Filed to story: Snatched a Billionaire to be My Husband Book (Cora & Byron)
Cora quickly glanced outside the store, and there, in a car across the road, she spotted Byron sitting in the back seat, observing her through the window.
Under the dim lighting, his presence seemed meticulously sculpted. When their eyes met, Cora felt her heart race uncontrollably.
Having faced several instances of mistreatment since her downfall, even her former lover choosing to remain indifferent, yet Byron had come to her aid multiple times.
Cora’s heart wasn’t made of stone, and she couldn’t help but feel touched.
But she couldn’t allow this feeling, knowing that with Byron’s status, he could have any woman he desired. It was impossible for him to fall in love with her.
In a moment of panic, Cora averted her gaze.
Meanwhile, Carter handed over his credit card to the shopping assistant. The black card caught immediate attention.
“I’ll process the payment for you right away, sir.”
The bank that issued this credit card was one of the businesses under the Hansen Group, but a black card was said to be the highest level, possessed only by a few prominent individuals in the country.
Even if the shopping assistant didn’t know who Carter was, she was certain he was not someone she could afford to offend.
As Carter waited for the transaction to be completed, he nodded in acknowledgment at Jane. Mia, who stood next to Jane, went unnoticed by him.
But Mia couldn’t bear to watch Carter help Cora out. She took the initiative to approach him.
“Carter! What are you doing? This is not appropriate.”
Mia was aware that Carter hailed from one of
New York’s four great families and had previously addressed him as Mr. Pope.
But now, she deliberately used his first name to remind him that he was also Byron’s assistant, implying that he should be on her side.
Despite her setback with Byron, she still believed she would marry Eason and become part of the
Hansen family. Carter should afford her some respect, no matter what.
Unexpectedly, like Byron, Carter didn’t consider Mia as part of the Hansens yet.
“We can talk about that after you get married,”
he replied, implying that Mia was only engaged and not yet a Hansen, therefore lacking the qualification to give orders.
Mia was infuriated. She grabbed Jane, looking at her expectantly for support.
In Mia’s eyes, Jane was Byron’s fianc?e, and Carter should surely respect her.
But Jane had her own way of thinking. Seeing how ruthlessly Carter treated Mia, she decided not to get involved to avoid embarrassment.
On the other hand, Sally had completely forgotten the shock she felt upon seeing Carter and was now brimming with joy as she nudged Cora.
“Mr. Pope is such a great boyfriend! Arriving just in time to rescue you, how romantic.”
“No, Sally…
Don’t say that.”
Cora felt embarrassed. It wouldn’t have been a big deal if Sally had privately misconstrued their relationship, but with Carter right in front of them, it was downright awkward.
“Why not? It is romantic!”
Sally insisted, her imagination already conjuring up scenes from all the domineering billionaire novels.
Cora, fearing that Sally might worsen the situation, chose to remain silent. Jane and Mia didn’t hear the exact words Sally said, but they still somehow grasped the situation.
So Cora and Carter were in some kind of relationship? No wonder Carter had disregarded their connection with Byron and helped Cora!
Jane felt relieved that she hadn’t come to Mia’s defense and annoyed Carter.
Although…
‘It’s only been a few days since the engagement was called off, and this woman has already found solace in Carter as a backup?’
A hint of disdain flickered in Jane’s eyes as she looked at Cora. Then she thought of something else.
As Byron’s assistant, Carter had always been by his side. If Carter was here, maybe Byron had returned from his business trip and was nearby?
Jane couldn’t help but gaze out of the store in anticipation.
However, there was no sign of Byron’s car outside. Jane did notice a car she didn’t know, but she couldn’t be sure if Byron was inside, as the dark-tinted windows were tightly closed.
Eventually, Jane figured that Byron wouldn’t be in that car. If he were, why would Carter have stepped out to handle his personal matters? He should be staying with his boss.
Jane withdrew her gaze, feeling a tinge of disappointment.
Meanwhile, the shopping assistant had already processed the payment and handed the receipt and card to Carter.
“Thank you very much, sir.”
Carter nodded slightly at Cora before walking out of the store.
Cora contemplated whether she should catch up with Carter and return the shoes to him. Just then,
Mia approached,
“Are you with Carter? Does Eason know about this?”
“It’s none of Eason’s business who I’m with. Nor your business. Stay out of it,”
Cora retorted, but didn’t answer clearly who she was really with.
Yet, in Mia’s eyes, Cora’s response seemed to confirm her relationship with Carter.
“I wondered why you agreed to break up with Eason so easily! Turns out, you’ve already found someone else,”
Mia sneered.
“I’m not shameless, unlike you,”
Cora calmly replied.
“Who’s shameless?!”
Mia grew angry and rushed forward.
Cora dodged aside,
“You heard me.”
Seeing the conflict about to escalate in public, Jane quickly intervened, grabbing Mia.
“We should go!
You have a skincare appointment, remember? Didn’t you want to be the most beautiful bride-to-be?”
Jane offered an apologetic smile to Cora and Sally before turning around and taking Mia away.
“You handled that well, Cora! I’m proud of you,”
Sally praised, making faces at the retreating figures of
Mia and Jane.
Cora awkwardly smiled. In truth, she never liked engaging in arguments, and her parents didn’t approve of it either.
But when pushed to the edge, one had to fight back. Besides, Mia had found trouble with her way too many times, and she couldn’t tolerate it any longer.
Perhaps attending Mia’s engagement party was the right move. Cora had been avoiding Mia and
Eason, making herself an easy target for their mistreatment.
“I really don’t understand why Jane could be Mia’s friend,”
Sally muttered, looking at Jane’s back.
Indeed, Jane looked charming and gentle. She was also a medical professional, which easily won
Sally’s favor.
But Cora felt that Jane wasn’t as nice and harmless as she might look. Although she hadn’t participated in the conflict just now, her eyes and the way she emphasized the words ‘bride-to-be’ when she took
Mia away felt like a taunt aimed at Cora.
Perhaps due to her recent experiences, Cora had become more cautious in everything and couldn’t be as naive as Sally.
“Let’s go,”
she didn’t address Sally’s comment.
***
Shortly after they left the shoe store, Sally was called by the gynecologist on duty for assistance, and
Cora returned to her apartment.
After some hesitation, Cora sent Byron a text message.
[Thank you, Mr. Hansen. I’ll pay you back for the shoes when I have the money.]
She thought that as busy as Byron, he wouldn’t have time to respond to her message. But Byron replied almost immediately.
[Do you like that brand?]
Confused, Cora replied with a question mark. Whether she liked that brand or not, she couldn’t afford them now, and it had nothing to do with Byron.
However, this time her message received no response. Cora didn’t dwell on it and started to flip through books related to cardiac surgery.
About an hour later, her doorbell rang. When Cora opened the door, she found the shopping assistant from earlier and her colleagues carrying over a dozen boxes, with many more on the ground.
“Miss Lane, these are all limited edition shoes from our brand.”
Cora was bewildered.
“I didn’t buy these…”
“Mr. Pope asked us to deliver them.”
Cora was stunned on the spot. She finally understood why Byron had asked her that question.
“I didn’t buy these. Can you return them for me?”
Cora was not comfortable with receiving free gifts, not to mention how expensive these shoes were.