Chapter 354 The Art of Self-Preservation
Upon hearing Howard's derisive comments, Evella felt a surge of anger threatening to erupt from within her. "What do you mean, erotic novels? I write legitimate literature! Please refrain from making such sweeping generalizations and cease your nonsensical chatter!" she retorted."By your logic, couldn't one also infer that some doctors are frauds? So, are you a deceitful physician who intentionally inflicts harm upon others?" she challenged.Howard spluttered, "You're distorting the truth.""You..." Evella began, her small face upturned, her bright red lips parting and closing as she unleashed a barrage of insults. "You're unreasonable, rude, vulgar, and uncouth..."Howard stood rooted to the spot, taken aback by the onslaught. Internally, he couldn't help but curse under his breath. Truly, she was a writer through and through, with an endless stream of adjectives at her disposal!Nora, standing to the side, found herself unable to suppress a chuckle. Evella had always struck her as a sweet, soft-spoken younger sister. But this was the first time she had witnessed her sharp tongue in action. Observing her puffed-up demeanor, Nora found her unexpectedly endearing.Once Evella had finished her tirade, she took a deep breath and fixed Howard with a provocative stare. Howard, snapping back to reality, nodded in acknowledgment. "Yes, I'm all those adjectives you mentioned. Would you kindly inform Mrs. Remington Senior to stop trying to pair you with me? A vulgar individual such as myself is certainly unworthy of your beauty and brilliance."So, this was the root of his teasing! Nora arched an eyebrow, intrigued to see how Evella would react.Evella fluttered her lashes and snorted dismissively. "Rest assured, I already have a boyfriend. I won't even consider marrying you!"Howard raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Really?""Of course," Evella responded confidently.Nora, taken aback, couldn't help but interject. "Evella, you have a boyfriend? Who is it?""Flynt," she replied nonchalantly.Nora was left speechless. Could she possibly mean the musician Flynt?"Which Flynt?" Nora asked, hoping for clarification."The musician Flynt from b.love!" Evella confirmed.Nora was taken aback. Had this young girl managed to ensnare her idol so quickly? She was truly astounded.Howard, relieved to be free of the proposed betrothal, couldn't help but smirk. "You have a boyfriend now, that's great. When you two get married, I'll definitely give you a big red envelope."Evella lifted her chin defiantly. "No need! If you give me a big red envelope, I'll have to give you a gift when you get married. Given our relationship, we should never contact each other again!"Howard could only hope that would be the case. He turned to Nora. "Nora, you two chat; I'll go over to Kenneth.""Okay," Nora replied, watching Howard retreat before turning to Evella. "Evella, are you serious? Are you dating Flynt?"Evella giggled in response. "Nora, it's not true! But I am trying to win him over; we've already exchanged contact information."So, it was a ruse. Seeing Evella's shy, girlish demeanor, Nora couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. The two of them had been so entertaining, bickering like a pair of lovers. Yet, there was no romantic sentiment between them."Well, good luck with that; go get your idol soon," Nora encouraged."Okay, I'll work hard!" Evella responded, making a cheering gesture."Nora," a voice called out. It was Gary, approaching with a glass of wine in hand."Gary," Nora greeted him.Seeing Gary approach, Evella shot Nora a sympathetic glance. Ever since his defeat to Aaron, Gary had ceased his pursuit of Nora. He had been in a state of melancholy ever since. The affectionate way he looked at Nora was heartbreaking. And yet, he still remembered her.
"Congratulations on finding your birth parents, Nora," Gary announced, approaching her with a glass of wine cradled in his hand. He raised his glass in a toast towards her, a gesture of celebration. "Thank you," Nora responded, the sound of her glass clinking against his echoing in the room. "I wish I had known earlier that you were the Hamilton family heiress," Gary admitted, taking a thoughtful sip of his wine. Nora furrowed her brow in confusion. "What do you mean?" "If I had known, I would have proposed a marriage alliance between us to my parents," Gary revealed. Nora was taken aback by his candidness. The idea was absurd, yet it made sense considering their families' history of arranged marriages. If her true identity had been revealed earlier, he might have indeed proposed such a thing. Nora chuckled, a sigh escaping her lips. "I have no intention of getting married, so your proposal would have been futile." Gary was visibly stunned, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "You have no intention of getting married? What about you and Aaron..." Nora's heart skipped a beat. She had let something slip. Quickly, she sealed her lips, refusing to divulge any more information. "Nora, did you and Aaron have a falling out?" Gary asked, his spirits lifting as if he had stumbled upon a juicy secret.Seeing his bright eyes, Nora knew she had to set things straight. "Don't misunderstand; what I mean is that I don't want to get married so early."She had finally managed to shake off the pursuit from this Remington Family's second young master and didn't want to be bothered by him again!"Is that so?" A tinge of doubt flashed in Gary's eyes."Yes," Nora replied, quickly changing the subject. "By the way, has your eldest brother's marriage been finalized? Wasn't he supposed to marry Suzy?"Upon hearing this, Evella chimed in. "Yeah, well, Suzy caused a scandal later, so their engagement was called off, and my eldest brother's marriage was put on hold. But recently, it seems that there's a girl actively pursuing him."A girl was actively pursuing the Remington family's eldest son?Nora's curiosity was piqued. "Really? Who?""Well, look over there," Evella gestured towards a corner of the banquet hall.Following her gaze, Nora spotted an enchanting woman lingering by the side of the Remington Family's eldest brother.Upon closer inspection, a smile crept onto Nora's face.It was her!Harper!Nora remembered Harper telling her that the Remington family's eldest brother had saved her life. Was she now prepared to offer herself to him?"Ms. Smith," a voice called from behind her.Nora turned around, her eyes widening slightly at the sight of the person approaching.At that moment, the Moore family's eldest son, Timothy, was leading Luna, who wore a reluctant expression, towards her."Timothy, is there something you need?" Nora inquired."Ms. Smith, I brought my sister here to apologize to you," Timothy said, forcing a smile. He pulled Luna closer and said, "Luna, why don't you apologize to Ms. Smith?"Luna glanced at Nora, then at Gary, and ignored Timothy's words.Instead, she called out to Gary, "Gary, why are you here again? Now that you know she is from the Hamilton family, you're plotting something?"Gary glared at her and responded sullenly, "It is none of your business.""Why wouldn't it matter to me? Our families are already preparing for the engagement!" Luna exclaimed.Gary furrowed his brows, "What did you say? I'm supposed to have an engagement with you?""Yes, don't believe me? Ask my eldest brother!" Luna retorted.
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