Chapter 6
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“Oh my god! 250 million–who could possibly wire that much cash on the spot?” The guests at the family dinner erupted in shock.
brow
a
The butler wiped the cold sweat from his brow and answered a call. After a few words, he switched on the speakerphone.
A familiar voice came through the line–one Iselle recognized instantly. “Don Morven says Ms. Delphine cannot lose. The Morven family will cover all of Ms. Delphine’s bets tonight.”
Every word was crystal clear, striking every heart in the room.
“The Morven family! Is that the Morven family I’m thinking of?!”
“Who else could move 250 million that fast? This isn’t like that useless
fiancé of Iselle’s–this is real power.”
“Iselle, you should just give up. The Morven family isn’t just rich–they never forget a grudge. Cross them, and your life won’t be easy.”
A buzzing filled Iselle’s ears. She stared hard at Caelen.
But he hadn’t moved–still wearing that detached, amused smile as he watched Delphine, clearly intrigued by the way her tears had turned into laughter, like a predator studying its prey.
It all felt so absurd to Iselle. She pushed the deeds for the two courtyard houses forward. “260 million. I’m in.”
Less than five minutes later, another 30 million dollars landed in Delphine’s account.
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The Morven family could have crushed Iselle in an instant, but instead, they chose to torment her with this slow, relentless pressure.
Finally, Iselle broke. Her voice was raw as she turned on Caelen. “So Don Morven won’t give me even the slightest chance, is that it?”
It was only then that Caelen seemed to remember he was supposed to be her fiancé.
He slipped an apologetic arm around her shoulders.
“‘I’m sorry, Iselle. I’n
just an ordinary guy. I don’t have the means to help
you with this bet.
“How about this–since this whole mess started because of me, I’ll talk to Delphine and call off the wager.”
Iselle trembled, her emotions boiling over.
“No means to help?” she questioned in her heart. The man in front of her was the reason things had spiraled out of control.
Whether as her fiancé or the mysterious Don Morven, he was determined to grind her dignity into the dirt.
She struggled out of his grasp. “I’m not backing down. It’s just a wager, right? Fine, I’ll keep going=”
Caelen frowned and grabbed her arm. “Iselle, don’t be reckless. It’s not worth losing everything just for your pride, is it?”
Iselle squeezed her eyes shut.
The Durrell family’s engagement gift was already in her hands. If she was willing to risk it all, even Caelen wouldn’t be able to compete with her.
But if she did that, the truth about her being a stand–in bride would come
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out for everyone to see…
Still, she couldn’t bring herself to lose this bet.
Ħ
Before she could say another word, Isadora suddenly intervened. Her expression was complicated as she looked at Iselle, and then scolded Delphine.
“That’s enough, Delphine. Stop this nonsense. Caelen has a point—it wouldn’t be fair to Iselle if I just handed you the bangle.
“I’ll hold on to the bangle for now.
“Since there’s no wager, this bet is void. Let’s just call it a silly game between sisters. Everyone takes back what’s theirs.”
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Caelen arched an eyebrow, and Iselle caught a flicker of disappointment in his eyes.
She yanked her hand free from Caelen’s, her nails digging deep into her palm. All she felt was humiliation and regret.
She should never have saved Caelen. If she’d let him die in that alley, it would have been better for everyone.
After the dinner ended, Iselle refused Caelen’s offer to walk her home. She wandered back alone, unwilling to face anyone’s sympathy or
ridicule.
When she reached the riverbank, she saw Caelen and Delphine talking on the opposite shore. Iselle watched them quietly from a distance.
Caelen asked softly, “Do you regret breaking up with me?”
Delphine’s voice was cold and brittle. “Does it even matter if I regret it? You’re about to marry Iselle, and I have to marry that corpse from the Durrell family. We have no future.”
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There was a coaxing note in Caelen’s voice. “If you just admit you were wrong, I can fix both problems for you.”
Delphine let out a bitter laugh. “You’re just an ordinary guy–what makes you think your words mean anything? You don’t actually believe you’re Don Morven, do you?
“If it weren’t for him tonight, I would’ve been completely humiliated, you know that? Caelen, this was all you doing. I hate you.”
Iselle stood in silence.
c
Caelen had clearly resolved everything, but he refused to tell Delphine the truth truth. Instead, he put on a show of affection for the sister Delphine despised most.
All of it–just to force Delphine to swallow her pride and say sorry.
And Iselle? She was nothing but collateral damage in Caelen and Delphine’s petty war.
Suddenly, Iselle had no interest in letting Caelen reveal the truth. She took out her phone and made a call.
“Caelen, I want some of your homemade soup.
“Where are you?”
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