After Betrayal - I Married a Handsome Tycoon-Chapter 60: It’s All a Trick

’Shane Jennings is getting married tomorrow, and they want me to stay at the old family manor with Connor Quinn?’

’If I remember correctly, Laura Cheney mentioned earlier today that Shane Jennings’s and Connor Quinn’s bedrooms share a wall.’

’Are all these prominent families this wild? This desperate for a thrill?’

Connor Quinn watched the expressions flicker across Moira Sloan’s face. He knew exactly what she was thinking and asked calmly, "So, what’s your decision?"

Moira Sloan’s lips quirked. "We’ll see."

She had more important things to do right now.

Without waiting for Connor Quinn’s response, she walked straight to the door, slipped on her shoes, and left.

Moira Sloan arrived at Room 327 to find the door ajar. From inside, she could hear Rachel Yates on the phone.

"Mom, don’t worry. I’ll make sure to wire the money on time."

"How is Dad doing?"

"You two just make sure he gets the care he needs. I’ll handle the money."

Rachel Yates’s back was to the door as she spoke on the phone.

When the call ended, she covered her face and began to sob, her slender back a picture of wretchedness.

Moira Sloan watched from the doorway. The corners of her lips twitched, then pulled into a smile.

’So that’s her game, is it?’

’Playing the victim?’

’What a shame. She had never been the forgiving type. When it came to people who had hurt her, her heart was harder than stone.’

Moira watched from the door for a moment. The stage was set, and she worried the play couldn’t continue without its audience. So, she composed her expression, pushed the door open, and went inside.

At the sound of the door, Rachel Yates whirled around as if startled.

Seeing Moira, Rachel Yates spoke, her eyes red and puffy, "Moira."

Moira stepped closer, furrowing her brow in feigned concern. Playing along with the script, she said, "I overheard you on the phone. Is everything okay at home...?"

Moira trailed off, her tone and expression perfectly conveying the concern and inner conflict of a former best friend.

A glint of light flashed in Rachel Yates’s eyes at Moira’s expression. She did her best to suppress her glee, however, reaching out for Moira’s hand. "Moira..."

Moira stood still, allowing Rachel to take her hand.

Then, in a tear-choked voice, Rachel began her confession. "Moira, I swear I never meant to frame you. It was just... my dad was sick, and he needed a lot of money for surgery. I didn’t have any, and then a rival company approached me. They said if I framed you, they’d give me the money..."

As she spoke, huge teardrops started rolling down Rachel’s cheeks.

"But I swear, I never thought it would get so bad! I figured with your reputation in the industry, you could just explain things, and the whole issue would blow over..."

’Honestly, Rachel’s acting was terrible.’

Moira could barely watch anymore. Worried she might give the game away, she cut Rachel off. "Why are you only telling me this now?"

"I was scared you’d hate me," Rachel cried. "I was too ashamed to face you! I was terrified you’d never forgive me..."

’Too ashamed to face me for the better part of a year.’

’And now, all of a sudden, she has the nerve?’

’In the end, it’s just because she thought I’d never come back to Atheria. She thought she could just turn the page on this whole mess.’

’But now that I’m back—and have suddenly transformed into the girlfriend of a young master from the Jennings family.’

’It doesn’t matter how much "value" Connor Quinn actually has as a Jennings. The title alone is more than enough to intimidate a small fry like Rachel Yates.’

As Rachel finished speaking, the room fell silent.

After about half a minute, Moira took a deep, well-timed breath. She put on an appropriately pained expression and said, "Forget it. What’s done is done. Let’s just let it go."

"Moira, does this mean you’ve forgiven me?"

Moira said, "I can choose not to dwell on the past. But as for forgiving you, you need to give me some time to think about that."

The first thing Moira did after leaving Room 327 was pull her phone from her pocket and stop the audio recording.

’What evidence could be more convincing than a confession from the culprit herself?’

A short while later, Moira returned to her room. No sooner had she stepped inside than she heard Connor Quinn on the phone with someone. "Just go ahead and list the house," he was saying. "I don’t care if the price is a little low. The most important thing right now is to pull together the money for Verdi’s surgery."