Madeleine raised an eyebrow and blinked a couple of times.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s such a coincidence. My husband was the one who\u00a0<\/p>\n
picked this restaurant for me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fiona\u2019s expression faltered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She admitted to herself that she had come over, all poised and\u00a0<\/p>\n
graceful, just to see Madeleine lose her cool.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After all, based on past experience, whenever she showed up,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s gaze would shoot toward her like daggers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the surface, the four secretaries maintained their\u00a0<\/p>\n
professional smiles, but they were frantically exchanging\u00a0<\/p>\n
glances.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They didn\u2019t know about other things, but they used to watch the\u00a0<\/p>\n
drama unfold every day over the past rumors between Chase\u00a0<\/p>\n
and that Mr. Carroll.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They\u2019d heard that Chase used to chase Mr. Carroll relentlessly\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
was completely obsessed\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
But looking at her now, that didn\u2019t seem to be the case, right?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 148\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chase is so in love with her own CEO now!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fiona\u2019s expression quickly returned to normal as she stepped\u00a0<\/p>\n
forward with her wine glass.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSeeing you doing so well now, Madeleine, I\u2019m really happy for\u00a0<\/p>\n
you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine put on an innocent smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I don\u2019t think you and I know each other well, Fiona.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t, but in the past\u2026 you did like Edward, after all,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The moment Fiona said that, the air in the entire restaurant\u00a0<\/p>\n
seemed to freeze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The four secretaries all gasped, and Sophia\u2019s fork clattered\u00a0<\/p>\n
onto her plate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Madeleine started laughing, a crisp and pleasant sound, as\u00a0<\/p>\n
if she\u2019d heard a really funny joke.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFiona.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 148\u00a0<\/p>\n
She rested her chin on one hand, her eyes curving into\u00a0<\/p>\n
crescents. \u201cYou\u2019re saying I like Edward?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fiona was taken aback by this reaction and nodded\u00a0<\/p>\n
instinctively. \u201cEveryone in high society knows\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that so.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine picked up her phone and searched online for gossip\u00a0<\/p>\n
about Fiona.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A few baseless, slanderous headlines made Fiona\u2019s expression\u00a0<\/p>\n
darken a bit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She knew what Madeleine meant; she was denying that she had\u00a0<\/p>\n
ever liked Edward.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re just rumors, you can\u2019t believe them. Don\u2019t look so\u00a0<\/p>\n
upset, Fiona. I don\u2019t believe them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After saying that, Madeleine gave a brilliant smile and looked at\u00a0<\/p>\n
her secretaries. \u201cWhat do you all think?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Teresa and the others naturally sided with Madeleine, chiming\u00a0<\/p>\n
in all at once.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s right, the internet is such a mess these days, people will\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 148\u00a0<\/p>\n
say anything.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll make a note of anyone who believes this fake news and sell\u00a0<\/p>\n
them snake oil later.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOur boss and Mr. Livingston have such a great relationship, why would she be interested in anyone else?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine was quite pleased to hear this, tilting her head with a\u00a0<\/p>\n
smile and blinking a couple of times at Fiona.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fiona\u2019s previously gentle expression was finally starting to\u00a0<\/p>\n
crack, and her hand holding the wine glass tightened slightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What was wrong with her?\u00a0<\/p>\n
To do something so irrational.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before, she had never considered Madeleine worth her notice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But at the last banquet, she saw Edward go to Madeleine, saw\u00a0<\/p>\n
the undisguised admiration in his eyes, and for some reason,\u00a0<\/p>\n
she panicked\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fiona felt like a clown right now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 148\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t say anything else, just forced an ugly smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s great, then. I wish Madeleine and Mr. Livingston a long\u00a0<\/p>\n
and happy marriage.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
With that, she tilted her head back and finished the red wine in\u00a0<\/p>\n
her hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Fiona got back to her seat, her hand wasn\u2019t steady, and\u00a0<\/p>\n
her wine glass hit the table hard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was trying her best to control her emotions, but she still\u00a0<\/p>\n
couldn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Madeleine is just too much!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The woman next to her clenched her fist angrily, \u201cEveryone\u00a0<\/p>\n
knows how she used to chase after Mr. Carroll. Who is she\u00a0<\/p>\n
trying to fool acting all high and mighty now?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFiona, should we teach her a lesson?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fiona shot her a cold look.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t cause trouble. Just eat!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had already lost, and she didn\u2019t want to get into any more\u00a0<\/p>\n
messy situations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 148\u00a0<\/p>\n
Those two friends were the type who always tried to suck up to\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fiona. Seeing she wasn\u2019t in a good mood, they didn\u2019t dare say\u00a0<\/p>\n
anything else.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The two of them quickly tried to change the subject, hoping to\u00a0<\/p>\n
cheer Fiona up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But the more they talked, the colder the atmosphere at the table\u00a0<\/p>\n
became.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Unlike them, the mood at Madeleine\u2019s table was very\u00a0<\/p>\n
harmonious.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The secretaries and Madeleine were all around the same age,\u00a0<\/p>\n
and now that they were away from the office, they talked more\u00a0<\/p>\n
freely.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They talked about everything, from complaining about\u00a0<\/p>\n
colleagues and executives at the company to gossiping about\u00a0<\/p>\n
which Hollywood Entertainment Industry star was caught dating\u00a0<\/p>\n
or cheating.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine listened with great interest, toasting them several\u00a0<\/p>\n
times with juice instead of wine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When the meal was almost over, Madeleine got up to go to the\u00a0<\/p>\n
restroom.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 148\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just as she went in, the two women who were with Fiona\u00a0<\/p>\n
followed her inside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 149\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
Night Carved Paths Into Silence by Zyrel Ash 148 Madeleine raised an eyebrow and blinked a couple of times.\u00a0 \u201cThat\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":[85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-heart-surgeons-last-patient-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29445","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=29445"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29445\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29445"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29445"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}