16:12 Thu, Oct 9 B
Winning the Heir Who Bullied Me
Chapter 120
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Have you had a full–on meltdown before? And then afterward, you stared in the mirror, wiped your tears, put on Taylor Swift, and wondered why the hell you were being so dramatic?
That’s how I feel later that evening while we wait in the ballroom for the next stage of the competition.
Nathan and I spent what felt like hours in the coat closet. I cried while he held me. I told him stories about my parents, about what I’d gone through after they died.
Then he held me tighter while I cried some more.
I’m in the middle of giving Eliza a half–assed reason for why I didn’t show up at the pavilion (“I got a headache and went to my room to take a nap“) when a voice interrupts us.
“This seat taken?”
Eliza and I look up to see Lara looming over us.
A smile breaks out on my face. I haven’t seen Lara since the moment before the awfulness at our fundraiser.
She returns my smile, joining us on the floor without waiting for an invitation.
“It’s good to see you alive, April,” she says, leaning forward to pat my hair affectionately.
“Yeah. Thanks for…” I heard she stood watch over me while I was in the trance, barking at anyone but Nathan who tried to justle me. “… everything.”
She waves it away. “How’s June?”
The thought of my sister doesn’t make me feel as sad as it did earlier today, which is proof that my little catharsis session with Nathan in the closet worked.
“She’s good,” I answer. “She’s not here anymore, though.”
Lara has the same reaction as everyone who hears that June is no longer living with me in the Ashford household. “Good.”
Easton arrives then, summoning us with that hand clap that’s starting to make me feel like a sheep in a herd.
As we rise to our feet, my mild annoyance gives way to curiosity when the three Ashford brothers follow Easton in. Their entrance gives rise to curious whispers and excited giggles.
Nathan’s eyes instantly land on me, and the small, private smile he gives me sends tingles up and down my spine.
I raise my brow in question, my eyes tracking his ascent to the stage. What are you doing here, and why didn’t you tell me about it in the closet?
He shrugs in response.
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16:12 Thu, Oct 9 B
Chapter 120
Peter leans in to whisper in Nathan’s ear, and he rolls his eyes, shoving his brother away.
Peter chuckles, winking at me, and I roll my eyes,
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Easton clears his throat and starts, “The press conference, the ball, the charity competition. All these events tested your ability to fit seamlessly into the Ashford empire, testing your mettle to hold such a high–class title. But the winners of this competition won’t just be Ashford Ladies…” He pauses for unnecessary dramatic effect. “…you will be wives.”
A ripple runs through the ladies, and I raise a brow. Pretty sure we all knew that already.
Easton continues, “This means you not only have to be compatible with the Ashford title, you have to be compatible with your future husbands.”
My gaze instantly shifts to Nathan, and my heart skips a beat when his eyes lock on mine.
Nathan, my future husband.
The thought makes me momentarily dizzy.
“That being said,” Easton says, “over the next couple of days, the Ashford heirs will be going on individual dates with you ladies.”
My eyes widen, someone gasps, another person squeals, and Eliza grips my hand hard enough to hurt.
Meeting Nathan again and falling in love has happened so unconventionally. Going on a date with him feels weirdly…mundane.
Yet, a thrill runs through me, and I find myself dancing nervously on the balls of my feet.
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