\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 7\u00a0<\/p>\n
288 Vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 7\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNot today,\u201d I said quickly. \u201cLet\u2019s skip it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aelfric frowned, puzzled. \u201cWhy not?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I touched the edge of my mask self-consciously. \u201cI just had some cosmetic work done-my face is still swollen. I\u2019d rather not scare him off before he even gets a chance to see the real me. I don\u2019t want him backing out of this marriage you\u2019ve so carefully curated.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aelfric didn\u2019t know much about \u201cgirl stuff,\u201d so he waved it off reassuringly. \u201cCome on, what are you worried about? Everyone in New York knows you\u2019re stunning. Besides, he\u2019s not the type to\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before he could finish, my \u201cmatch\u201d noticed our hesitation and began walking toward us.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Panic surged. I darted forward, grabbed Aelfric\u2019s hand, and pleaded in a low voice, \u201cRick, please.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aelfric stopped mid-sentence. He let out a long, defeated sigh and nodded. \u201cFine. You win.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then, he turned and walked toward the man alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They stopped at a distance and spoke quietly for a few moments.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As Aelfric talked, the man kept glancing in my direction.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I could only offer a stiff, awkward nod and a fake smile hidden behind my mask.\u00a0<\/p>\n
0.002\u00a0<\/p>\n
18.53\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u30b7\u30f3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 7\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I finally saw him nod in understanding and turn away, I let out the breath I\u2019d been holding.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When we got home, my parents were thrilled when they saw me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I spun the same story about cosmetic recovery.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They fussed endlessly and immediately arranged all kinds of supplements and comfort food for me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
From morning till night, the kitchen never rested.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The maid and my parents took shifts pampering me, and, in just a few days, I\u2019d gained several very happy pounds.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally, I begged, \u201cCan you please stop feeding me? I\u2019m going to burst!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My mom smiled indulgently\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPerfect timing, actually. Rick says Matt\u2019s coming to pick you up today. You two can go for a walk and work off some of that food.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I blinked. \u201cMatt who?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMatthew Ford, silly. Our old neighbors\u2019 boy-don\u2019t tell me you\u2019ve forgotten him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Matthew?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I rummaged through childhood memories. \u201cMr. Ford\u2019s son\u2026 the chubby little kid?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My mom burst out laughing. \u201cHe\u2019s not chubby anymore. He\u2019s 1.87 meters and gorgeous now. Oh-Rick mentioned he was at the airport with him the day you landed. Didn\u2019t you see him?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
30.86%\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:53\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 7\u00a0<\/p>\n
288 Vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
Suddenly, I remembered the man who\u2019d waved at me from afar that day.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So that was Matthew-the same little shadow who used to trail after me everywhere I went.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Almost immediately, a WhatsApp friend request popped up from him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After I accepted, he messaged instantly, \u201cBeautiful day\u2014want to go for a walk?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I actually laughed out loud at the screen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Could a pickup line be more adorably old-school?\u00a0<\/p>\n
By the time I finished my makeup and headed downstairs, Matthew was already seated across from my mother.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They were chatting happily, and my mother was beaming.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Clearly, she was already sold on my prospective fianc\u00e9.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I cleared my throat, breaking their rapport.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My mom waved me over, gesturing proudly at the small mountain of gift boxes on the coffee table. \u201cLook at all this! Matt brought these for you and for us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared, stunned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
From the logos alone, I could tell there were designer bags, jewelry, high-end skincare, wellness supplements, cases of fine wine, and artisanal coffee.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If I didn\u2019t know better, I\u2019d think he\u2019d come to formally propose right then and there.\u00a0<\/p>\n
61 589\u00a0<\/p>\n
18.53\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 7\u00a0<\/p>\n
My mind drifted, unbidden, to Bainbridge.\u00a0<\/p>\n
268 Vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019d begged him countless times to come with me, to finally go public with my parents.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Every time, he refused.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And yet, every holiday, he would still send gifts to my parents-always under the guise of being Aelfric\u2019s friend.\u00a0<\/p>\n
92.31\/%\u00a0<\/p>\n
18.53\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 7 \u00a0 Chapter 7\u00a0 288 Vouchers\u00a0 Chapter 7\u00a0 \u201cNot today,\u201d I said quickly. \u201cLet\u2019s […]<\/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-22959","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\/22959","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=22959"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22959\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}