Bait for a Gentleman novel Chapter 131

Seeing those words felt like a bucket of ice water being dumped over Audrina's head.

A coworker glanced at her screen, entirely too chipper. "Ms. Monroe! Mr. Sutton is asking if you like them! Hurry up and reply. Tell him you love them, it'll definitely make his day."

Audrina shoved the card back into the arrangement and ignored the message.

She pushed the box toward the edge of her desk, forcing a polite smile. "Whoever wants them can take them."

No one noticed anything off about her tone.

The arrangement was simply too gorgeous to pass up, and eventually, the young woman at the next desk happily claimed it.

Audrina sat at her desk, staring blankly at her computer screen, entirely unable to focus.

...

In his office, Zachary wasn't stressing over Audrina's lack of a reply. He wasn't in a rush. He casually flipped his phone face down on his desk and looked up at the woman sitting across from him.

"Mom, why are you still so worked up over a necklace?"

Tamara had been fuming for days.

To make matters worse, ever since Cyrus returned, he'd been joined at Waldo's hip. Having tea with the old man one day, playing chess the next—Waldo hadn't stopped smiling since.

She was so anxious she had a blister forming on her lip. Already simmering with rage, Zachary's flippant comment made her explode.

"Do you really think this is just about some stupid piece of jewelry?" she snapped, her voice rising. "I'm doing this for you! Besides, I don't buy for a second that Audrina and Sebastian both showing up on the second floor that day was a coincidence! God knows how long they've been messing around behind our backs. The ink on your broken engagement is barely dry, and she's already climbing the social ladder! How could the Suttons have raised such an ungrateful brat? And to top it all off, Waldo still treats her like absolute gold!"

Zachary's lips twitched into a cynical smirk.

She was right. There were no coincidences.

Sebastian Hawthorne sure knew how to play the game. Using the old man to gift Audrina the necklace? That was a masterstroke—layered, subtle, and absolutely bulletproof. Audrina had guts, too, making eyes at Sebastian right under everyone's noses. Did they take him for an idiot?

That moment at the banquet had felt like an invisible slap across Zachary's face.

And the worst part was, he'd had to swallow the insult and force a smile.

Tamara leaned forward, her eyes anxious. "So what do we do now? If Audrina really has the Hawthornes backing her, are you sure you can still coax her back?"

To Tamara, Audrina was a ticking time bomb. Even though Zachary insisted she had handed over everything she had against them.

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