Bait for a Gentleman novel Chapter 7

Out in the corridor, Sebastian made a phone call.

It rang a few times before someone picked up, immediately launching into a rant.

"You're calling me at this hour? The birthday party sucks? I told you it was weird—you haven't celebrated your birthday in over ten years, and today you just had to—"

Sebastian cut him off. "That Pagani I lost to you back then. Return it to me when you get back to the country."

"What do you mean?"

Sebastian’s thumb brushed against the corner of his mouth, wiping away a faint smudge of red. He chuckled softly.

The night breeze drifted in from the end of the hall, carrying the biting chill of deep winter, yet somehow, it felt as though it had finally blown away years of accumulated snow.

He smiled slightly and just said, "She wants to break off her engagement."

"Who?"

Sebastian didn't answer.

The line was dead silent for two seconds before exploding, "Holy shit!"

...

Back inside the room, Audrina returned to her original seat. She ignored the constant provocative glares Vera threw her way.

Vera seemed incredibly happy tonight, drinking heavily and practically gluing herself to Zachary.

Someone asked, "Where's Mr. Hawthorne?"

Someone else answered, "He went to take a call."

No one in the room suspected a thing.

It took about ten minutes before Sebastian finally walked back in.

Zachary raised his glass. "Still busy on your birthday, Sebastian?"

"Yeah, pretty busy."

Someone whispered, "What's going on? Why is Audrina acting like nothing happened? She's just going to watch Zachary take her home?"

"Who knows, maybe she's known all along. They've been doing their own thing for years; god knows what they've been doing on the side."

"Exactly. Anyone in our circle knows Vera is his true love... I still don't know what got into Zachary when he suddenly agreed to marry Audrina back then."

Monroe Industries used to be incredibly prestigious until they were caught in a brutal corporate war, shorted, and stripped of their vitality overnight. Audrina's father, Julian Monroe, was buried in debt and fell severely ill around the same time. Zachary's appearance was like a miracle. He had stood by Julian's hospital bed and sincerely declared:

"Mr. Monroe, I've had feelings for Audrina for a long time."

"I can't bear to watch her carry this burden alone."

"I want to marry her. I'll take care of the Monroe family's mess."

Back then, the Monroe father and daughter had no other choice.

At first, Audrina truly believed there was some real weight to Zachary's claim that he had "had feelings for her for a long time," to the point where he'd agree to marry her right as her family went bankrupt.

But in reality, during her three years in the US, to Zachary's social circle, she was nothing more than a charity case—the yet-to-be-wed granddaughter-in-law of the Sutton family clinging to their goodwill.