Wife You Discarded is a Billionaire's Crush novel Chapter 101

Cedric stared at Liliana, his eyes cold and menacing. The chill in his glare seemed to pierce right through the glass, following her as she crossed the street.

Even after she slid into the waiting SUV, a shiver traced its way down her spine. "Douglas, let's go," she murmured.

The SUV executed a sharp U-turn, its fender skimming dangerously close to the Maybach as it pulled away.

In the driver's seat, Timothy Stanton discreetly wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. He'd never seen Mr. Forrest come up empty-handed like this. It was just like in the movies—the villain always loses because he talks too much. If Mr. Forrest hadn't wasted time with those last few words, she would have been in the car by now, and Douglas Sewell would have missed her completely.

"Sir, should we... go now?"

"What do you think? We're just going to sit here and admire the view?" Cedric snapped, his eyes locked on the retreating SUV. "Follow them. See where they're going."

*Coming to pick her up personally, like some common chauffeur... How demeaning.* Cedric scoffed inwardly. *The Sewell family was truly pathetic. With a fool like Douglas leading them, they were only sealing their fate.*

His lips thinned into a hard line as he lowered his gaze back to his laptop, trying to force himself to work. But the document, which should have been straightforward, suddenly seemed like a jumble of incoherent nonsense. He stared at the screen for a long moment, the words blurring together until he had no idea what he was even reading.

Finally, he snapped the laptop shut and pinched the bridge of his nose, a dull throb starting behind his eyes.

So, this was her game. Getting into another man's car, right in front of him. He didn't care that she wasn't in the passenger seat. It was unacceptable. Did she think she could act this brazenly just because some other man was fawning over her?

Cedric made a mental note. Douglas Sewell would pay for this. He wouldn't confront him directly, of course. Fighting over a woman was beneath him. It was undignified. He had other, more subtle ways of settling scores.

"Sir, they've turned into Mrs. Forrest's apartment complex."

The Maybach slowed to a halt at the gates of Polaris Court. "Do we follow them in, sir?" Timothy asked.

"No." Cedric refused to chase after her. The last thing he wanted was for Liliana to think he actually cared. Still, his gaze followed the SUV as it disappeared beyond the gates, his eyes turning ice-cold.

The mention of her brother's name brought back the fresh sting of seeing her parents, Chuck and Vida, rush in and out earlier, treating her as if she were invisible. She should have expected it, but that didn't stop the familiar ache in her chest. It was the same way she knew, logically, that Cedric didn't love her, yet his cold indifference never failed to cut her to the quick. And it was the same way she knew her parents felt nothing for her, yet every time they made her feel invisible, the pain was so sharp it felt hard to breathe.

"They left you out here in the middle of nowhere? How could they not..." Juniper started, her voice tight with anger.

Before she could finish, Douglas cut in gently, "It's getting late. Why don't we find a place to eat?"

Liliana wasn't hungry. She was chilled to the bone from waiting outside. She pulled her wool coat tighter around herself. "We could just eat at my place."

"Works for me. My brother can cook," Juniper chirped, always happy to put Douglas to work like a personal chef.

"On second thought, maybe we should go out. My treat." Liliana had glanced in the rearview mirror and seen the Maybach still trailing them; that was the real reason she wanted to go home. But she couldn't stand the thought of Douglas having to cook for everyone. Juniper could boss her brother around without a second thought, but Liliana couldn't. Their relationship wasn't like that, and besides, he was her guest.

She needed an excuse. "Honestly, after two years of cooking for myself abroad, I've gotten so used to simple, home-cooked meals. I'm not really in the mood for restaurant food. Let's just go to my place."