She's Too Busy Winning to Watch Him Cry novel Chapter 477

Back in the private dining room, the nightmare was far from over.

Caleb practically dumped her into a chair and then dropped into a crouch to slide her boots back onto her freezing feet. Lyra felt a spike of suspicion—since when was her brother this fiercely protective?

"Caleb..." Lyra instinctively recoiled, pulling her foot back. But as she looked down, the air completely left her lungs.

It wasn't Caleb. It was Rowan.

"What are you doing?!"

The remaining color drained from Lyra's face as she let out a strangled gasp.

She jerked her head up and saw Caleb, Maddie, and Leo standing off to the side, looking like their eyes were about to pop out of their skulls.

A flush of utter humiliation burned her cheeks. She snatched the boot from Rowan's grip and scrambled to put it on herself.

Breaking the paralyzing tension, Caleb let out an awkward chuckle and bee-lined for the table. He figured that watching his sister suffer a psychotic break and sprint barefoot down the street was humiliating, but watching the ruthless Rowan drop to one knee to play Prince Charming was genuinely terrifying.

"Why didn't you carry me?" Lyra hissed at Caleb as she slid into the chair beside him, wanting to curse him out for leaving her to the wolves while she was sobbing hysterically.

"How was I supposed to get past him?" Caleb shot back defensively.

She had been buried so deep in Rowan's chest, sobbing her eyes out. Was Caleb supposed to physically wrestle her away from a billionaire with a god complex?

The siblings bickered in frantic whispers before finally shutting up.

The waitstaff nervously filed into the room, balancing trays of exquisite dishes. Despite the gorgeous, elite crowd sitting around the table, the atmosphere was suffocatingly dead. The booming laughter bleeding through the walls from the neighboring room only made the silence here feel more oppressive.

Lyra intentionally glued herself to Caleb's side and dragged Maddie into the seat on her right. Once she secured her barricade, she bolted to the restroom to splash freezing water on her face.

By the time she returned, Caleb had recovered his corporate composure and was casually discussing the legal dispute with Rowan.

The second Lyra walked through the door, Rowan's predatory gaze locked onto her, and Caleb instantly shut his mouth.

Throughout the excruciating dinner, Rowan didn't initiate a single conversation. It was obvious a violent storm was brewing behind his eyes.

The moment the check was cleared, Lyra jumped up to follow her brother out the door. Instantly, a heavy hand clamped around her wrist like a vice.

"You guys go ahead. I need a word with her."

Lyra yanked her arm, her voice dripping with hostility. "I have absolutely nothing to say to you."

"Did you forget the promise you made to me?" Rowan's voice was a lethal whisper.

The threat paralyzed her. The memory of throwing herself at a total stranger on the street flashed through her mind. She stammered, "I just..."

Caleb took one look at the situation, patted Lyra on the shoulder, and bolted. Leo, terrified of catching a stray bullet in this war, grabbed Maddie's arm and dragged her out of the room.

In seconds, the private room was empty, leaving Lyra entirely at his mercy.