Chapter 440
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That wasn’t the look Hayley would normally have when she saw Daron.
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Marina gave Hayley a searching look, then got up from Daron’s side and walked over to her, her voice gentle.
“Let’s sit down and talk,” Marina said.
Hayley nodded.
Usually, she’d go straight over and sit right next to Daron, but this time, she deliberately picked a spot farther away from him.
Hayley realized she’d just put her foot in her mouth, and with the tension hanging in the air, she quietly grabbed a tissue and wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes.
“Daron, as your aunt, I was just worried and got a bit worked up. I really wasn’t trying to blame you,” Hayley said softly.
Daron gave a small nod.
“I know,” he replied, his tone calm.
“This time, too many people were involved, so I thought it was better to keep things quiet. That’s why I didn’t tell you. It won’t happen again,” Daron added.
Hayley nodded.
Harris shot Hayley a look, then turned his attention elsewhere.
Daron shifted the conversation with Harris to other topics.
Hayley stayed in the farthest corner, silent and withdrawn.
Marina sat down next to Daron, occasionally casting a glance in Hayley’s direction. Hayley seemed distracted, zoning out every now and then, her mind clearly elsewhere.
Marina calmly withdrew her gaze, her expression giving nothing away.
Harris asked the kitchen to make lunch.
Marina and Daron stayed at the family estate for lunch.
As soon as he finished eating, Matthew headed out.
Now that Martin had just taken over Zamora Group, there was still a ton of stuff to sort out, so Matthew had to head over and lend a hand.
Harris didn’t stop him.
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After lunch, Daron and Harris headed into the study to talk.
Hayley sat on the couch in the main hall, her gaze drifting toward the study.
Noticing Marina watching her, Hayley looked away from the study and met Marina’s eyes.
Their eyes met, and Hayley shot Marina a look of obvious displeasure.
She looked both embarrassed and irritated.
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“You knew Daron was okay the whole time, didn’t you?” Hayley snapped, her voice edged with frustration.
Marina’s brows drew together as she listened to Hayley’s accusation, a flicker of annoyance crossing her mind. She could not understand why Hayley was making a big deal out of this.
“Why can’t you just let this go, Ms Blanchard?” Marina said, trying to keep her tone calm.
“Shouldn’t we just be glad that Daron’s safe and nothing happened to him?” Marina added, a hint of exasperation in her voice.
Marina’s slightly confused tone instantly put Hayley on high alert.
She felt guilty and was determined to hide what she’d done. But her anxiety kept her on edge, unable to truly calm down.
She hadn’t expected Marina to see through her so quickly, just after their first exchange.
Hayley sucked in a shaky breath, her chest rising and falling as she tried to steady herself.
“Daron’s fine, and you could’ve told me anytime, but you kept me in the dark,” Hayley said, her voice tight with frustration.
“I’ve been so anxious I couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, couldn’t calm down for a second,” she snapped.
“Admit it, you did this on purpose just to mess with me,” Hayley accused, her eyes narrowing.
Marina couldn’t believe Hayley was blaming her for this. She gave a wry smile, feeling a bit helpless.
“Seriously, Ms. Blanchard, you’re reading way too much into this,” Marina said.
“Getting back at you was never on my mind. Not telling you was Daron’s decision. He was worried that if you found out he was safe, your reaction might give things away and make others suspicious,” Marina explained.
“If you were so worried, why didn’t you go to Frency yourself?” Marina shot back, her voice calm but with a hint of challenge.
Even at his age, Durif had gone all the way to Frency himself just to make sure Daron was safe.
Hayley shot back without missing a beat. “My father wouldn’t let me go to Frency.”
“I wanted to go with you at first, but you didn’t want me to, did you?” Hayley added, her voice sharp with a
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hint of frustration.
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Marina just shook her head with a smile.
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“If you were really that worried about Daron, so much that you couldn’t eat or sleep, do you honestly think your father could’ve stopped you from going to Frency?” Marina said, her tone calm but with a hint of challenge.
“When I was in Frency, I heard your father wasn’t feeling well and was staying home, refusing to see anyone. He wasn’t really stopping you from going out or doing what you wanted, was he?” Marina added, her gaze steady.
Hayley was left embarrassed and flustered by Marina’s pointed words, her cheeks burning red.
Hayley hurried to explain.
“You said yourself, my father wasn’t well during that time. How could I just walk away from the Zamora family when they needed me most?” Hayley shot back, her tone defensive.
Marina pressed her lips together, just watching Hayley in silence, not saying another word.
Hayley’s face froze for a second, something unreadable flickering in her eyes.
She ran through the whole conversation with Marina in her head, double–checking if she’d said anything wrong. Once she was sure she’d covered her tracks, she sat up straight on the couch, her gaze locked onto Marina, eyes burning with intensity.
Marina saw Hayley straighten up, her voice cool and collected.
“Daron already told you what happened. Don’t try to blame me for this,” Marina said, steady as ever.
“As long as Daron’s safe, talking about this any longer is pointless, isn’t it?” Marina added, her gaze unwavering.
Hayley opened her mouth, but the words died on her lips.
‘How could this be pointless?‘ Hayley fumed inwardly, frustration simmering.
If only Marina had clued her in earlier, Hayley wouldn’t have made such a huge mistake.
By now, she’d already sold off nearly all of Wilhelmina’s belongings that were left at the Zamora estate.
If Daron ever found out, there’d be no way she could talk her way out of it.
If Marina had just given her a heads–up back then, she wouldn’t be in this mess now.
Marina noticed the hatred in Hayley’s eyes, and for a moment, confusion flashed across her own.
She knew Hayley wasn’t fond of her. But before, Hayley never looked at her with this much hate.
Sure, she’d gone to Frency and gotten a lot closer to Daron since coming back, but Marina did not think that
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Chapter 440
was enough for Hayley to suddenly start hating her.
After all, she hadn’t done anything to give Hayley a hard time these days.
Hayley’s hands were clenched tightly in front of her, her eyes swirling with a storm of emotions.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed from the doorway.
Marina turned to look toward the entrance, just in time to see Zara rush in.
“Mom, is Daron back?” Zara asked, her voice full of urgency.
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Zara only found out after lunch, when Calista told her that Daron had shown up at the press conference and packed up all his stuff from the CEO’s office.
Since Daron had lost his position, Calista even reached out to Zara, freaking out that Zara’s status in the Zamora family might get dragged down too.
Zara looked at Hayley, looking super anxious.
Hayley gave a gentle nod.
“Mm,” she hummed. Her voice was soft and faint.
Marina raised an eyebrow.
Hayley glanced at Marina, then quietly added, “He’s back.”
“Daron’s fine. All that talk about him being badly hurt was just a bluff he put out there. Zara, you really don’t need to worry,” Hayley reassured her gently.
Zara blinked, a little dazed, then nodded.
“He’s okay,” she whispered.
“He’s okay,” she echoed, almost to herself.
Zara repeated it twice, but with Marina right there, she swallowed back all the things she really wanted to say.
Just like Hayley earlier, there was no trace of joy in her eyes. She looked more like she’d just been scared out
of her wits.
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Chapter 441
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.
