Chapter 22

Chapter 22 His Questions However, there was no sign of Byron’s car outside. Jane did notice a car she didn’t know, but she couldn’t be sure if Byron was inside, as the dark-tinted windows were tightly closed.

Eventually, Jane figured that Byron wouldn’t be in that car. If he were, why would Carter have stepped out to handle his personal matters? He should be staying with his boss.

Jane withdrew her gaze, feeling a tinge of disappointment.

Meanwhile, the shopping assistant had already processed the payment and handed the receipt and card to Carter. “Thank you very much, sir.”

Carter nodded slightly at Cora before walking out of the store.

Cora contemplated whether she should catch up with Carter and return the shoes to him. Just then, Mia approached, “Are you with Carter? Does Eason know about this?”

“It’s none of Eason’s business who I’m with. Nor your business. Stay out of it,” Cora retorted, but didn’t answer clearly who she was really with.

Yet, in Mia’s eyes, Cora’s response seemed to confirm her relationship with Carter.

“I wondered why you agreed to break up with Eason so easily! Turns out, you’ve already found someone else,” Mia sneered.

“I’m not shameless, unlike you,” Cora calmly replied.

“Who’s shameless?!” Mia grew angry and rushed forward.

Cora dodged aside, “You heard me.”

Enter title...

Seeing the conflict about to escalate in public, Jane quickly intervened, grabbing Mia. “We should go! You have a skincare appointment, remember? Didn’t you want to be the most beautiful bride-to-be?”

Jane offered an apologetic smile to Cora and Sally before turning around and taking Mia away.

“You handled that well, Cora! I’m proud of you,” Sally praised, making faces at the retreating figures of Mia and Jane.

Cora awkwardly smiled. In truth, she never liked engaging in arguments, and her parents didn’t approve of it either.

But when pushed to the edge, one had to fight back. Besides, Mia had found trouble with her way too many times, and she couldn’t tolerate it any longer.

Perhaps attending Mia’s engagement party was the right move. Cora had been avoiding Mia and Eason, making herself an easy target for their mistreatment.

“I really don’t understand why Jane could be Mia’s friend,” Sally muttered, looking at Jane’s back.

Indeed, Jane looked charming and gentle. She was also a medical professional, which easily won Sally’s favor.

But Cora felt that Jane wasn’t as nice and harmless as she might look. Although she hadn’t participated in the conflict just now, her eyes and the way she emphasized the words ‘bride-to-be’ when she took Mia away felt like a taunt aimed at Cora.

Perhaps due to her recent experiences, Cora had become more cautious in everything and couldn’t be as naive as Sally.

“Let’s go,” she didn’t address Sally’s comment.

***

Shortly after they left the shoe store, Sally was called by the gynecologist on duty for assistance, and Cora returned to her apartment.

After some hesitation, Cora sent Byron a text message.

[Thank you, Mr. Hansen. I’ll pay you back for the shoes when I have the money.]

She thought that as busy as Byron, he wouldn’t have time to respond to her message. But Byron replied almost immediately.

[Do you like that brand?]

Confused, Cora replied with a question mark. Whether she liked that brand or not, she couldn’t afford them now, and it had nothing to do with Byron.

However, this time her message received no response. Cora didn’t dwell on it and started to flip through books related to cardiac surgery.

About an hour later, her doorbell rang. When Cora opened the door, she found the shopping assistant from earlier and her colleagues carrying over a dozen boxes, with many more on the ground.

“Miss Lane, these are all limited edition shoes from our brand.”

Cora was bewildered. “I didn’t buy these...”

“Mr. Pope asked us to deliver them.”

Cora was stunned on the spot. She finally understood why Byron had asked her that question.