After Betrayal - I Married a Handsome Tycoon-Chapter 78: He Clears His Name

Connor Quinn sent the message, and Leo Lawson replied instantly.

[No one’s going to wait for you. You have to make your own success.]

Seeing the message, Connor’s eyes darkened, his expression unreadable.

At noon, Leo Lawson drove over to pick up Moira Sloan. He was in a new BMW X5, which was a pretty flashy ride for Everwood County.

Moira Sloan, in a long dress and with her makeup done perfectly, looked quite the pair standing next to Leo Lawson. You had to admit, they made a handsome couple.

Zachary Curran was the first to spot them. He’d spent the entire morning tattooing a single name and was standing in the doorway stretching his stiff body when he saw Moira Sloan get into Leo’s car, a gentle smile on her face.

Ever the gentleman, Leo held a hand over the car’s roof to shield her head as she got in.

As if terrified she might bump her head.

Their eyes met, the air thick with unspoken attraction.

Zachary Curran, "!!"

Zachary stared, dumbfounded. Before he could process the scene in front of him, he saw Connor—who had just finished his work—walking toward the glass door from inside, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

Seeing this, Zachary quickly turned and threw out an arm to stop him.

Connor, not understanding, raised an eyebrow. "Hm?"

Zachary swallowed nervously. "Connor, I need to talk to you about something."

The cigarette in the corner of Connor’s mouth wasn’t lit, and he bit down, flattening the filter. "Say it."

Zachary said, "Let’s talk upstairs."

Zachary was a terrible liar. He had a tell—his ears turned red whenever he lied.

Connor stared at him for a few seconds before something clicked. He shoved him aside with one large hand and looked coldly out through the glass door.

His gaze landed just in time to see Leo close the passenger-side door and turn around.

The two men’s eyes met. A smile played on Leo’s thin lips. Connor narrowed his eyes.

Standing behind Connor, Zachary stammered, "Connor... so the boss lady and Lawson are together now, huh?"

Connor bit down on the cigarette. He never smoked in the shop, but now he lowered his head to light it. With unnerving calm, he said, "Later, order a bouquet of white chrysanthemums for Lawson. Send it to his little bistro."

Zachary, "..."

Connor added, "Nine hundred and ninety-nine of them. Don’t spare the expense."

Zachary, "..."

Meanwhile, Moira sat in Leo’s car, and they chatted all the way like old friends. They ended up having lunch at a small, private restaurant.

Halfway through their meal, Moira’s phone, which was sitting on the table, suddenly rang.

She glanced at it, and her brows knitted together when she saw the caller ID.

It was her aunt.

’A debt-collecting ghoul.’

Moira grabbed a napkin to wipe her mouth. She couldn’t very well answer it in front of Leo; she was worried her aunt’s colorful language would ruin his appetite.

"I’m going to step outside to take this call."

Leo said, "Go right ahead."

A moment later, Moira stepped outside with her phone. The second her finger swiped to accept the call, the shrill voice of a middle-aged woman, like that of a common shrew, erupted from the receiver.

"You worthless girl! Your grandmother is in the hospital, and you’re still out gallivanting all day and night?"

"I told you before, we would’ve been better off raising a dog than you! You ungrateful wretch!"

"Don’t think you can just wash your hands of everything just because your boyfriend is at the hospital taking care of Grandma. I’m telling you, the hospital just notified us that the admission fee is due. We can’t get ahold of your boyfriend, so you come pay it. Five thousand."

The woman rattled off the words like a machine gun. Before Moira could even react, the woman had already hung up with a sharp CLICK.

Moira frowned but didn’t call back. She went inside, told Leo she had to leave, paid the bill by scanning the code, and hailed a cab to the hospital.

Leo offered to drive her, but she turned him down.

’They were just ordinary friends; she needed to be careful about boundaries. Especially after learning her lesson with Connor.’

Everwood County wasn’t large; the hospital was just over ten minutes away.

Moira got out of the taxi. She had just entered the hospital and was about to call Jean Hale to ask for her room number when she heard her aunt’s sharp, caustically shrill voice from behind.

"I just tried calling you forever, why didn’t you pick up?"

"Five thousand."

"That damn girl... can’t even find herself a rich boyfriend. Has to go and find someone dirt poor like you."

Moira spun around at the sound of the voice. When she saw who was standing with her aunt, her brows flew up and her face instantly darkened.

—It was Connor Quinn.