Bait for a Gentleman novel Chapter 12

She turned to leave, her fingers lightly brushing against the back of Audrina's hand as she walked past, offering silent support.

The sprawling living room was now empty except for Zachary and Audrina.

Audrina walked over to the kitchen island and poured herself a cup of coffee. Zachary pulled up a stool, sat down next to her, and slowly looked her up and down.

Audrina stifled a yawn. "What are you looking at? I was exhausted last night, so I just had Willow pick me up."

"Yeah. So why did you come back to the country early?"

He hadn't found the right moment to ask her yesterday.

Audrina replied casually, "I landed an anchor position at Kingshire Financial News. I went through a few rounds of video interviews and got the job. I have to report in next week, so I flew back early."

Her undergraduate degree was in broadcasting, followed by three years of studying finance in LA.

She was already living under his roof, entirely dependent on him. The second she received the proof of Zachary's infidelity, she knew she couldn't just sit back passively playing the role of his fiancée, waiting for the day he decided to cast her aside. So, she had spent the last month securing a respectable position for herself in Kingshire. It was her safety net.

Zachary leaned back in his chair, his gaze still carrying that same detached indifference.

"Which program?"

"Financial Frontline. Prime time," Audrina said. "I report in on Monday. From now on, I'll be broadcasting live at eight every night, and I might even have to pull all-nighters after we go off the air. It's going to be so exhausting."

She tilted her head as she spoke, her voice laced with a subtle, coaxing sweetness—sounding like a complaint, but also like a plea for him to comfort her.

Zachary didn't take the bait. His face remained cold. "You chose it yourself."

Audrina smiled, letting the comment slide. She stood up, walked over to him, and picked up the coffee pot from the counter to pour him a cup.

Zachary took it without batting an eye. "How did you know I was at The Vantachi?"

"I was going to call the driver," Audrina said, casually putting the coffee pot back. "But then I saw Mr. Hearst's post on social media, and the location was tagged there. So I headed straight over after I landed."

Finally, he spoke. "My parents took him to Bayside City for a vacation. Since you're back, you're coming with me to the Sutton Group's anniversary gala right before the holidays. They'll be there too."

"Alright then," Audrina said, releasing her hold on him. "I'm going upstairs to change."

When she had poured him that coffee earlier, her hand had conveniently 'slipped' while adding the sugar. Zachary absolutely despised sweet coffee.

Audrina's lips curved into a smirk, but the moment she reached the top of the stairs, the smile vanished. She walked into the bathroom, grabbed a tissue from the vanity, and stared into the mirror as she roughly scrubbed the lips that had just touched him.

Standing before her reflection, she stared at her own face.

Three years ago, when Zachary had promised to marry her, he had sworn that he had liked her for a long time.

Thinking about it now—

Did he actually like her? Or had someone forced him to 'like' her?