She's Too Busy Winning to Watch Him Cry novel Chapter 516

Lyra hadn't expected Frederick to be a lawyer. "That's great," she said mildly.

Mrs. Whittaker prepped the ingredients, and Lyra quickly cooked up a plate of spicy stir-fried beef before handing the kitchen back to the staff. "Mom, I need to go ask Mr. Parker something."

"Go right ahead," Delilah encouraged, thrilled at the prospect.

Caleb was chatting with Frederick when Lyra approached. "Caleb, can I steal Mr. Parker for a moment?"

"What's there to talk about? Dinner is almost ready," Caleb protested.

Delilah, carrying a fruit platter out of the kitchen, quickly intervened with a knowing smile. "Let them talk! Caleb, go get the baby, it's time to eat."

Taking the opening, Lyra led Frederick out to the back patio.

But once they were alone, she didn't quite know how to start.

The evening breeze was cool. Frederick studied her face, taking in the deep crease between her brows. "Every time I've seen you lately, you look like you're carrying the weight of the world."

"I saw the news. Rowan secured that eighty billion for you. Why don't you look happy?"

"That's exactly why I'm not happy. He's using it as leverage to force me into having a baby with him," Lyra admitted, giving him a brief rundown of the situation.

Frederick looked genuinely surprised. "Don't you see how perfectly he's played this?"

"He's undeniably brilliant. He's betting everything on your conscience."

He paused, dissecting the trap for her. "Think about it. As long as he gets you pregnant, he has the perfect excuse to marry you. Once he has a wife and a kid, and you secure that land—even if it's considered your premarital asset—someone with his resources can easily turn it into marital property. For him, this is a move that costs him nothing but gains him everything."

Frederick's tone was calm and analytical. "He was going to have to spend that eighty billion to acquire the land anyway. But by doing it this way, he not only gets the land, but he also locks you down. He scores a wife and a child out of thin air."

Caleb, however, was far too easygoing. "You're already here. Just pull up a chair, it's just an extra plate."

Delilah's face darkened instantly. She shot Caleb a lethal glare, vehemently opposed to the idea.

She was already desperate to keep Lyra far away from Rowan, and seeing what a catch Frederick was had only cemented her resolve.

Rowan's dark eyes swept over Lyra's soft profile, then dragged over to Frederick. His jaw clenched, his lips pressing into a hard, unforgiving line. Without a word, he strode directly to the dining table.

Delilah's expression soured further.

The group eventually moved to take their seats.

Delilah practically orchestrated the seating arrangement, making sure Lyra was seated right next to Frederick on one side of the table, putting as much physical distance as possible between her and Rowan, who sat isolated at the far end.