My Unchosen Ex Chases Reborn Me (Soren and Fiona) novel Chapter 257

257 Hidden Jealousies

Chapter 257 Hidden Jealousies

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Soren had always considered himself above rivalry, yet the mere thought of trailing behind another man in Fiona’s eyes made pride flare like struck flint.

“Besides, among all the ladies at court, she’s the only one who truly intrigues me,” Zephyr went on. “Roxanne isn’t necessarily Cornelius‘ best choice either, yet he still married her. If he can do it, why can’t I?”

He had never tasted sincere affection, never felt a woman’s gaze soften for him alone—and people always coveted what they lacked.

“Problem is, my wedding plans have been laid out,” Zephyr said with a sigh. “If scandal breaks now, Cornelius will hound me for it. Have you a solution, Soren?”

“I cannot help you,” Soren replied, cold as shutters in winter.

Zephyr assumed the refusal masked disapproval. He still pictured Fiona beside him one day, even if now he must settle for his fiancée, a pawn who was nothing more than a stepping stone for him to stabilize relations in the Frontier. Ambition, after all, could wait for love to catch up.

He forced a lighter note. “By the way, that girl we met at Pearl Terrace–haven’t seen her since. Perhaps even she finds the illustrious heir of the Zonfrillo family beneath her notice?”

Soren’s jaw tightened, the tendons in his neck standing out like taut wires. A storm gathered behind his eyes, and the easy confidence he usually wore cracked, revealing a shadow that spread across his face.

Across the courtyard, Zephyr noticed that brief stumble in Soren’s composure. The discovery tasted sweet. His own shoulders eased, and the corner of his mouth curled upward in quiet, unfiltered satisfaction.

Meanwhile, Fiona sensed–for once–how deeply Xavier’s displeasure ran. Yet when she took her leave, he said only, “Take care on the road, Ms. Fiona.” His voice was calm but edged like a sheathed blade.

So many servants milled about that none of them dared probe further. Curious glances flickered and vanished, swallowed by the rigid etiquette of a crowded residence.

A few days later, Fiona arrived at the Luthor Estate with Lilith in tow. Lilith remained in the front parlor with Victoria, while Fiona followed Xavier into the quiet hush of his study.

“On the Fourth Prince’s wedding day, did I offend you in some way, Mr. Xavier?” Fiona asked after a long moment, weighing every word before it left her lips.

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Chapter 257 Hidden Jealousies

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“It had nothing to do with you,” Xavier answered, turning just enough for the light to catch the conflicted glimmer in his eyes. “I cannot stomach Prince Zephyr coveting you, nor can I bear seeing you smile at him like that.”

“He is a prince,” Fiona said after a pause, her voice steady yet soft. “I cannot afford to provoke him.”

“I understand,” Xavier replied, lowering his gaze. “I simply despise how little power I have right now–how little I can do to shield you.”

The words dragged Fiona back to an ugly memory: Zephyr had pinned her against a wall, his arm cinched around her waist. Tears had streaked her face while he half–smiled and whispered, “Serve me now as a concubine, and one day, you might stand a step below the throne itself. Refuse me, and your father will pay for the consequences. You fancy my cousin, Soren, huh? Pity. He barely spares you a glance.”

To survive, Fiona had played the obedient doll until Soren returned to Jexburgh and announced their betrothal, forcing Zephyr to retreat—if only slightly.

Upon noticing the woman drifting away, Xavier pressed his lips together. “Tell me, Ms. Fiona— did you ever, even briefly, care for Prince Zephyr in your previous life? The man is ruthless; that is why you kept refusing his proposal, isn’t it?”

“Never,” Fiona answered, shaking her head. “Why would you ask such a thing?”

Xavier remained silent for a long, tense moment. When he finally spoke, his voice was low. “At your wedding banquet, Prince Zephyr told Lord Soren that the two of you had briefly been in love. He claimed to know of a small scar on your chest–and because of that story, Soren did not return to your bridal chambers that night.”

For a man to see the skin over a woman’s heart, the intimacy had to be profound.

Fiona felt a wave of absurdity wash over her, as though reality had slipped sideways.

She had never allowed Zephyr such closeness. Then how, in heaven’s name, did he learn of the

scar?

That thin line across her chest dated back to her twelfth year–an emerald hairpin left beside the bath had cut her while she was bathing. Only her mother, Pearl, and Esme had ever known

it existed.

Her mother would never divulge such a private matter, and Pearl, who had grown up alongside her, was loyal to the core. That left Esme as the sole possible leak.

Fiona had rescued Esme from a brothel, a child sold by desperate parents. She kept the girl

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Chapter 257 Hidden Jealousies

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close, treated her like a sister, and later brought her as part of her dowry when she married Soren. Every secret, every worry, she had once shared with Esme.

She recalled an outing after her marriage when she bumped into Zephyr. Sensing her guarded stance, he had laughed coldly and asked, “Soren won’t even touch you. Why bother hiding from me?”

At the time, she assumed Soren had confessed his indifference behind her back, and the thought had stung for days.

Now, however, it seemed more likely that Esme had been Zephyr’s planted spy–explaining how he knew she and Soren had not yet shared a bed and how he tracked her comings and goings.

A chill crept up her spine. The person she trusted most might have been nothing more than a pair of eyes hired to watch her.

“I never cared for Prince Zephyr,” Fiona said quietly. “Our earlier performances were acts of necessity. As for the scar–Esme must have told him. If he repeated that lie to Soren, it was only to drive a wedge between us.”