His Heart Knew Before He Did novel Chapter 9

Hearing that, Fiona's superiority complex exploded.

She looked Xavier up and down again, a mocking, snobbish smirk curling onto her harsh face.

"Lydia, guess you didn't do so hot in the city after all! You're really stooping to date a small-town nobody? You must be desperate."

Lydia remained silent, completely unfazed.

Fiona pressed harder. "You've always been so arrogant! If you couldn't make it in the city, you should've called me. We grew up together. I could have had Arthur find you a basic job!"

Lydia continued to ignore her, calmly watching the pathetic performance.

Fiona's patience snapped. "Are you mute?"

Lydia finally spoke, her tone dismissive and cool. "I don't waste breath on garbage."

Fiona's face darkened, ready to scream, but Arthur patted her shoulder, silently warning her to drop it.

Embarrassed but compliant, Fiona swallowed her rage.

A moment later, she crossed her arms and lifted her chin in triumph. "Lydia, Arthur and I came back early. There's no room for you in the house. Go sleep in a motel tonight. My mom already packed your bags, so go grab them."

With that, Fiona strutted past her, her nose in the air.

She even purposely rammed her shoulder into Lydia's as she walked by.

"Oh, want a ride?" Fiona suddenly stopped and pointed to a Mercedes parked nearby, deliberately flashing a massive gold bracelet.

"We drove back this year. We're about to take a cruise around town after dinner. You can hop in, we'll drop you at a motel."

Lydia glanced at the car. "Nice ride."

Fiona tucked her hair behind her ear, practically vibrating with smugness. "Arthur bought it for me. It's just a basic Mercedes, only a few dozen grand."

Lydia smiled, her voice laced with sharp irony. "Government work must pay incredibly well for him to just casually drop that kind of cash."

Catching the dangerous implication, Arthur didn't let Fiona respond. He grabbed her arm and dragged her away.

With the silence restored, Lydia finally noticed the burning stare fixed on her.

She met Xavier's eyes. His gaze was pitch-black and unreadable, pulling her into an endless void.

He suddenly smirked. "You've got a sharp tongue."

Lydia's tone was flat. "I'm too old to hold my tongue and let people walk all over me."

Lydia was too mentally drained to fight him.

She had zero energy left.

So she just got in his car.

When they reached the motel, Xavier carried her bag to the room and left without another word.

Opening her suitcase, Lydia noticed an envelope tucked inside.

It held a messy stack of cash, roughly three hundred dollars.

Gripping the envelope, a lump formed in her throat.

Her uncle Gerald definitely sneaked the money in.

Growing up, Gerald always slipped her cash behind Audrey's back.

It was never much, but it was every cent he managed to scrape together from his own hidden savings.

When she was just three, her father died in a construction accident. Her mother took the settlement money and her brother, abandoning Lydia at an orphanage before vanishing completely.