My Unchosen Ex Chases Reborn Me (Soren and Fiona) novel Chapter 154

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Fiona lifted her gaze. A heartbeat later, she processed what she saw–no one else but Xavier, poised a few steps away, the lamplight laying a subtle gleam across the folds of his midnight- blue robe. “Mr. Xavier.” Her voice trembled with polite restraint as she rose; silk skirts fluttered against marble. To her quiet delight, she now reached the line of his firm jaw. Only last spring, she had barely brushed his shoulder. A lady would polish her beauty for the one whose opinion mattered. Fiona had cherished a gentle hope–that her new radiance would steal his breath. Instead, his dark eyes stayed serene, giving away not a flicker. Then she noticed the robe. It was the very garment she had stitched by candlelight–the sable silk, the discreet cloud embroidery. It fit him so naturally she could almost believe he had stepped out of her imagination.

“You’ve grown taller.” His tone was matter–of–fact, yet the faint curve at the corner of his mouth softened the words into something close to fond.

“A little, yes,” Fiona admitted, smoothing invisible creases on her sleeve to hide the heat blooming along her ears.

Xavier studied her face–fresh and luminous like a lotus just lifted from the water–before adding, as if it were an afterthought, “I have been promoted.”

“News travels fast beyond the palace walls. They already say you are now a senior fourth–rank commander. I am genuinely happy for you, Mr. Xavier; your hard work deserves such a reward.”

“And what, pray tell, is a brilliant future worth?” he countered, quiet but unflinching.

“A future may not be everything,” she answered, meeting his gaze, “but after all you have endured, it is only right you claim one.”

“Then does Ms. Fiona favor a man whose prospects blaze ahead?” Xavier asked, watching her intently. The question robbed her of language. Heat surged under her collar and rose to the tips of her ears; for all its propriety, his inquiry felt dangerously like a tease. Seeing her drop her head, no doubt weighing whether he possessed any propriety at all, Xavier’s eyes glimmered with silent laughter. “The estate is crowded with guests today. Forgive me, I cannot linger.”

“Please, attend to your duties,” she managed.

He paused, turned back as though anchoring something important, and said with solemn clarity, “Lotus and peony alike pale beside you.” Fiona stood stunned. Only after he had disappeared into the bustle did she realize he had just called her beautiful; he was so earnest that the praise had taken a full moment to bloom in her mind.

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Chapter 154 Unspoken Compliments

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Meryl’s eyes fell on Xavier, and a quiet wave of satisfaction spread through her chest. In all of Jexburgh, she had yet to meet another young gentleman who satisfied her on every count- ability, looks, learning, and graciousness–without a single flaw she could name. Others might boast a loftier pedigree, yet they failed to win her favor. First impressions mattered; if a man could not please the eye, no height of status would ever coax affection from the heart.

“Meryl, Fiona, do visit more often,” Victoria urged with unusual warmth as their party prepared to leave.

Xavier stood nearby, neither encouraging nor hindering the invitation.

Meryl was no fool. Sudden enthusiasm rarely bloomed without purpose, and Victoria’s pointed mention of Fiona made her intentions plain.

Yet when interests coincided, everyone would win. “We certainly should call more frequently,” Meryl replied with a poised smile.

Back at the Niven Estate, Meryl for the first time chose to sit with Hannah and speak at length about Xavier. “Mother, what do you think of the second son of the Luthor family?” she asked, eyes alight with quiet calculation.

Hannah set her porcelain teacup back on its saucer. The lamplight caught the excitement suddenly shining in her aged eyes. “You mean the young man who returned to Jexburgh this very day? Accomplished so early, one of the first of his peers. Tell me, do the Luthor family truly intend a match with our Fiona?”

Meryl smoothed a nearly invisible crease from her silken sleeve, weighing every word before it left her lips. “We still need a few days to observe,” she allowed, “yet from what I saw at the Luthor Estate today, Xavier seems thoroughly taken with Fiona. Even in the middle of his many duties, he kept glancing back at her.”

He reserved those brief, warm looks for no one else. Toward everyone else, he remained cool, almost distant, like winter sunlight falling on marble.

A gentle laugh escaped Hannah, soft yet unmistakably pleased. “If he is the one, I could not be more content. Fiona’s future would finally let me sleep easily. For now, though, we must keep the matter quiet. I have no wish for busybodies to ruin a good thing.”

When Fiona’s coming–of–age ceremony finally arrived, Hannah was able to study Xavier in person, and her satisfaction deepened. The second son of the Luthor family possessed a clean, striking handsomeness. Family background aside, he stood every bit the equal of the Zonfrillo heir Hannah had once considered. Ability always weighed most for her, yet she could not deny an attractive face. After all, good looks rarely hurt the prospects of future grandchildren.

When Xavier arrived on behalf of the Luthor Estate, he first sought out the elders of the Niven

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Chapter 154 Unspoken Compliments

family. “Old Mrs. Niven, may you enjoy enduring peace and health,” he said, offering a measured bow.

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That small gesture captured the very quality Hannah admired–humility balanced by unshakable courtesy. “I hear that while you were stationed in Junbert, you lent Mr. Niven no small amount of aid. The Niven family is sincerely grateful.”

Xavier answered with respect that felt effortless, never cloying. “Mr. Niven acted for the people of Junbert,” he replied. “Offering my help was only right, and in truth, he aided me just as much.”

Hannah nodded, her tone warming. “Should hardship ever find you, come to the Niven family. As long as it lies within our power, we will not refuse.”

Xavier bowed more deeply. “I thank you, Old Mrs. Niven.”

Off to one side, Lilith stole furtive glances at Xavier, straining to catch every word he exchanged with her grandmother. The moment he took his leave, she hurried toward Fiona’s quarters, excitement bubbling beneath her composure.

Fiona wore a gown prepared months in advance–airy white gauze embroidered with the faint shimmer of butterflies, wide sleeves drifting like soft clouds. Beneath it lay a skirt of cloud- green brocade that whispered with each step. Her hair was woven into an elegant coil, secured by a single ruby hairpin for which Meryl had scoured all of Jexburgh and half its artisans.