Chapter 111
With a furrowed brow, Daron walked past Marina.
Marina bit her lip and followed him out of the study.
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As soon as she reached the doorway, she saw Daron head over to the shoe cabinet, open it up, and grab a pair of slippers from inside.
“No, no, I’m fine barefoot,” Marina blurted out, quickly waving her hands to refuse.
‘Girls always get a little territorial about their boyfriends, Marina thought. ‘She knew exactly what it meant for a girl to keep her stuff at her boyfriend’s place.
So there was no way she was putting those slippers on.
Daron frowned, bent down, and set the slippers right in front of her feet. His voice was low and commanding.
“I said put them on,” he told her.
Marina had only glanced at the slippers in the cabinet earlier and hadn’t realized they looked just like the ones Daron was wearing–clearly a couple’s slippers set.
She let out a helpless sigh, noticing his impatient expression, and whispered, “Mr. Zamora, men never really get how women think, do they?”
“If a girl leaves her slippers at a guy’s place, it means no one else is supposed to wear them except her.
“If you let me wear them today and Ms. Milner finds out tomorrow, she’ll definitely get jealous. Because…*
Before she could finish, Daron interrupted her with a stern look
“Didn’t you say you weren’t dumb?” he asked.
Marina blinked, a little dazed, and nodded.
‘How did we get back to this topic?‘ she wondered.
Daron’s face was unreadable as he spoke in a low voice.
“I think you’re pretty dumb,” Daron said flatly.
With that, he walked over to the dining room and sat down.
Marina was left totally confused by Daron’s unprovoked insult.
The kind–hearted chef, dressed in his uniform, finished setting at all the dishes on the table. Noticing Marina standing awkwardly by the study door, he smiled and called out, “Come on, Ms. Finley, dinner’s ready.”
“Come on, Ms. Finley, dinner’s ready.”
As he spoke, he pulled out a chair for her, his tone warm and gele.
“Put on your slippers, don’t catch a chill. You should take care of your feet–cold really does start from the feet, you know,” he added.
Marina felt a warmth in her heart. ‘Now that’s a real gentleman, he thought. ‘So different from Daron, who’s just a fake gentleman.’
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She looked down at the slippers, wiggling her toes on the floor. the end, she chose to pretend they weren’t there and answered the gentle chef politely.
“Thanks for caring, but you guys go ahead and cat. I’ve got other plans tonight, so I’ll head out first,” she said.
Marina thought, ‘Ms. Milner might look all soft and sweet, but growing up in a family like hers, there’s no way she’s totally
innocent.’
Marina definitely didn’t want to mess with a girl like her just because of some slippers.
Marina headed out, not bothering to put anything on her feet.
Kieran saw Daron’s eye twitch and his brows knit together. He was clearly pissed off.
He gave a helpless smile, but before he could say anything to persuade Marina to stay, Daron spoke up in a low, commanding voice.
“You need to understand, Marina. Right now, you’re the one who needs me,” Daron said.
Marina stopped dead in her tracks in the foyer.
Kieran rubbed his temples, feeling a sudden urge to just cover Daron’s mouth.
Kieran tried to smooth things over, saying, “Ms. Finley, he’s really not trying to threaten you…”
But before he could finish, Daron got up, walked to the study door, grabbed the women’s slippers, and came straight to the foyer, stopping right in front of Marina. His tone was cold and indifferent.
“If you walk out that door now, I’ll tell everyone there’s no deal between the Zamora family and the Finley family,” he said.
He barely showed any emotion, just bent down again and placed the slippers in front of Marina.
“Put them on and come eat,” he ordered.
Marina stood there, stiff as a board.
Isn’t he basically threatening me?‘ Marina thought. ‘He’s not even trying to hide it. This is straight–up blackmail.
Marina had to admit Daron totally had her cornered. She backed down, gave a sheepish smile, and swallowed her pride.
“Guess I’ll just do as I’m told. Thanks for the dinner, Mr. Zamora Marina said with a wry smile.
She ignored the slippers, walked barefoot into the dining room, and sat down at the table.
Daron stood there, frowning at the slippers for a moment. Finally, he closed his eyes, turned around, and headed back to the dining room.
He sat down with a cold expression, the air around him thick with tension.
Kieran shot Daron a look, then turned to Marina with a friendly mile.
“Ms. Finley, the Ms. Milner you mentioned earlier. Did you mea Joyce?” he asked.
Marina hadn’t expected even this gentle chef to know about Joy
“Thank goodness I held my ground and didn’t put on those slippers, Marina thought. ‘If Joyce ever heard about it, I’d be public enemy number one in her eyes.
She just smiled politely and stayed quiet, which was answer enough.
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Chapter 111
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Kieran turned to Daron, his tone relaxed as he asked, “Daron, it pretty clear Ms. Finley’s got the wrong idea about you and Joyce. Why not just set the record straight?”
Marina froze for a second, a flicker of surprise flashing in her eyes.
‘Wait, aren’t Daron and Joyce supposed to be getting engaged?‘ se wondered.
Under Marina’s confused gaze, Daron picked up his fork, sounding completely indifferent as he replied, “Because honestly, I just want to see how dumb she could be.”
Kieran could only give him a look that screamed, ‘I give up.‘
Marina cringed inside, realizing how ridiculous she must’ve looked clinging to her stubbornness just now.
She nervously rubbed her feet together under the table, praying she wouldn’t embarrass herself even more in front of Daron. Like, at this rate, she’d be digging a whole basement for herself.
Daron had tossed her two lifelines, and she’d managed to miss both–talk about failing spectacularly.
‘Seriously, how did I end up being so thick–skinned?‘ Marina thought, cheeks burning with embarrassment.
‘No wonder he felt the need to threaten me,‘ she sighed inwardly
“Sorry, Mr. Zamora. I… I was just trying to look out for your relationship,” Marina said, trying to sound casual.
Daron didn’t even bother to look at her, just kept eating his food like she wasn’t even there.
Marina bit her lip, hurried over to the foyer, slipped on the slippers, and rushed back to her seat. Desperate to break the awkward silence, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
“Who bought these slippers? They look great. Someone’s got good taste,” she said, trying to sound casual.
Daron looked proud. “Me.”
Marina just stared at him, lost for words.
Honestly, what kind of guy goes out and buys matching slippers for no reason?‘ she thought. ‘Honestly, who wouldn’t jump to conclusions?‘
Besides, during those days at Zamora Group, Joyce came looking for him every single day. Marina wasn’t the only one misunderstood.
Kieran, sensing Marina’s embarrassment, stepped in at just the right moment, his voice gentle.
“Daron’s always got that attitude. Don’t let it bother you,” he said quietly.
He paused for a second, then asked, “So, how’s your sister doing lately?”
Marina just pressed her lips together, not giving an answer right way.
Kieran flashed her a warm, gentlemanly smile.
“I’m Kieran Clark. I went to college with your sister, but I left to udy abrol before graduating. I just got back recently, and it’s been ages since I last spoke to her, so I couldn’t help but aske said.
Marina suddenly understood. ‘Oh, so he’s a Clark. No wonder he knows me.”
But honestly, she didn’t have any impression of him.
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Chapter 111
“She’s not doing so great these days,” Marina admitted.
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Maybe it was just how gentle Kieran was, but Marina didn’t feel the need to hold back. She just blurted out what was really
on her mind.
Kieran’s grip on his fork tightened, a flash of nervousness in his yes, but he kept his voice calm as he asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I’ve been giving her way too much to worry about, and with everything going on at Finley Group, she’s exhausted- physically and mentally,” Marina said.
Marina pressed her lips together, holding back from saying anything more. ‘Better keep that to myself. The fewer people who know about my sister, the safer she’ll be,‘ she reminded herself.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
