lody stood frozen,, staring at the closed door, her body trembling-not just from rage, but from the sick churn in her stomach. Her breath ca unevenly as she tried to process his words. "None of your concern."
Oh, it was very much her concern.
She curled her fingers into tight fists, nails biting into her palms. Fine. If he thought she would just swallow this humiliation, he was mistaken. She would find out who he had been with-and when she did, she would destroy that person as well. Annihilate them, piece by piece.
Her chest rose and fell quickly as she forced herself to calm down. Losing control now would only give him more satisfaction.With a deep breath, she left the bedroom.
The mont she stepped into the dining area, her eyes landed on her parents, sitting at the table, chatting quietly as they ate breakfast. Beside them sat her- the woman she wanted to get rid of.
The sight made sothing hot flare in her chest.
In the past, whenever she was ho, her parents had always waited for her before starting breakfast. Always. And yet here they were, eating without he... probably having waited for this lody instead. The thought made her teeth clench.
She smoothed her expression, forced a calm, polite smile as she walked to the table and said evenly, "Good morning,". Then she gestured to the maid. "Bring my breakfast here."
Sliding into her seat, she began eating slowly, carefully in small bites, asured movents. She wasn’t going to let anyone see her agitation. If her father and mother got suspicious, it would be no good. So, as much as she wanted to talk to her mother to get rid of lanie, she knew she needed to be really careful...
But then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw it.
The hem of lanie’s shorts had ridden up slightly as she reached for a glass of juice, exposing the pale skin of her thigh... and there, faint but unmistakable, was a mark.
A love bite.
lody’s fork paused midway to her mouth. Her eyes locked on the mark, and for a split second, she forgot to breathe.
It wasn’t possible. lanie hadn’t even left the house since she ca here. Which ant-
No.
Her mind rebelled against the thought. No no. What she knew about lanie, everything told her lanie wouldn’t care to do it with Adam. Not with her own sister’s husband. After all, she was quite a principled woman.
She forced herself to blink, to look away, shaking her head slightly. "No," she whispered under her breath. "She wouldn’t. Maybe she hurt herself sowhere else..."
And yet, the image of that mark seared itself into her mind, refusing to let go.
The sound of footsteps behind her made her stiffen. Adam erged from the hallway, freshly showered, his hair damp, his expression unreadable. He walked straight to the table as though nothing had happened.
"Good morning, Richard. Marianne," he greeted warmly. Then his gaze slid over her and straight to lanie.
And he smiled.
"Good morning, lody," he said smoothly. "Did you sleep well?"
lody’s fingers clenched around her fork so tightly she thought it might snap.
The other woman returned his smile with an easy nod, completely unbothered.
Inside, lody’s fury burned hot enough to choke her.
He was doing this deliberately. Goading her. Playing with her. And if the look in his eyes was any indication, he knew exactly how she felt about him flirting with lanie.
But she said nothing. Not yet.
She simply lowered her gaze to her plate, her hand tightening even more until her knuckles whitened. Because if she opened her mouth now, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stop. Instead, she gave him a patient smile, he would not dare to flirt with lanie in her mother and father’s presence.
The clink of cutlery and the soft hum of the air conditioner were the only sounds in the room until Marianne’s warm, deliberate voice broke the silence.
"Richard and I will be leaving soon," she said, glancing between them with a smile that carried a mother’s careful composure. "We’ll be gone over the weekend—so work that can’t be postponed."
lody felt a mont of thrill at the sudden words. Because that woudl be perfect for her plan to get rid of lanie.
Just then, Marianne turned her attention to Adam and her and said in a light tone her tone, "Adam, lanie... you two take good care of lody while we’re away, won’t you?I know it would be troubleso.. but really, if you could..."
Before she could answer and tell off her mother that they were not babysitters, but before she could respond, Adam answered readily, "Of course. You don’t have to worry, Mrs Thomas. I’ll definitely take care of her."
The weight he put on those words wasn’t lost on lody. Her hand tightened around her fork again, but she kept her expression calm, even as her jaw tensed.
Richard gave a satisfied nod, folding his napkin. "Good. I trust you both."
Within minutes, bags were being carried to the car, and lody was sure that she was going to die of frustration. Because the mont her parents were out of the door, Adam turned to lanie and asked aningfully," So," he said, drawing out the word with deliberate slowness, "your parents have given you to for the weekend. How would you like to take care of you?"
The question hung in the air, heavy with suggestion, his tone almost a caress.
lody’s pulse hamred in her ears. She could feel the heat rising in her chest, her nails digging into her palm so hard it hurt. The urge to leap across the table and tear that smug smile off his face burned inside her.
Or rather slap that pleased smile off lanie’s face.. as she leaned in close and said slowly," Take care of ? I’ll leave it to you. After all, you tool good care of last night as well...
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