Chapter 24 Relearn Dining Etiquette
"Harold! What kind of nonsense are you spouting?!" Steve's face turned ashen with rage; his words were like a grindstone.
Harold raised an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth twitching with a derisive smile. "I'm not talking nonsense. Didn't Katie pay you handsomely?"
Steve fell silent.
"Isn't it true that you're Katie's favorite?" Harold pressed on.
Steve remained silent again.
"Aren't you living apart from Katie now? But regardless, she still pines for you, calling on you more often, spoiling you even more than before?"
Each point Harold made hit the mark, leaving Steve with no room for rebuttal.
They were all facts.
Back when he lived in the old mansion, he indeed stayed with his grandparents.
His grandmother truly doted on him.
Even after he moved out, his grandmother had him come over all the time.
With his busy work schedule and all the responsibilities, his grandmother was even more attentive out of concern for his well-being. Those were the undeniable truths.
But the way Harold presented them, it all seemed so peculiar.
Judging by the look on Nora's face, she had been completely taken in by Harold's deceit.
Nora probably thought that he and his grandmother were in some illicit sugar mama-toy boy relationship!
But he couldn't explain.
Although the misunderstanding wasn't ideal, short of owning it, he had no other choice.
He couldn't think of a better excuse to explain why he was able to boss around the employees at the Porter Family business.
So, much as he was inwardly cringing, he could only watch as Harold spun tales right in front of him.
Harold turned to Nora with a mischievous smile and winked at her. "Nora, I'll share this secret with you, and you must promise to keep it under wraps, not even a word to Edmund, alright?"
"I swear, I'll take this secret to the grave and tell no one!" Nora exclaimed with earnest conviction after taking a deep breath.
She was still in shock, her mind fog, and everything felt surreal.
The typically stern and traditional Katie she had known had another side unknown to the public.
What she found even more difficult to accept was that she had been romantically involved with a man who had once been a project of Katie's.
Talk about a plot twist!
Her gaze at Steve became even more complicated.
"By the way, does Isaac know about this?" Nora asked curiously.
With a knowing look at Steve, Harold smiled and said, "He knows. In fact, Isaac was the one who told me. But Isaac didn't want to interfere, and he warned me not to meddle either. Just pretend we're none the wiser."
"So just play dumb, and it'll all be fine."
Nora nodded.
Unbelievable, even Isaac was in on it.
And he was condoning his grandmother's behavior!
If Isaac wasn't getting involved, as an outsider, who was she to intervene?
Right, at the birthday party last night, when Kalista showed that photo of her hugging Steve, was it because grandma recognized her new boyfriend as her former boytoy that she got so angry?
Did Isaac also realize that her new boyfriend was the same young man Katie had fostered?
Nora felt helpless.
Fortunately, she wouldn't have to see Katie anymore. Otherwise, how awkward would that be?
"Why don't you grab a coffee somewhere? I'd like to have a word with him alone," Harold suddenly suggested.
Nora said, "Chat away, I'm heading back to the shop. It's unmanned today, and I need to mind the store."
Harold nodded. "Sure, take care on your way."
After stealing a glance at Steve, Nora turned and left.
The two men stood silently, watching Nora's retreating figure.
It wasn't until she had exited the mall and was out of earshot that Harold finally turned to the man beside him.
"Harold, my grandmother is an old woman, and yet you tarnish her reputation like this?" Isaac's voice was strained as he gritted his teeth in reproach.
Harold shrugged innocently. "I was helping you out. You could at least be thankful instead of blaming me."
"If I hadn't spun a tale to get you out of this mess, how would you explain to Nora that as a gigolo, you managed to get the employees of the Porter Family to obey you so easily? And how you ignored Kalista completely?"
Isaac was momentarily at a loss for words.
After a few seconds, he said in a low voice, "You could've come up with a different excuse!"
With a smirk, Harold responded, "I'm not as clever as you. I can't think of any other way to spin this. Why don't you tell me what explanation would make sense?"
Isaac fell silent.
"Or perhaps, to protect your grandmother's good name, we could say that you're your grandfather's kept man?" Harold suggested.
Isaac was silent once more.
Patting Isaac on the shoulder, Harold said, "Look, as long as we smooth things over, that's all that matters. Don't sweat it. Nora's tight-lipped, and she won't spread it around. As long as we keep it to ourselves, no rumor will get out."
Isaac took a deep breath.
"You had Nora leave so you could talk to me?" Isaac asked, his voice stern.
Harold looked at him squarely.
"I saw everything that went down in the jewelry store from outside. If you dislike Nora so much, why then do you create a false identity to romance her? And why help her just now? Going so far to protect her that you disregarded Kalista's dignity, causing her public humiliation, having her thrown out of the mall, and even issuing a ban on her re-entry. Isaac, do you still have feelings for Nora? Are you still in love with her?"
Isaac's face darkened abruptly as he retorted instinctively, "You're talking nonsense. I could never like her again; all I feel for her now is hatred."
Harold raised an eyebrow. "So, your way of hating someone involves protecting and pampering them?"
Considering the recent scene where Isaac had fiercely protected Nora, it was rare to see such devotion even within blissfully enamored couples.
Harold couldn't believe Isaac held no love for Nora.
Isaac's face was grim, his mind unwillingly replaying Nora's betrayal from years ago.
The more he remembered, the angrier he got.
He would never forgive Nora in this lifetime!
"I dated her, shielded her, all out of vengeance!" he exclaimed.
"I aim to make her fall for me, to let her believe she's found true love, to immerse her in the false happiness I've crafted. Then, when she's too deep to escape, I'll personally shatter everything she holds dear. I want her to know what it's like to plummet from heaven to hell."
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
