: [Come out!]
Cora couldn’t help but frown, wondering what he meant.
Before she could ask for clarification, Byron sent another message: [Don’t make me go get you at the
Cooper Villa!]
Cora was confounded by the suddenness of it: [Are you outside the Cooper Villa?]
Yet, upon sending the message, Cora felt certain that he was indeed outside.
Knowing Byron was one to follow through on his word, she was certain he would come to get her if she didn’t go out right away.
In that case, their relationship would be exposed.
While she didn’t care much about her reputation, she didn’t want to implicate Tyler or make him a topic for gossip.
Thus, she promptly put down her fork, saying,
“I’m full. I should be leaving.”
Her words immediately drew everyone’s attention.
Tyler was the first to insist she stay.
“Cora, you’ve barely eaten. Why are you leaving?”
Cecilia also chimed in at the right moment.
“These dishes may not be extravagant, but they were carefully prepared. Miss Lane, please stay until you’ve had your share.”
Though it sounded like a suggestion for Cora to stay and eat, it was also a subtle criticism of Cora’s apparent refusal to finish her meal before leaving, hinting that Cora thought the food was inadequate.
The others at the table exchanged glances, understanding that Cecilia wasn’t just dissatisfied with her future daughter-in-law. She might even object to Cora being with Tyler at all.
They all speculated that there might be upcoming conflicts between Tyler and Cecilia, but no one expected Tyler to address the issue directly in front of everyone in Cora’s defense.
“Cora, if my mother’s words upset you, I apologize on her behalf.”
Cecilia wore a livid expression.
“Tyler, what is the meaning of this? Are you defying me?”
In an instant, tension filled the air, and sparks flew as the mother and son confronted each other. Tyler was about to say something. However, Cora hastily pulled him back and then faced Cecilia with a smile.
“Mrs. Cecilia Cooper, in truth, I don’t find the food unappetizing. I merely felt my presence might have upset you.”
Cecilia perceived that as part of her manipulative strategy, so she was still unfriendly.
“Your hasty departure is what will further upset us. Isn’t this just so you can make Tyler feel guilty toward you?”
“Mrs. Cecilia Cooper, you must’ve misunderstood something. Tyler and I are just ordinary friends. He saw that I was alone and helpless on Christmas Eve, so he kindly invited me for dinner. I thoughtlessly agreed and came here. It was my thick skin that led to this awkward situation.”
Cora took the opportunity to clarify her relationship with Tyler, anticipating that her relationship with
Byron might eventually be exposed, so she didn’t want to put Tyler in a difficult position.
Cecilia was still glowering at her.
However, having experienced the Lane family’s downfall, she was already used to being on the receiving end of such hostility and ridicule. Cecilia’s mistreatment of her was nothing compared to those, so she remained unfazed.
After conveying her thoughts, Cora offered an apologetic smile and left.
Staying any longer might result in Byron actually breaking into the house to get her.
Seeing Cora leaving, Tyler quickly chased after her, calling her name,
“Cora!”
Although he was aware of her relationship with Byron, he couldn’t bear to let her go.
He had been secretly in love with her for so many years, so he saw no reason to give up on her.
He had his agenda when inviting her to his house for Christmas Eve dinner. He had wanted to entice her with the warmth of a family, which she craved.
However, his plan was disrupted by his mother.
When Cora and Tyler walked out of the Cooper Villa one after the other, they saw Byron stepping out of his car, which was worth three million dollars.
At that moment, Tyler suddenly understood why Cora was so anxious to leave.
“Cora, you shouldn’t be with him,”
he said.
He quickly grabbed Cora, anger seeping into his voice as he spoke to her.
Up until that day, he had purposely avoided seeing Cora in an attempt to forget everything about her and Byron.
He was driving himself into a corner, convincing himself that those feelings wouldn’t exist if he didn’t remember.
However, Cora forcefully brought him back to reality.
“There will be no future between you and him. The Hansen family will not accept you, especially considering your previous engagement to Eason,”
he said.
No wealthy family would want a woman’s presence to sow discord between their family members, which would, in turn, provide fodder for gossip.
Moreover, Byron was adored by the Hansen family, and they wouldn’t accept their son being with someone who had a previous relationship.
“I know there may not be a future between Byron and me, but I…
really like him,”
Cora admitted.
Her gaze was fixed on the man who had just gotten out of the car.
While standing in the cold wind on Christmas Eve, Byron, with his stoic and aloof demeanor, still made her heart flutter.
“I don’t know when I fell in love with him, but I truly want to be by his side, even if only for a while. I want to love him genuinely,”
she confessed.
She couldn’t resist his fatal temptation. It was as if they were standing on a cliff, and she would gladly take a leap of faith off of it.
That was the first time she had opened up to someone about her feelings for Byron, both as a way to pour her heart out and also to indirectly reject Tyler’s affection so that he would stop chasing after her.
There was still some distance between Byron and her, so she was certain he wouldn’t have heard her.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t be staring at her with such an exasperated look on his face, still furious that she had gone to Tyler instead of him.
“But why him? I have everything he has, and I can even offer you better things,”
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
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