Chapter 151
Marina suddenly realized what was going on. She looked up at the man sitting next to Elnora, the one with that sly, fox–like grin, and couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
‘No wonder I felt like I’d seen Albert before, Marina thought.
He was always hogging the entertainment headlines.
If it wasn’t a rumor with a pop singer today, it was paparazzi catching him at a hotel with some actress tomorrow.
He was notorious for being a total player.
So the Clark family is introducing Elnora to Albert? Are they seriously throwing her into the fire? Marina thought.
Marina’s brows knitted tightly, and she couldn’t help but grip Daron’s arm even harder.
Even though she knew Elnora was smart, getting mixed up with someone like Albert meant some of his bad reputation was bound to rub off on her.
Marina couldn’t help but worry.
Daron looked down at her, catching the fierce glare she shot at Albert, and said in a calm voice.
“Thinking about going over there and taking a bite out of him?” he said with a hint of amusement.
Marina nodded.
Albert was obviously into Elnora.
He was grinning from ear to ear, like he just couldn’t help himself.
Daron snorted. “With the way you are now, you’d get wrecked before you even made a move.
“You gotta be strong if you want people to take you seriously. Compared to your sister, you’ve still got a long way to go.”
As he spoke, he sat down in a nearby chair and, with a smooth motion, tugged her hand, still clutching his sleeve, and pulled her down to sit right next to him.
Marina’s eyes stayed fixed on Elnora. She looked so calm, a faint smile playing at her lips as she chatted with Albert, like she had everything under control. Marina couldn’t help but let out a heavy sigh.
Even though Elnora looked like she was totally in charge.
Marina still couldn’t help but worry.
Elnora’s health was never great, and dealing with these kinds of people would take a ton of energy and really wear her down, both physically and mentally.
Elnora seemed to pick up on Marina’s stare and glanced over, flashing her a gentle smile and shooting her a reassuring look.
Albert was taken aback by the warmth in Elnora’s expression. He followed her gaze, turning his head to see what had caught
her attention.
But all he saw was Zack strolling past Daron and Marina’s table.
His eyes grew darker, and the hint of a smile faded from his lips.
17:49 Wed, Dec 31
Chapter 151
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Marina let out a silent breath and finally looked away from Elnora.
Everyone in the room had their eyes on the commotion at the main table.
The guests sitting behind Marina were whispering quietly among themselves.
“Mr. Finley really left this world too soon. If he were still alive, just imagine what kind of top–tier marrying her,” one of them murmured.
guy would end up
“The Clark family made her their goddaughter, like they’d do that without a reason. Evan introduced her to Albert, probably hoping to play matchmaker,” another guest whispered.
Just look at Albert. His eyes are basically stuck on Elnora. Ile’s obviously super interested in her, someone else chimed in.
“He’s a total playboy, never cares about work. Albert’s family would probably love to find him a wife who’s actually got some real talent. In this generation, who could possibly outshine Elnora?” someone else added.
“Honestly, Elnora’s kind of pitiful. She’s been holding up the Finley family all these years. No matter who she marries, the Finley Group is probably just going to get swallowed up by someone else. I doubt they’ll actually end up together, another guest said.
“Guess she’s just gonna be single forever,” someone else joked.
That comment drew a round of soft chuckles from the group.
Marina clenched her water glass so hard, her fingers were turning pale from the pressure.
She was seriously considering what would happen if she just lost it and threw her drink at these high–society ladies. It’d feel good for a second, but she’d be in a world of trouble afterward.
The Finley Group was finally getting back on its feet thanks to Elnora’s hard work. Marina couldn’t risk making things harder for her sister just because she lost her cool.
Daron was right. With the way she was now, she wouldn’t even get a chance to put these ladies in their place before they ganged up on her.
She slowly loosened her grip on the glass, trying to steady herself.
But just as Marina was finally starting to settle down, Daron reached over and took the glass right out of her hand.
Daron glanced at her, his voice low and a little mocking. “You seriously want to drink this filthy water?”
He grabbed the glass and, without even looking, just tipped it out behind him like it was nothing.
A bunch of shocked gasps erupted from the table behind them.
The socialite who’d been chatting shot up from her seat, her face flushed with anger. “What do you think you’re…”
But before she could finish, she saw it was Daron holding the glass and pouring water in their direction. Her anger evaporated in an instant.
“Oh, I thought it was someone else. It’s Mr. Zamora,” she said, her tone immediately turning polite.
Daron remained unfazed, giving her a cool, indifferent glance.
“Sorry,” he said.
Even though he said sorry, there wasn’t a hint of regret in his eyes, just pure indifference.
Chapter 1
The socialine’s face went right After all, they’d been scaird before Daron and Marina:
And the tables weren’t even that far apart. They’d been chatting nonstop, so there was no way he didn’t notice them.
She hadn’t done anything to offend Daron, so she didn’t want to think the worst.
But catching that look of contempt in his eyes, she suddenly felt like he’d done it on purpose. Even his apology sounded like a jah, like he was mocking them, as if they weren’t even people in his eyes.
But since she had no proof, she could only pretend to stay calm and sat back down. As she glanced over at Marina, she paused for a moment, then it suddenly clicked. Everything Daron had just done was him sticking up for Marina.
Marina turned her head, gazing at Daron in a bit of a daze, her eyes shimmering with gratitude.
He must’ve picked up on what she wanted, so he just grabbed the glass from her and did what she didn’t dare. He splashed those ladies himself.
The things she hesitated to do, he didn’t even blink before doing.
They were so wary of him, nobody dared cross him. Even if they realized he did it on purpose, they wouldn’t dare call him
out.
He was proving his point with actions, not just words.
No wonder Elnora said you could really pick up a thing or two from Daron.
Daron really was the best kind of teacher.
Marina’s eyes lit up, and she was just about to say something when Daron reached over with the serving chopsticks, grabbed some food, and dropped it into her bowl.
“Quit drooling and eat something,” he teased.
Marina just stared at him, lost for words.
She was moved, but seriously, it wasn’t like she was actually drooling over the guy.
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Zachary smirked, his tone full of mischief.
“Man, Daron, that was badass. Now I want you to serve me too,” he said.
With that, he nudged his bowl over to Daron.
Daron didn’t even blink. He reached into the chicken dish and, with perfect aim, picked out a piece of ginger that looked just like chicken and dropped it right into Zachary’s bowl.
Zachary grinned, pulled his bowl back, and popped the “chicken” into his mouth. But the moment he bit down, his face twisted in disgust.
He absolutely hated ginger.
The whole table burst out laughing, the mood turning light and easy.
But Joyce’s smile had a hint of bitterness to it. She might’ve been smiling, but her eyes were cold as ice.
Even while she was chatting with Chloe, she couldn’t help but keep her eyes on Daron and Marina.
She caught every second of Daron making a show of dumping water behind him, all just to stick up for Marina.
17:49 Wed, Dec 31
Chapter 131
Ever since she came back to the Milner family, she’d been crossing paths with Daron quite a bit.
All three years, she’d never seen Daron stick up for anyone like this.
Just because those ladies said a few things that rubbed Marina the wrong way, he went and dumped water on them hunself
It was wild to think he’d actually do something so lowliow
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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.
