Chapter 186
Seeing her eyes turn red, Lavern’s tone softened a little. He reached out and gently wiped away the tears at the corners of
her eyes.
“Yara, when you chose to be with me, we already agreed on the terms. I hope you don’t lose sight of things at a time like this,”
he said.
Yara lowered her gaze, unable to hide the disappointment in her eyes.
When she first got together with Lavern, he made it clear that no matter what happened, she must never cause any trouble in front of Marina.
To make up for what he owed her, he promised to give her the best life possible, and would even entrust her with managing his assets.
And over the past few months, Lavern had kept his word. He always made sure Yara was well taken care of financially. Yara had accepted Lavern’s arrangement before, but Shawna’s sudden appearance had completely upended her world. When Marina wanted to break up with Lavern, Yara saw a glimmer of hope that she might finally take her place by his side.
But Lavern had never once considered leaving Marina and bringing their relationship out into the
“Lavern,” Yara called his name softly, her voice trembling.
She looked up at him, tears slipping down her cheeks. “Can’t you just leave Marina?” Yara pleaded.
‘After all Marina has done to him, the way he treated him, he still won’t let go, Yara thought bitterly.
open.
Lavern frowned, his expression icy as he stepped back, putting space between them. He strode over to his chair and sat down, his eyes cold and piercing as he stared at her.
“Yara, you’re asking for too much,” he said calmly.
Yara’s tears finally broke free, spilling down her cheeks.
“It’s not that I’m greedy; it’s Marina who wants to leave you. If she’s the one who wants to walk away, then why can’t…” Yara’s voice trembled as she spoke.
Lavern interrupted her, his tone edged with annoyance.
“Marina isn’t going to leave me. She’s just talking out of anger. Once this phase passes, she’ll come back to me,” he said, sounding completely sure of himself.
“Yara, I need you to snap out of it. Don’t upset the balance between us,” Lavern added, his voice cold and commanding.
Yara was stunned into silence. She tried to speak, but the words just wouldn’t come.
After all, this was the deal they’d made.
Yara was supposed to be the other woman, beautiful and never to worry about a thing. Lavern would take care of everything for her.
But she could never cause trouble in front of Marina, or let Marina find out about them.
And whenever Marina was around, Yara had to keep up the act with Lavern.
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Yara closed her eyes for a moment, trying to steady herself.
“Marina already knows about us. If she digs up proof that you’ve been using the Slav family to funnel Ross Group’s assets all these years, she definitely won’t let you or the Slav family off casy Yara said, her voice steady but worried.
“So what do we do now?” she asked, urgency in her tone.
As she spoke, Yara pulled out the chair across from Lavern and sat down. She put the relationship drama aside and got straight to discussing how they should deal with Marina.
Lavern didn’t bat an eye at Yara’s words. He was totally calm.
He put his feet up on the chair, leaned back, and idly rocked his foot, looking completely relaxed.
“She’ll have her own mess to deal with soon. She won’t even have time to think about Ross Group,” Lavern said, sounding sure of himself.
“While she’s busy, you should handle all the past issues that are still hanging around,” he added.
Lavern got the latest scoop from Mallory about what was really going on with the Finley Group.
Right now, besides Elnora, there’s no one else Marina truly cares about.
If the Finley Group ran into trouble, or if something happened to Elnora, Marina’s attention would be pulled away from Ross Group in a heartbeat.
By the time she finally caught on, they’d have already cleaned up all the messes from before.
Marina wouldn’t notice a thing, and even if she did catch on, she’d have nothing to pin on them.
Seeing Lavern radiate confidence, Yara felt her nerves finally settle.
Remembering how Mallory had come to see Lavern alone that morning, she just had to ask.
“Did Mallory ever tell you what she wanted with the wedding photos of you and Marina?” Yara asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
Lavern didn’t answer her. He just lowered his feet from the chair walked over to the window, and stared out at the city beyond.
He and Marina had started out grinding in a cramped little apartment, and now they’d made it big. He knew exactly how important they were to each other.
There was no way he’d ever let Marina walk away from him.
Lavern knew all too well that if Marina left, she’d take a ton of valuable contacts with
her.
After years of fighting in the business world, he knew exactly how high the stakes were.
Seeing that Lavern didn’t want to talk about it with her, Yara bit her lip, feeling a sting of disappointment.
Back before Shawna came into the picture, Lavern would discuss everything with her, even when it came to picking out gifts for Marina on special occasions, he’d always turn to Yara for advice.
She was even the one who chose the address for his and Marina’s wedding home.
But now, even over something this minor, he wouldn’t even bother to talk it over with her.
“Lavern, about Shawna, aren’t you even going to explain yourself to me?” Yara finally asked, her voice shaky with emotion.
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Lavern stood straight by the window, not turning to face her when he heard the question..
“Yara, I never said I’d only have you and Marina. So what is there to explain?”
Yara stiffened, staring at his back, biting down hard on her lip.
“You weren’t like this before,” Yara said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Back then, Lavern’s smile was nothing but genuine.
Lavern let out a low chuckle.
“No man in this world is really as decent as he seems,” he said, his voice cold and blunt.
“I fought hard to get where I am. Of course I’m going to enjoy the benefits that come with my status,” he added, sounding completely self–assured.
“Your dad only ran a tiny convenience store, and even he had someone on the side. With everything I have now, don’t you think I deserve to live better than your father ever did?” Lavern said, his voice dripping with arrogance.
All those young girls flocking to him were the ultimate reward for all his years of hard work.
Neither Marina nor Yara could ever give him that kind of emotional thrill.
“Yara, life only lasts a few decades. You can’t just live a dull life, right?” Lavern finally turned to face her.
As he spoke, Lavern turned to look at Yara.
Yara met his eyes, and she finally saw it: that he really wasn’t the same man anymore.
“Will I end up like Shawna one day?” Yara asked, her voice trembling.
Lavern smiled as he walked over to Yara, reaching out to gently tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
“Girls like Shawna are a dime a dozen, but there’s only one you, Mara. Trust me, you’re not just anyone to me, you’re special,” he said, his voice low and reassuring.
“Come on, Yara, hold your head high,” Lavern added, his tone gentle but confident.
Yara looked up at him, trying to read his expression, hoping to catch a glimpse of something more.
But his eyes were filled with tenderness.
Yara bit her lip, suddenly feeling like asking all those questions didn’t matter anymore.
Right now, the Slav family and Lavern’s interests were so closely linked that if anything happened to the Slav family, Lavern would go down with them.
And if Lavern got into trouble, the Slav family wouldn’t be able to get away either.
If he didn’t trust her completely, he never would’ve gotten himself so entangled with the Slav family.
They say love follows the money. She ought to trust that Lavern really did care about her.
After all the stress from talking to Marina earlier, Yara finally let herself relax. She tilted her head, leaned against Lavern’s shoulder, and wrapped her arms around his waist.
Yara knew for sure that her fate would never be the same as Shawna’s.
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Chapter 186
‘Shawna? She wasn’t even in the same league as me, Yara though her confidence returning.
We’d been together for more than ten years. There was no way anyone could take my place.
AD
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.
