Since this was nothing more than a job, Marina would handle it professionally, keeping her emotions out of it.
She figured she could keep her feelings under
trol, just like she’d done a great job of it today,
Hayley’s petty tricks and Zara’s calculated moves didn’t faze her in the slightest.
Zara glanced into the car and saw Marina sitting quietly in the front passenger seat. Then she turned to Daron
“Daron, I swear I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I totally forgot the Zamora Group always does those animal celebration photos. You said if I had any issues, I could ask Marina for help, so I asked her to grab my medicine. This has nothing to do with Mom. She didn’t hear a thing.”
Zara took full responsibility for everything.
When Daron was around, she still called Marina by her name.
Earlier, she’d just called her Ms. Finley.
Bette cut in coldly, clearly unimpressed by Zara’s excuses.
“The Zamora family’s driver is waiting in the car. You don’t have his number? Doesn’t your mom?”
“Is it really that hard to just call the driver and have him bring it in?”
Zara was left speechless by Bette’s sharp words. She lowered her head and mumbled, “Sorry, it was my mistake.”
“I swear I won’t bother you again, Bette.”
Hayley frowned, clearly not liking how meek Zara looked. She glanced up at Daron and said in a cool voice, “Daron, weren’t you and Marina trying to keep your marriage under wraps?”
“She’s just an assistant at the company. So when she’s up there in front of all the top brass, what’s she supposed to be, exactly?”
Hayley didn’t bring up how Zara had sent Marina off. Instead, she changed the subject to the fact that they weren’t planning to go public with their marriage anyway.
If they weren’t going public, then there’s really no need to do the Zamora Group family photo in front of everyone at the
company.
Hayley said, “The Zamora Group hosts an annual celebration, so if she skip the family photo this time, she can always take it next year.”
“I don’t think it’s a big deal. What do you think, Daron?”
Hayley looked up at Daron, her gaze unusually serious as she waited for his answer.
Daron’s brows stayed tightly knit, his deep eyes fixed on Hayley, a hint of gravity in his expression.
Hayley kept her composure, completely unruffled by Daron’s intense look. She met his eyes with steady calm, showing not a
hint of emotion.
Daron shut his eyes briefly, his voice coming out deep and authoritative.
“Aunt Hayley, let’s discuss this after the party.”
0:08 Sat, Feb 21
Chapter 325
Seeing that Daron did not embarrass her in front of everyone, Hayley gave a small, satisfied smule and nodded.
“Alright, I agree. We should all sit down and have a proper
ersation.
That includes Ms. Finley.”
With that, Hayley gently guided Zara toward the car in the back.
As they turned to leave, Zara spoke up in a low, apologetic voice. “Sorry, Mom. Did I mess things up for you?”
Hayley replied softly, “It’s okay. It’s not your fault.”
Marina was stunned.
‘If Zara really did it by accident, then it truly wasn’t her fault, Marina thought to herself.
‘But if she did it on purpose, then who else could you
blame?‘
After Marina handed Zara the medicine, Zara didn’t take it at all.
Clearly, that little bit of pain wasn’t all that hard to handle.
Honestly, there was no need for her to go through all that trouble. Just like Hayley said to Daron, since they weren’t planning
to announce their marriage, even if she’d been present, she wouldn’t have joined the family photo anyway.
Marina glanced at Bette in the rearview mirror.
Bette’s face was equally unimpressed, clearly fed up with Zara’s fake innocent routine.
From the very first time Bette had come to see her, Marina knew she was straightforward, always calling things as she saw them.
So naturally, Bette had no patience for the way Hayley and Zara behaved.
Bette caught Marina watching her in the rearview mirror, so she looked up and met her gaze.
Bette asked, “You got nothing to say?”
Marina shook her head. “Honestly, I don’t.”
Bette raised an eyebrow and let out a cold laugh. “Didn’t expect you to be such a pushover. If it were your sister, no way she’d let them pull this kind of stunt right in front of her.”
Marina let out a soft sigh and quietly replied, “If it were my sister, she probably would’ve just ignored them.”
“I never planned to go up for the photo anyway. Everything they did was totally pointless,” she added.
“I never planned to go up for the photo anyway.
As soon as Marina finished, Bette could feel the air in the car grow heavier.
She glanced over and saw Daron getting into the
car, his face grim./
He’d clearly overheard what Marina said, which explained why he looked so upset.
Bette was at a loss for words.
She just kept her eyes forward, unsure what to say.
I
Meanwhile, Marina sat upright in her seat, eyes fixed ahead, clearly not bothered at all by Daron’s mood.
Bette sat diagonally behind Marina, able to see her profile. Her expression was totally calm, not a trace of emotion. She
1.94 …..Loma Nazan might ha thinking after hearing her words.
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.
