Chapter 59
*.75%
Leia’s fingers traced over Ryan with practiced ease. She slid from behind him to face him, her hands draping around his neck as her eyes sparkled with mischief. Leaning in, she pressed her lips boldly to his.
Leia was daring and passionate, a stark contrast to Doris, whose distant and reserved demeanor had left Ryan bitterly unsatisfied. Leia’s eager affection stroked his ego, filling a void Doris never covered.
He succumbed to Leia’s invitation, their bodies entwining in a moment of fiery abandon.
Afterward, as Ryan got up and reached for his robe, Leia clung to him once again.
“Ryan, I want more,” she purred, her fingers gliding lightly across his shoulders.
Ryan removed her hand without hesitation and stood. Leia’s hand hovered awkwardly in the air before falling limply to her side.
“You should go back to your room,” he said flatly, tying the belt of his robe.
Leia felt as though a bucket of icy water had been poured over her, freezing her in place. Forcing a smile, she tried again. “Ryan, let me stay tonight. Please.”
“Leia, I’ve already given you what you wanted,” Ryan said, his tone sharp and dismissive. “Don’t push your luck.”
Her lips trembled as she fought back her humiliation. “Ryan, we’ve been living together for a month now.”
Indeed, she had been under his roof for a month, but Ryan had never allowed her to share his bed unless he was in the mood.
For Leia, fleeting moments of pleasure weren’t enough. She wanted to be his partner, his love in every sense.
But the reality stung. Leia wasn’t pregnant. The announcement had been a fabrication by Ryan’s parents, intended solely to provoke Doris.
Leia knew her only hope of securing her position was to conceive quickly. Yet Ryan always made her take contraceptives, insisting he wasn’t ready for a child.
“This engagement is just a convenience,” Ryan said coldly, his gaze piercing. “We’re not really a couple. Letting you stay here is the biggest compromise I’ve made. If you need a man, go find one elsewhere.”
Leia’s face drained of color, his words cutting her like a blade. “Ryan, I agreed to this engagement because I love you. And now you’re telling me to go to someone else?”
“Love me?” Ryan sneered. “Leia, what about Jake? Where does he fit into your little story?”
“Ryan, I only got close to Jake to make you jealous, to get your attention! I’ve only ever wanted to be your girlfriend, your wife.” Leia pleaded, her voice thick with desperation.
“Leia, you’re selfish,” Ryan said, his voice laced with disdain. “You didn’t care about Jake’s feelings but strung him along anyway. And now you’re clinging to me when I don’t love you.
“Do you think the trap you and my parents set is anything close to real love? You’re mistaken. I’ll never love you.”
His words hit like a thunderclap, his gaze cold and unyielding. “I’ll only marry the woman I love. You’re not her.”
Leia’s composure cracked. “And you think Doris is that woman?” she asked, her suppressed frustration bubbling to the
surface.
1/3
09:30 Mon, 3 Mar
Chapter 59
The mention of Doris brought a dark shadow to Ryan’s face, his contempt for Leia deepening.
“It’s not for you to decide,” he said icily.
75%
“Ryan, I love you. You’re such an incredible man, and yet she didn’t appreciate you,” Leia said softly, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I’ll cherish you, Ryan. I’ll never leave you, no matter what.” Leia reached out to caress his cheek, her gaze filled with unwavering determination.
As the daughter of the Martin family, she refused to believe she could lose to a woman of such humble origins.
Ryan caught her wrist in a vice–like grip. “Don’t think for a second that just because Doris and I are apart, you can worm your way into my life. I’ll bring her back. Now get out of my sight.”
Leia flinched, the pain in her chest suffocating.
She left the room, but her heart seethed with hatred. If she could, she would destroy Doris piece by piece.
**
Doris woke up abruptly, sneezing several times in a row. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Biscuit sitting faithfully by her side. She realized she had fallen asleep on the couch in the living room again.
She vaguely remembered the many times she dozed off while watching TV, only for Lewis to wake her up and send her back to her room.
On the night Laura stayed over, Lewis had gone even further. He carried her directly into his bedroom. That night marked their first time sharing a bed.
Even now, Doris could still recall the intensity of his scent, something that seemed to pierce straight through to her core.
Today, Lewis was away on a business trip. Doris spent the day cooking, walking the dog, and watching TV by herself. The house felt so empty and cold without him.
In the past, she had wished for a quieter life on her own, but now that she was experiencing it, the solitude felt unbearable. Over the past month, they had been living together, going to work, coming home, eating, and walking side by side.
Every day was filled with laughter and warmth, and Doris had grown accustomed to Lewis‘ presence in her life. Letting go of that habit felt almost impossible.
Biscuit sat in front of her, his head slightly lowered, gazing at her with soft eyes.
Doris reached out to stroke his head. “Are you missing him too?”
Biscuit seemed to understand, barking twice in response.
That was when Doris realized that, deep down, she had been missing Lewis.
‘No way,’ she thought, shaking her head as if to dismiss the dangerous notion. “This kind of thinking is far too risky. It needs to stop immediately.
Determined to clear her mind, she got up and went back to her bedroom to sleep.
The next morning, Doris was startled awake by the sound of her phone ringing urgently. She fumbled to pick it up and saw that it was her mother calling.
It was just past six in the morning. For Peyton to call this early, something serious must have happened.
Sitting up. Doris answered groggily, “Mom, what’s going on?”
75%
+13
Chapter 59
“Doris,” Peyton’s anxious voice came through. “Mr. Watson is demanding that we pay back the one million dollars loan, and he’s fired Rupert. He said he’ll only reconsider if you go and talk to him!”
‘Here we go again. This nonsense never ends,’ Doris thought with a sigh.
“Mom,” Doris said calmly, “I’ve told you before. First, that one million dollars was borrowed for Rupert to buy a house for him and Claudia.
They’ve been the ones benefiting from it, so they should be the ones repaying the debt. Paying off a loan is the right thing to do.
“Second, Rupert isn’t even qualified for the job at Watson Group. Ryan let him stay there for over two years, which was already generous. He got fired because his credentials and skills didn’t meet the company’s standards. That’s not Ryan’s or anyone’s fault.”
“And third, none of this has anything to do with me. I won’t go to Ryan to fix it,” she added.
“Doris, Rupert is your brother! How can you say this has nothing to do with you?” Peyton’s voice turned more desperate. “You can’t just stand by. If he loses his job, where will his income come from?
“If Claudia finds out he’s been fired, they’re bound to fight. How will they manage?”
“Why can’t he find another job?” Doris countered. “Ryan is a grown man. As long as he’s willing to work hard, he can earn a living anywhere.
“You need to stop worrying so much. You’ve coddled him to the point where he can’t handle even the slightest adversity. Mom, this isn’t love. He is spoiled.”
Doris genuinely felt that her parents spoiled Rupert far too much. “He and Claudia already have their marriage license. He’s an adult now. How they live their lives is their responsibility.
“To put it bluntly, Mom, you’re in your fifties. How much longer can you keep worrying about them? Can you do it for the rest of their lives?”
“Doris, you just don’t want to help Rupert, do you?” Her father, Jimmy, cut in, his voice stern. “You can’t stand to see him doing well and want to ruin him. Isn’t that right?
“Rupert can’t lose his job at Watson Group. If he does, how will he ever hold his head high in front of Claudia’s family? No matter what it takes, you need to convince Ryan to let Rupert stay.
“And as for the one million dollars, if you can’t resolve it, then you and Laura will have to split the debt and Neither your mother nor I have the money.”
pay
i
