Escaped My Ex, Got Snatched by His Rival - Chapter 423

Chapter 423: Boy or Man (2)
“This a beautiful mansion,” praised Nadia as she smoothed her dress and sat down on the chair next to Kieran. “You have done an excellent job, Mrs Nelson.”

“Well, little comfort to the damage she has done to her boy,” Kieran muttered loud enough for Noah to hear him.

Noah, who was right behind him, paused in his stride but then pretended as if he had not heard anything and went to sit on his chair.

“Uncle,” Zena reprovingly glared at her uncle. She had tried to make him understand that this was what she had wanted and that she knew what she was doing, but Kieran was proving difficult.

No matter what she said to him, Kieran countered it with how Noah was a douchebag who deserved to die alone and that she was not being a good sport by choosing a man like him who had more or less cheated on his ex-wife.

At their house, before leaving for the Nelson mansion after Kayden and Aiden had left the house searching for Nicolai, her uncle had lost his temper with her.

However, this worked just right for Zena who wanted to keep this entire thing a secret from Nicolai as long as possible.

If he were to find out the truth, he would stop her, which would then make it impossible for him to pursue Ariana Harlow.

He scolded her, ‘I cannot believe that instead of finding a suitable man to marry, you are going after Noah Nelson. I cannot tell you just how disappointed I am in you.’

‘Uncle—you do not understand. What I am doing is for the benefit of our family and theirs—’

‘I do not see what benefit can their family bring us apart from stop poking their noses in our business! I have no idea what goes on in your mind. And you also want to keep this a secret from your brothers, I really have no words for your actions, Zena.’

In fact, if not for Nadia putting a stop to Kieran’s diatribe, they would still be in the mansion listening to his sermons.

“Like I said,” Zena heard Killian say from the head of the dining table. As Senior Mister Nelson was not present, he was acting as the head of the family. “Joining our hands together and forming an alliance is the right thing to do. After all, if our families join hands, I believe that the balance of the Lonest city will be more even.”

Inez sniffed haughtily as the maids served the meal that was prepared. She remarked casually, “Well indeed that’s the case. But more than that, I would like to hear from your son.”

She glanced at Noah before saying, “Is he alright with this marriage? I have heard certain rumours —and I have to say that his agreement to this marriage really surprised me.”

Noah clenched his fingers on his lap, he could now understand where Nicolai inherited his habit of poking into one’s wounds. Inez was the one who pushed him, and she was also the one who made his father trap him —such that she could give her son what he wanted.

And yet as she sat in front of him, Inez was pretending as if she were not the one who threw the bait that his father hooked and him as well in tow.

He then heard Kieran say, “We are not the kind of people who will feed you sweets after giving you bitter medicine.” He glared at Noah sternly before saying, “Zena has been raised no less than a princess in our family. We have given her the finest of all things.”

His words held an underlying warning as he continued, “And I will only hope that you will keep that up, boy. If you cannot offer Zen, your utter devotion and loyalty—then tell us here and now. We will forget this conversation ever happened.”

“Kieran,” Inez called out to her brother-in-law. Her voice was stern and low as she glanced at the man, she shook her head slightly before turning to look at the Nelsons. “I apologize for his rude actions, he has always been protective of Zena and the rest.”

“However,” she interlocked her fingers and stared down at Noah harshly. “What he said is indeed correct. Indeed, it was us who first held our hands for a truce, but —it is on account of the fact that your son will treat our Zena with utmost sincerity. If he cannot do that, then he might as well say it now.”

Noah stiffened on hearing Inez’s words, knowing why she was doing this.

He avoided looking at Zena as he somewhat hated her for not stopping this atrocity. She was one of the finest and closest aide of Nicolai de Luca. Why was she even willing to marry him?

And there was this ugly feeling in his heart apart from Inez’s not so subtle attempts of pushing him away from Ari —regarding the death of his grandmother.

He had always wondered if it was done by the de Luca family, which was why he had shown nothing but animosity towards them.

To marry the daughter of the family whom he had always believed was the cause of the death of his grandmother —it was simply enough to leave him distraught, and yet, he had no other choice.

Not with his father pressing the matter down on his head.

“Now, now, Miss Inez,” Jeremy spoke up from beside Noah. “I know and understand your feelings but let us leave this matter in the hands of the children. I mean, I accept that my nephew has done some foolish things, but he is not a nutter.”

He chuckled at his little joke before adding, “No, of course not. He is a gentleman, if not for someone deliberately playing him…he wouldn’t have done those things either.”

“I assure you, he regrets every bit of it.”

“Regret is a forceful emotion, Mister Jeremy,” retorted Inez. She glanced at Noah before saying, “Which is why I want to hear his answer. I would like to see if this boy is a victim of his emotions or strong enough to be a man rather than a boy.”