Filed To Story: Snatched a Billionaire to be My Husband Book (Cora & Byron)
Cora said, redirecting their attention.
Having successfully dealt with potential adversary, Cora didn’t want to linger in private with Byron any longer. She could sense his breath becoming unsteady.
If Cora allowed Byron to continue his antics, she feared that tonight’s dinner might never happen.
Cora took the initiative to drag Byron downstairs, holding his hand while speaking.
Byron didn’t resist and went downstairs with her.
As they reached the ground floor, dinner was about to begin.
Osborn, Nora, and the guests for the evening, Margaret and Evelyn, were already gathered at the dining table.
As for the other members of the Hansen family, rumors circulated that they either had prior engagements or urgent matters to attend to. Cora understood it was merely an excuse to avoid encountering her at the Hansen family dinner table.
“Come, let’s have dinner. I had asked Evelyn to find you earlier, but she couldn’t locate you,”
Nora said warmly in front of Byron and pulled Cora to sit beside her.
Following Nora’s lead, Cora acted obediently in front of Byron. She thoughtfully poured a cup of hot coffee and presented it to Nora before sitting down.
Cora looked at Evelyn. A hint of shyness was evident in Cora’s eyes as she said,
“I just happened to visit Byron’s room briefly.”
Just then, Cora noticed Evelyn’s expression almost sinister.
Cora’s suspicion was correct.
Yet, Evelyn quickly masked her expression and looked at Byron with concern.
“Byron, is there anything wrong with your lips?”
As Evelyn finished speaking, the Hansen elders, who favored Byron the most, immediately focused on his lips.
Cora couldn’t help but look over at Byron.
And to everyone’s surprise, Byron’s lips tinted with a rosy hue.
It was her lipstick!
In an instant, Cora felt like she had been struck by lightning.
She rarely wore lipstick because her natural lip color was already beautiful enough.
However, being on suspension and having nothing else to do at home, she applied some makeup before coming to the dinner as respect for the occasion.
Unfortunately, Cora hadn’t anticipated that her lipstick had transferred to Byron’s lips when they kissed.
Cora could have brushed it off if the kiss mark had been discovered by Evelyn alone. However, with the
Hansen elders and Margaret all watching, it felt like an uncomfortable moment under the spotlight.
“Ahem.”
Osborn observed the situation and quickly understood what was going on. He masked the awkwardness with a slight cough and shifted his gaze away.
However, Nora seemed to have reservations as she coldly glanced at Cora.
Cora couldn’t help but think that Evelyn intended to make her appear as if she were trying too hard to impress Nora, much like a cunning fox trying to exploit Byron to the fullest.
Cora locked eyes with Evelyn’s smug expression. She was infuriated.
Amidst her intense frustration, Cora thought about how she should have confronted Evelyn head-on during their previous competition.
To her surprise, Byron took matters into his own hands. He shot a cold glance at Evelyn and questioned her, making it evident that he saw through her game,
“Didn’t you see it? Is there a need for such a deliberate inquiry?”
As Byron casually wiped off the lipstick with a hot towel handed to him by a servant, all eyes fixed on
Evelyn, except for Cora’s.
Cora thought she was the only one who noticed Evelyn eavesdropping in Byron’s room. It turned out that Byron was well aware of it, and he had just exposed her cunning scheme in front of everyone.
After all, it was an invasion of their privacy. Evelyn was being too much.
Evelyn’s face turned red. No one could tell whether out of embarrassment or anger.
“I just…”
She wanted to defend herself.
Byron was impatient to listen to her excuses.
“Before you speak, let it go through your brain first, don’t make it just for show.”
Evelyn’s eyes turned red. Margaret was not pleased.
“Byron, Evelyn was just joking with all of you.”
But to her surprise, Byron didn’t spare Margaret either, saying,
“Only friends can joke around. Are we friends?”
When he retorted to Margaret, his expression remained calm, as if he was merely discussing a fact.
Margaret’s expression changed, clearly showing her anger.
As the tension grew, Nora finally spoke,
“Alright, Byron, enough of this. We’ve been friends for decades, and now we’re making a mockery of ourselves.”
After that, Nora went out of her way to be more hospitable toward Evelyn and Margaret as if trying to compensate for Byron’s earlier rudeness.
However, Margaret and Evelyn didn’t hide their displeasure.
Cora, too, felt like a fish out of water, with Margaret and Evelyn occasionally giving her disapproving glances. Even Nora seemed irritated with Cora’s presence.
Throughout the meal, despite Nora taking the initiative to add food to Cora’s bowl, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Nora’s gaze was as sharp as a needle, making the food tasteless in her mouth.
After dinner, Osborn called Byron to the study for a discussion. Meanwhile, Nora engaged in casual conversation with Cora, Margaret, and Evelyn.
Cora disliked their pretentious and superficial chit-chat, especially after the awkward incident at the dinner table. Despite the discomfort, everyone pretended to get along harmoniously.
Feeling the need to escape the meaningless conversation, Cora excused herself to the restroom.
As soon as she stepped out of the restroom, she found Evelyn leaning against the door, glaring at her with undisguised contempt.
“Name your price,”
Evelyn said.
“What price?”
Cora adjusted her attire, acting nonchalantly.
“The price of leaving Byron,”
Evelyn added.
This remark caught Cora’s attention, and she looked up at Evelyn.
With a smile, Evelyn continued,
“I’m sure you’ve noticed Madam Hansen’s frequent interactions with me lately, haven’t you? Even today, when Byron invited you to his home for dinner, she asked for me too.
“That’s right. The truth is, Madam Hansen, hopes that Byron and I will be together. Even though Byron has proposed to you, she still wishes for her future daughter-in-law to be me.”
Cora had already noticed all that Evelyn mentioned.
During this period, Nora kept mentioning Evelyn’s excellence in front of Byron. She even frequently arranged for Cora to interact with Evelyn, hoping to make Cora feel inferior.
However, no one expected Cora would surpass Evelyn’s proud marksmanship, leading to the situation that unfolded during the dinner.
“You being with Byron is just a matter of enjoying your youth. When your looks fade, someone as picky as Byron won’t even spare a second glance at you. Eventually, you’ll be discarded just like anyone else. Why not take a large sum of money now, while you’re still young, and find someone you can spend a lifetime with?”
Evelyn spoke as if she was considering Cora’s best interests, but Cora suddenly burst into laughter.
“What’s so funny?”
Evelyn didn’t like the way Cora was laughing, as if mocking her despite not doing anything to win.
“I just think Mr. Hansen was right when he said you don’t think before you speak,”
Cora replied.
“How dare you insult me!”
With her status in the Cross family, few people dared to ridicule Evelyn like this.
But Cora had humiliated Evelyn multiple times. Evelyn couldn’t stand it anymore. She raised her hand, intending to slap Cora.
Cora was quick to react. She grabbed Evelyn’s hand before she could land the slap and smiled teasingly.
“I didn’t insult you. I merely spoke the truth. You see. Once I marry Mr. Hansen, his property becomes our shared wealth. Even if we divorce in the future, I’ll still get half of it. However much you give, can it compare to more than half of his fortune?”
“You’re just after Byron’s money!”
Evelyn struggled to free her hand from Cora’s grip and spat,
“You have no shame.”
“I have no shame? I’m after his money and also sleep with him. But aren’t you even more shameless?
He’s already with me, yet you still try to interfere!”
Cora continued to smile. Her tone and words drove Evelyn mad.
“I am not some third-party interloper. Madam Hansen claimed I am the most suitable candidate as
Byron’s wife!”
Evelyn argued passionately.
“She merely thinks Jane couldn’t measure up to me, so she brought you into the mix to see if you could replace me. People used you like a pawn, and you found joy in it? You must have quite an inflated sense of self-importance! Saying you lack brains wouldn’t be an unfair assessment.”
Despite Nora’s fa?ade of friendliness and the chances she seemingly offered, Cora saw right through her hypocrisy and was already holding a grudge.
Now, with Evelyn proudly displaying her advantages, Cora couldn’t just let her get away with it.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
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