The Bride He Took For Granted novel Chapter 51

The Bride He Took for Granted

Chapter 51

At noon, Elise was so exhausted that she took a short nap at her desk.

Near the end of the workday, Sharon texted her.

[Landon is here. Come home right away!]

Elise’s heart lurched.

Is he really calling off the engagement?

She hoped he was.

What worried her was Leonard. She wouldn’t put it past him to make some kind of arrangement with Landon without even asking her.

After letting the manager know, Elise left work half an hour early.

As she waited by the curb for her cab, she spotted Harold’s car.

He seemed to be in a hurry. The car sped through a red light and disappeared down the street.

Her phone suddenly buzzed inside her bag, making her jump.

1/8

! 13:05

Chapter 51

Once she was inside, she answered Chloe’s call.

“Baby, I’m back! Any chance you can cook for me tonight?”

“I probably can’t. I have to go back to the White Manor.”

Chloe immediately went on alert.

“What? That place is a living hell. Why are you going back?”

“Landon’s there. I’m worried they might make some kind of deal behind my back.”

Elise sounded calm, but her heart was racing.

“Go deal with that first. I’ll head over to your place.”

“Okay.”

Elise immediately felt a little safer.

When she arrived at the White Manor, the first thing she did was check the cars parked outside.

If Landon had really come to call off the engagement, she expected to see people from the Carter family with him.

But the only car there was the Bentley Landon usually drove.

2/8

13:06

Chapter 51

Elise’s heart sank.

When she walked into the living room, Leonard and Sharon were sitting with Landon, drinking coffee and talking.

There were no engagement papers on the table.

Only several expensive gifts.

Landon hadn’t come to call anything off.

If anything, he looked like he was paying a polite visit to his elders.

Landon glanced calmly at Elise.

That morning, she had dared him to call off the engagement. Yet now that he had actually shown up hore, her face had gone pale.

Of course she’s nervous.

Leonard was pouring himself a cup of coffee when Clara announced that Elise was back.

He didn’t even look up.

The sight of her irritated him now.

Bøgfourteen years, he had spared no expense on her lucation6

Chapter 51

And after all that, she had still lost to an ordinary college girl.

That alone had been humiliating enòugh.

Then Elise had caused a scene at the wedding, embarrassed him in front of everyone, and dealt a serious blow to the family’s business.

Lately, people had been laughing at him behind his back everywhere he went.

His blood pressure had shot up more than once.

Sharon looked at Elise.

“Wash your hands and come sit down.”

Clara had already brought over a warm towel for her.

Elise had no intention of leaving before Landon did. She needed to make sure no one was making decisions about her behind her back.

She wiped her hands and walked over, deliberately leaving an empty seat between herself and Landon.

Leonard turned to Landon with the warm concern of an

attentive elder.

4/8

13:06

< Chapter 51

“How’s work been?”

“Pretty well,” Landon said. “Elise and I are working on a project worth several hundred million.”

As he spoke, he moved over to the empty seat beside her and suddenly took her hand.

Her fingers were cool and soft against his palm.

It had been so long since he’d held her hand that, for a moment, he didn’t want to let go.

Elise immediately pulled away.

Under the table, she discreetly wiped her hand against her clothes before reaching for her cup.

She had half a mind to throw the hot coffee in his face,

But she knew she would be the one dealing with the fallout, so she forced herself to let it go.

Later, over dinner, Leonard casually mentioned that the cost of raw materials for the furniture business had gone up by twenty

percent.

Their previous supplier had ties to one of Victor’s business associates.

13:06

<Chapter 51

Victor had never openly told anyone to take sides, but it was obvious he was unhappy with the White family. And even though Landon had been the one in the wrong, no one wanted to risk offending the Carters just to help the Whites.

Their suppliers had started making life difficult for them.

Landon understood exactly what Leonard was getting at.

He glanced at Elise with a knowing smile.

Elise knew that look.

It was pure mockery-the smug certainty that, one way or another, her family would still have to come begging to his.

“I’ll bring it up with my father when I get home,” Landon said.

Leonard’s face immediately brightened.

“That would be great. Here, have some more.”

Elise looked up at Landon and gave him a faint smile.

“Mr. White is the one asking you for a favor, Mr. Carter. And Dora is the one who’ll eventually benefit from the company.”

She took a calm sip from her cup.

6/8

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify