Betrayed By Husband, Stolen By Brother In Law Chapter 273: Why?

lody placed the file back on the desk carfefully before picking up the catalogue and checking. And yet, her hands trembled just as the footsteps approached, making her sit straighter as her mother returned.

Marianne Thomas reappeared with two cups and set one in front of her as she walked around the desk to her chair.Here. Black. No sugar. Just like you like it when you’re brooding. So, you want to tell what put you in such a bad mood?

lody didn’t smile or answer directly. Instead, she looked up, the catalogue still open in her lap and asked, "Are you planning to hire an interior designer?"

Marianne raised an eyebrow as she settled into her own chair and took a sip. "What makes you say that?"

lody lifted the catalogue slightly. "This doesn’t exactly look like sothing you picked up randomly. And you said you were refurnishing. Are you working with soone? Did soone recomnd this place to you?"

Her mother leaned back and took anoter slow sip of coffee. "No. I haven’t hired anyone yet. And I will not be hiring a designer. But I do hope to work with soone from LuxeArt here. I like their pieces. Don’t you think they are unique? I an they look modern and minimalistic but not lifeless like those in magazines. But I have not spoken to anyone about it yet?"

"Yet?" lody narrowed her eyes. "So you’ve thought about it."

Marianne smiled faintly. "Of course I’ve thought about it. I’m not going to magically develop a liking for all this. But I haven’t made a decision. Why?"

lody tilted the catalogue just enough for the na to catch the light. "Because this," she said slowly, "is owned by lanie Collins."

There was a flicker—brief but undeniable—in her mother’s expression. Not shock exactly. Not guilt either. Just... calculation. And then it was gone.

"So?" Marianne said, setting her cup down. "She’s talented. Her firm’s doing well. The pieces speak for themselves."

lody set the catalogue aside, and asked in a cool voice, "I didn’t know you were in touch with her."

"I’m not," Marianne replied calmly. "Not directly. I reached out to LuxeArt. She didn’t answer herself, obviously. I dealt with soone from the team."

lody folded her arms and questioned him carefully," Then you’ve never t lanie Collins?"

This ti Marianne hesitated. She had not expected such a hostile reaction at the na of lanie Collins. lody had been okay when talking about her, so why did she detect this hostile undercurrent suddenly?

Carefully, she set her cup down and questioned lody carefully," Why the sudden interest?"

lody rolled her eyes at the deflection but chose to respond anyway. "I’m acquainted with her. In fact, I t her just this afternoon—and she’s the reason I’m in such a foul mood. So, if you want my advice? Don’t work with her."

Marianne raised an eyebrow. "You had an argunt with her? Over what?"

lody let out a sharp scoff, clearly irritated by the probing. "Co on, Mom. Does it even matter? I’ve had fallings-out with people before. And every other ti I told you not to work with soone, you didn’t ask for a full report. You just agreed. So why is this ti different? Isn’t it because lanie looks exactly like ?"

Marianne took a deep breath, steadying herself before fixing her gaze on lody. "You knew she looked like you," she said evenly. "But I don’t think that’s the real issue here. Yes, you’ve had fallings-out before, and it’s true—I usually sided with you without asking too many questions. But you were younger then. Less experienced. More impulsive. Now, you’re older, and I’d like to believe, more asured and understanding. So tell , what could have possibly made you so firmly against her?"

lody’s hands curled into fists in her lap, her nails pressing into her palms. How was she supposed to explain that her biggest issue with lanie had nothing to do with anything lanie had done directly- but everything to do with Adam? That it gnawed at her that the man she liked, the man she had spent countless hours thinking about, was married to a woman who looked uncannily like her?

It wasn’t rational. It wasn’t fair.

And yet, every ti she saw lanie-or even just thought about her-what ca rushing in wasn’t calm or logic. It was jealousy. Unreasonable, relentless jealousy. The kind that tightened her chest and made her feel like she was losing sothing she never truly had.

The entire thing was baseless. Illogical. And yet, painfully real to her.

How does it even matter, Mother?" lody asked, her voice tight with frustration. "Just trust on this, please. Can you not work with lanie? I’ll help you find other options. I’ll even look up a few great places for you to explore—places with quality furniture and reliable service. What do you say to that? Wouldn’t that be better?"

But Marianne shook her head firmly, her tone calm but resolute. "No, lody. I’ve already done my research, and I liked what I saw. LuxeArt has a great portfolio. And more importantly, I’ve t lanie Collins in person. Yes, she resembles you a little, but that’s where the similarity ends. Her style, her presence, her way of carrying herself—it’s completely different from yours. I appreciate your concern, but I’m not going to change my mind. I like the direction she’s taken LuxeArt, and I trust her to help with the redesign. So it’s decided."

lody shot to her feet, the chair scraping back against the floor. "Really?" she snapped, her eyes blazing. "So you want to work with her on a professional level? That’s it? Strictly business?"

Marianne blinked at the sudden outburst but didn’t interrupt.

"Then tell sothing," lody continued, voice rising, "why have you been digging into her background? Why are you trying to find out who raised her? Who she’s with? What she does?" Her eyes narrowed as she rembered the seeminly useless questions about ’the woman who looked like her’, the previous ti they had t...