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Kaia looked up. She’d been expecting Tobias to ask, so she was ready. “I know someone at Dr. Bennett’s lab.”
“Who? To find out this early, they’d have to be pretty important there,” Tobias pressed.
“Yes, you’re right. But I can’t tell you who,” Kaia replied.
Tobias narrowed his eyes. “I remember you saying the Moreno Group could use the new nanomaterial if I wanted to work together. You made it sound like you were calling the shots.”
Kaia stayed quiet. She didn’t want to argue.
Tobias let out a cold laugh. “Russell said you like to brag, and I heard your family’s not too fond of you because you lie a lot.
“I don’t think you could pull this off. You just knew Dr. Bennett would be open to working with us, so you ran your mouth.”
“Think whatever you want,” Kaia said flatly.
Her attitude started to get on his nerves. “So you’re admitting it, huh?” he asked.
Kaia frowned, clearly impatient. “And what if I am? Or if I’m not? When we first met, you said it was none of your business. Why are you grilling me now? Did I accidentally catch your interest?”
“You have quite an imagination,” Tobias said, rolling his eyes.
“Good. I told you–you’re not my type. It’d be a pain if you suddenly decided said.
Tobias didn’t reply, and they both went quiet after that.
you
liked me.” Kaia
A moment later, Kaia got a text from Owen. [Queen K, done with your stuff yet? King T is asking when you’ll play chess with him.]
Kaia typed back: [The day after tomorrow.]
She was getting engaged to Tobias tomorrow, so she was busy.
Owen replied: [Got it. I’ll tell him.
Right after, Tobias’s phone buzzed. [Queen K set the time for the day after tomorrow.]
Tobias’s mood instantly lifted, and he actually smiled.
Kaia glanced up and caught his reflection in the mirror. It surprised her–she hadn’t thought he
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could look that happy. And he actually looked pretty good when he smiled.
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When Kaia arrived at the Moreno family’s house, she saw Caden waiting nervously at the door.
He immediately ran up to Kaia and shoved her out the door. “Hurry and leave! My mom’s back, and she’s looking for trouble.”
“Looking for trouble? I don’t even know your mom. Why would she have a problem with me?” Kaia asked, puzzled.
“Because she doesn’t approve of you marrying Tobias. She’s stubborn–so stubborn even my grandpa might not be able to stop her. She came back from abroad just to chase you off,” Caden said, looking worried.
That reminded Kaia of something Owen had told her about the Moreno family and Tobias’s
mother.
Gemma Moreno, Tobias’s mother, was a tough woman who’d never bowed to the powerful Moreno family.
Five years ago, she’d beaten up her own husband, Ryan, before leaving the country.
Just as Kaia was thinking about that, a woman stepped out of the house. “So you’re Kaia, right? Pretty face, yeah. But marrying someone you barely know, huh? This marriage is a joke. I’m not on board.”
Kaia sized her up. She was striking–far more imposing than she’d expected Tobias’s mother to be.
“Cat got your tongue, or are you just refusing to back out?” Gemma asked coldly. “I don’t care who you are–stop clinging to Tobias. I’m giving you one day to call off the engagement, get out of this city, and never show your face to him again.”
Kaia stayed calm. “I’m not saying anything because I actually agree with you. This marriage is ridiculous. Tobias and I don’t have feelings for each other, and I’m not interested in marrying him.
“But I owe Mr. Keaton Moreno my life, so I agreed to meet Tobias. If you want to call it off, talk to Mr. Keaton Moreno. As for telling me to leave, that’s not your call.
“You talk big. But can you swear you have zero interest in Tobias? If you dare, make a real promise,” Gemma said, looking down at her like a queen addressing a servant.
“Do you think everyone in the world is into him?” Kaia snapped, her eyes cold. “And who are you to make me promise anything?”
Then she shot Tobias a cold look. “If you really want proof that I’m not after him, I can teach him a lesson and make sure he can’t be with any woman or have kids. That way, you won’t have to worry.
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Chapter 16
He wouldn’t even be a real man anymore.”
Tobias’s eyes narrowed, his expression turning icy.
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“You’ve got a sharp tongue. No wonder they say you’re trouble. No matter what, I’ll stop this marriage myself,” Gemma said.
“It doesn’t matter who tries to stop it. They’re getting engaged tomorrow,” Keaton said, walking out with his cane.
“Keaton, you’ve lost your mind. Letting a woman like her marry my son, huh? Are you trying to ruin him?” Gemma said, still glaring at Kaia.
Keaton turned to his second son, his voice shaking with anger. “Ryan, look at your wife. Can’t you control her?”
Ryan ducked his head. “Dad, if I could control her, she wouldn’t have left for five years.”
“You’re useless. How did I raise such a coward?” Keaton snapped.
Ryan looked helpless. “Dad, it’s not just me. Isn’t being scared of your wife a Moreno family tradition? Don’t yell at me–when Mom was alive, you apologized to her all the time too.”
“I-” Keaton’s face flushed red. He was speechless for a moment before raising his cane. “You’re useless. Your brother’s way better than you.”
‘Not really,” Ryan said. “I saw him sleeping at the office the other day because his wife kicked him
out.”
Keaton had no comeback for that. He almost fainted from anger.
After a pause, he glared at Gemma. “I’ve made up my mind. You can’t stop it. That’s final. I’m not feeling well, so I’m going upstairs to rest.”
With that, he quickly headed up.
“Always faking sickness,” Gemma muttered. She was used to his act.
Turning back to Kaia, her expression hardened. “I’m warning you–if you show up tomorrow, you’ll
regret it.”
Kaia didn’t flinch. “Whether I show up or not is my choice. You don’t get to decide, and you don’t
scare me.”
Gemma’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Is that so?”
Kaia raised an eyebrow and smiled, looking completely unfazed.
Gemma let out a sharp snort. “You’ve got guts. We’ll see what happens.”
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Chapter 16
“Whatever,” Kaia said, just as indifferent.
Watching them go at it, Tobias felt a headache coming on.
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The next morning, Kaia had barely stepped out of her room when Gemma and a group of people blocked her path.
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