Chapter 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I walked in, the lively chatter in the room froze in an instant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bainbridge turned to look at me. The seat beside him emptied out automatically.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He hadn\u2019t brought me around his friends often.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But on the few occasions he did, he always made a show of valuing my\u00a0<\/p>\n
presence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Back before we were together, I had been chasing him for a long time. Once, when I had been almost discouraged by his indifference, he\u2019d suddenly suggested I join one of these gatherings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His friends had told me, \u201cAngelique, aside from Lynn, Bain\u2019s never brought another girl into this circle.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the time, I\u2019d only thought of Evelynn as his little sister-nothing\u00a0<\/p>\n
more.\u00a0<\/p>\n
dfoolishly let myself bask in the sweet delusion that his cold exterior\u00a0<\/p>\n
as just a shell and that deep down he truly cared.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, looking back, I realized how I had been. Perhaps it had all been nothing more than a performance for his friends. Or maybe he just did that because of his good manners drilled into him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was a low-cost performance to keep me placid, loyal, and tucked away until needed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pulling myself back to the present, I intentionally ignored the empty\u00a0<\/p>\n
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18.52\u00a0<\/p>\n
seat next to him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I chose the farthest corner of the room and sat down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bainbridge\u2019s expression darkened. \u201cGigi?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I flashed a polite smile but said nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evelynn walked over with a glass of wine, stopping in front of me. \u201cYou must be Angie. I\u2019m Evelynn-Bain\u2019s\u2026\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
She trailed off, searching for the right word.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bainbridge interjected calmly. \u201cSister.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u0f51\u0f0b\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evelynn frowned, irritation flashing across her face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She thrust the glass toward me, her tone petulant. \u201cRight. His sister. I just got back in the country. Angie, this one\u2019s for you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t need to be particularly perceptive to sense the hostility in her\u00a0<\/p>\n
gaze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This wasn\u2019t the jealousy of a sister toward her brother\u2019s girlfriend.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So Evelynn was in love with him, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The memory of Bainbridge in his study slammed into me again, and the whole twisted situation suddenly felt absurd, almost laughable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I gave her a thin smile. \u201cWelcome home. But I\u2019m not feeling well, so I\u2019ll pass on the drink.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Evelynn\u2019s smile vanished. \u201cWow, Angie. Talk about a buzzkill. I fly halfway across the world and throw a homecoming party, and you can\u2019t even take a sip of a toast?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
29.88%\u00a0<\/p>\n
19.14\u00a0<\/p>\n
MON\u00a0<\/p>\n
18.52\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
288 Vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI said I\u2019m not feeling well,\u201d I insisted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her displeasure was plain now. She turned to Bainbridge with a dramatic pout. \u201cBain, does Angie not like me or something?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bainbridge\u2019s eyes were like chips of ice. His voice carried a sharp, commanding edge. \u201cGigi, don\u2019t be difficult. Drink it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A short, bitter laugh escaped my throat. \u201cSo you had me dragged here just to make me drink?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He lifted his eyes slightly and said, \u201cLynn wanted to meet you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Of course. I was only here because she\u2019d asked to see me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My entire existence in his life had been reduced to a convenient reminder a living, breathing boundary to keep their forbidden feelings in check.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was just the tool they used to pretend they weren\u2019t crossing lines.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood up slowly. \u201cWell, now she\u2019s seen me. Can I go?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sheer defiance in my voice clearly caught him off guard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I could see the storm clouds gathering in his eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I knew that look-he was angry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I was done bending.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is wrong with you? You\u2019ve been picking a fight since this morning.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The temperature in the booth seemed to plummet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
5355\u00a0<\/p>\n
59.63%\u00a0<\/p>\n
www.w\u00a0<\/p>\n
18.52\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 3.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I met his stare, letting a slow, knowing smile curve my lips.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In my head, I answered him: \u201cBainbridge, I know exactly how filthy your little secrets are.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I\u2019m done playing along.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned to leave, but Evelynn grabbed my wrist. \u201cAngie, I\u2019m the guest of honor tonight. I haven\u2019t said you could go yet.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I twisted free and slapped her hard across the face. \u201cJust because you\u2019re an orphan doesn\u2019t mean you have an excuse to be so utterly classless.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
88.00%\u00a0<\/p>\n
18.52\u00a0<\/p>\n
Joseph King is an editor and storyteller who ensures every chapter is clear, polished, and engaging for readers.<\/p>\n
Royal Furline Betrayed BY Mark Twain 3 Chapter 3\u00a0 Chapter 3\u00a0 When I walked in, the lively chatter in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-let-the-game-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22955\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}