After Betrayal - I Married a Handsome Tycoon-Chapter 102: She Lacks Confidence

When Moira Sloan woke up again, the pain in her stomach had mostly subsided.

Her pajamas had been changed, and so had her panties.

She lifted the covers to look, then stared up at the ceiling, her expression one of utter despair.

She remembered someone comforting her throughout the night, his large, warm hand rubbing her lower abdomen for most of it.

She’d only been half-asleep, not suffering from amnesia.

Though the memories came in fragments, they were still crystal clear in her mind.

It’s hard to stand your ground with someone after they’ve done you a favor.

After what happened, she suddenly felt she had even less of a leg to stand on with Connor Quinn.

Moira was moping when Flora Rhodes called.

She hit "Answer" and let out a long sigh. "Go on," she said, her voice full of woe.

Flora paused for a second at the sound of her voice. "Did someone put a hex on you?"

Moira replied, "No."

Flora said, "Then why do you sound like you’re at death’s door?"

Moira rolled over, her spirits low. Between a series of sighs, she gave Flora the gist of what had happened the previous night.

Flora clicked her tongue, her tone teasing. "So, are you moved?"

Moira feigned misunderstanding. "Not so much ’moved’ as ’petrified’."

Flora chuckled. "Wow, this guy’s got some serious game. First, he breaks down your defenses, then he slips right into your heart. He’s using a carrot-and-stick approach, satisfying you physically and psychologically at the same time. Tsk, tsk."

Moira said, "Flora, you’re sounding exactly like a certain group of people right now."

"What group?" Flora asked, confused.

Moira said, "The old gossips at the village entrance, cracking sunflower seeds and spreading rumors. With one CRUNCH, they can tear a person’s life to shreds in minutes."

Flora was a veteran when it came to relationships, the type to truly "pass through a field of flowers without a single petal clinging to her." She understood the mindset of an innocent like Moira perfectly, and her analysis was always spot-on, getting right to the heart of the matter.

"You’re feeling super guilty right now, aren’t you?"

"You can’t return his feelings, but you keep accepting his kindness."

Moira and Flora had been best friends for years, and there was nothing they couldn’t talk about. "A little," she freely admitted.

Flora said, "So, can you draw a clear line with him now?"

Moira thought for a moment, then answered honestly, "Probably not."

’That bastard Connor Quinn has too many tricks up his sleeve.’

’It’s one thing after another; I’m completely defenseless against him.’

’I hate to admit it, but it’s the truth.’

Flora said, "In that case, instead of struggling with it, why not just roll with it? Guys get bored after a while, you know. Besides, you’re not looking to date or get married right now, so just... have a little fun with him."

Moira fell silent.

「Elsewhere」

At a private club, Connor Quinn met with Rowan Churchill and Caleb Lockwood.

When the three brothers-in-craft met, Connor was smoking with a stern, cold expression. Rowan and Caleb kept their heads bowed over their tea, looking as if they wanted to bury their faces in the small, palm-sized bowls.

Connor asked, "Do you two have any questions?"

Sitting side-by-side, the two looked up and shook their heads in unison.

Watching their reaction, Connor took the cigarette from his lips and flicked the ash. "You both run your own shops and have your own apprentices now," he said, his voice detached. "No need to be so stiff around me. What would your apprentices think if they saw you like this? How would you maintain your authority?"

After he spoke, Connor put the cigarette back between his lips, exhaled a plume of smoke, and said slowly, "Ask whatever you want. We’re all from the same school, practically brothers. There’s nothing you can’t ask."

Since Connor had put it that way, Caleb was the first to crack. He was naturally curious, and now the questions came bubbling to the surface.

He put down his teacup, sat up ramrod straight, and rubbed his hands together before asking.

"Senior Brother, what’s really going on between you and Moira?"

"How did you and Moira end up together?"

"It was so late last night, and the two of you were in a room alone... that doesn’t look like a ’normal relationship’ by any stretch."

"Senior Brother..."

Caleb fired off one question after another, but Connor just watched him through narrowed eyes, a cigarette dangling from his lips, not offering a single answer.

Seeing this, Rowan kept his gaze fixed downward, trying to look as unobtrusive as possible, and gave Caleb a hard pinch on the thigh under the table.

Caleb yelped, sucking in a sharp breath. He glared at Rowan, baffled. "What was that for?"

Rowan couldn’t speak plainly, so he tried to hint cryptically, "It’s not like we’re *that* curious about what’s going on with Senior Brother and Moira. We’re just fellow apprentices, not blood-related brother and sister. It’d be perfectly normal if they started dating."

Caleb didn’t catch on. He immediately shot back, "How could that be okay? We might not be blood-related, but we’re closer than actual siblings! If one of us started dating Moira, what would people in our industry think? They’d wonder if it was a perversion of human nature or a complete moral collapse!"

When he finished, he saw that not only was Rowan not backing him up, but he was giving him a look that screamed ’I want to kill you.’ Caleb turned to Connor for validation. "I’m right, aren’t I, Senior Brother?"

Biting down on the cigarette filter, Connor asked, his voice dangerously soft, "Are you?"