\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 8\u00a0<\/p>\n
Back then, I\u2019d swallow the sting of his refusals quickly, telling myself he just wasn\u2019t ready to shift roles from secret lover to acknowledged partner.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019d cling to the sweet hope that one day he\u2019d be proud to claim me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, I knew those once-cherished wishes would never come true.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I pulled myself back to the present and teased Matthew with mock astonishment. \u201cDid you buy out the entire mall or what?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My mom swatted my arm lightly, laughing. \u201cDon\u2019t talk nonsense, young lady.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Matthew just smiled. \u201cI was worried I wouldn\u2019t bring enough to convince Ms. Ortiz to spare me an afternoon.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My mom practically shoved us out the door. \u201cGigi hasn\u2019t had a proper outing since she got back. I\u2019m entrusting her to you today-have fun!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Matthew agreed graciously, every inch the perfect gentleman.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once we were alone in the car, the air felt a little thick with\u00a0<\/p>\n
nervousness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Feeling awkward, I tried to make small talk, and to my surprise, Matthew handled the conversation effortlessly, pivoting from one interesting topic to the next whenever the momentum dipped.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Slowly, the knot in my chest loosened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
0.00%\u00a0<\/p>\n
18.53\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter B\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then my eyes landed on the ornament dangling from his rearview mirror.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was a Superman sticker, laminated into a round acrylic charm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The edges were worn with time, yet it was clearly well cared for.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I covered my mouth in surprise. \u201cThis can\u2019t be\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He glanced over, smiling softly. \u201cYep. The very one you gave me when we were kids.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was when Matthew\u2019s family had just moved into the neighborhood.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was chubby back then, shy and introverted-often bullied by other boys.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One time, when I saw him being picked on, I grabbed a stick and charged right in, pulling him out of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019d planted myself in front of him and yelled, \u201cIf any of you ever bully Matthew again, I\u2019ll knock you all out and drag you to the police!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
They\u2019d jeered and run off.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I hauled him up, trying to sound grown-up and wise. \u201cIf they mess with you again, fight back!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But seeing the tears clinging to his lashes, I\u2019d softened. \u201cEh, forget it. Next time, just tell them you know Angelique Ortiz. That\u2019ll scare them off.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then I peeled a Superman sticker from my collection and pressed it onto his forearm. \u201cHere. This is Superman, my favorite hero.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
27.51%\u00a0<\/p>\n
18.53\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
Charm with my fingertips.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A sudden, sharp pang of contrast hit me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
During the worst of Bainbridge\u2019s business wars-when enemies circled like vultures, and he narrowly escaped harm several times-I\u2019d gone to a church and bought a small silver cross, praying it would keep him safe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He never wore it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The difference in how men cherished something-or didn\u2019t-was suddenly, painfully clear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With encouragement from both our parents, Matthew and I moved forward at an astonishing pace.\u00a0<\/p>\n
122\u00a0<\/p>\n
We saw each other every day-dining, shopping, and even discussing the intricacies of our families\u2019 business deals.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The engagement date was set swiftly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The night before the party, I lay awake, nerves jangling with a strange mix of anxiety and excitement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Life really was unpredictable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A month ago, I\u2019d been dreaming of forever with Bainbridge.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now I was hours away from promising the rest of my life to a man named Matthew Ford.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I pictured his broad shoulders, lean waist, that quiet eight-pack, and a sly little smile tugged at my lips.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Well\u2026 I certainly wasn\u2019t losing out here.\u00a0<\/p>\n
55.61%\u00a0<\/p>\n
PAN\u00a0<\/p>\n
18 53\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 8\u00a0<\/p>\n
11 288 iVouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
Early the next morning, I was woken up to get my makeup done and slip into my gown.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The stylist was the one I\u2019d always adored-Matthew had flown him in from abroad.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The gown had been custom-ordered years ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The engagement party was held in a secluded venue, attended only by our closest family and friends.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As the ceremony began, Aelfric\u2019s phone buzzed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
None of us paid it much mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stepped aside to take the call, chuckling into the receiver. \u201cGigi\u2019s been thick as thieves with you since you were kids how could you skip her engagement party?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
There was a sudden pause on the other end. Then Bainbridge\u2019s voice, low and startled, sounded. \u201cWho did you say is getting engaged?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
82.93%\u00a0<\/p>\n
1853\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 8 \u00a0 Chapter 8\u00a0 Back then, I\u2019d swallow the sting of his refusals quickly, […]<\/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-22960","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\/22960","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=22960"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22960\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22960"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22960"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22960"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}