I Quit Being a Stepmother (Cypress Gem) novel Chapter 429

Chapter 429

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Chapter 429

The line went quiet for a moment.

A few seconds later, Nathan’s voice came through. “Is this… Mrs. Austin?”

Esther immediately replied, “Yes, I’m Elena’s mother. You must be Mr. Ravelle, right?”

Since they hadn’t met yet, and considering his career and reputation, it only felt proper to address him as Mr. Ravelle at this stage.

“Hi, Mrs. Austin. You can just call me Nathan.”

That made Esther smile. “Alright then, Nathan. I’ll leave you two to talk.”

She gestured to Elena to keep her tone soft, then slipped out of the room.

Elena gripped her phone, her nerves tightening in her chest. She put the call on speaker, crawled up onto the bed, and swung her legs restlessly in the air.

“Nathan.”

“Yeah?”

“My mom didn’t mean to listen in just now. She-”

“It’s fine,” Nathan cut in.

“So… did you hear what I said earlier?”

Of course he had. He had also caught Esther’s hurried denial about wanting a live–in son–in–law.

Elena rested her chin on her arm. “My parents did want a live–in son–in–law at first. But… But I like

you, Nathan.”

Her straightforwardness and enthusiasm left Nathan somewhat at a loss.

“If you don’t hate me, can I pursue you for real this time?” she asked.

To Elena, there was nothing shameful about pursuing someone. On the contrary, she found it rewarding. She believed that winning someone’s heart with effort made the love even more precious.

Nathan glanced at George, who had been staring at him the whole time, and felt a bit awkward. “How about we talk later?”

“Sure! But I’m planning to move to Draventh. That way, we’ll get to see each other more. Is that okay?” Elena asked.

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Chapter 429

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She had already made up her mind, yet she still wanted his approval.

Nathan rubbed his forehead and fell silent for a long while before he finally said, “I’ll send someone to pick you up.

Finding her a place to stay in Draventh was the least of his worries.

“Really? That’s perfect! I’ll be waiting!” Elena beamed.

After ending the call, Nathan called Anthony, instructing him to assemble a team to Eryham, pick up Elena, and arrange a suite for her at one of the Ravelle family’s hotels. Safety had to come first.

With that handled, Nathan rose and walked back toward the couch. “What are you doing here anyway?”

He had been working late into the night, yet George still showed no sign of leaving. From the looks of

it, he wasn’t in the best mood.

“Did you and Rhea fight?” Nathan asked.

“Of course not,” George replied flatly. He simply wasn’t in the right headspace and didn’t want to dampen Rhea’s mood, so he had come here to cool down.

“I’m leaving.”

“Hey! You…”

Nathan was speechless as he watched George walk away. He didn’t know what was going on with the

latter.

At the new villa, Rhea had already eaten dinner. Once the household staff retreated for the night, she settled into the study with a book.

She wore a light blue lounge dress, her lengthy hair cascading down. Her whole demeanor carried a touch of lazy ease.

On the small round table sat half a bottle of red wine and a plate of cheese, as she savored the quiet life she now enjoyed.

She had already heard about Kate’s situation overseas. Louie had been the one to tell her.

No one knew it, but over the past few weeks, Louie had played the role of a quiet shadow, discreetly digging around for information on her behalf.

On the phone, he reported, “Ms. Ravelle, Kate is bad news. She’s rotten through and through! After

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Chapter 429

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asking around, I learned that she had mentioned Mr. George’s older brother’s death to Mrs. Snider back then. She was deliberately trying to stir things up between you two!

“George’s older brother?” Rhea had never heard the details of that incident.

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