Chapter 403: Wondered if He Was Duping Her

Paula felt a surge of gratification. "As expected of my daughter," she thought, contrasting Cassandra's priorities with Cecilia's.

Magnus snorted coldly. After Cassandra's departure, he said to Paula, "Mom, if she marries Nicholas, I'll still be the Rainsworths' brother-in-law. I've been thinking about starting a company. What do you think—"

Paula interrupted, "Focus on being the Evans family's son instead of constantly frittering money away."

Magnus exploded. "Do you think I'd tell Cecilia the truth? Neither of us would have an easy time then!"

"You wouldn't dare!" Paula retorted angrily, slamming down her glass of water.

Defeated, Magnus left home. He headed to the Royale Club, seeking solace in drink. "I want your most beautiful hostess," he demanded upon arrival.

His arrival drew immediate attention, including that of a regular patron, Zachary. Zachary discreetly had someone watch Magnus before calling Nathaniel.

"Nathaniel," he began. He'd only recently reconnected with Nathaniel, who had initially suffered from complete amnesia. Nathaniel had only begun to regain his memories in the past few days.

"What is it?" Nathaniel asked, momentarily pausing his work.

"I saw Magnus at the Royale Club. He's throwing money around, reserving the entire place," Zachary reported, still remembering Magnus's past failings. "He ruined the Smith family, the wealthiest in Tudela. How does he have money to squander now?"

Nathaniel continued typing, his expression unchanged. "No need to bother with him." He'd already warned Magnus about Cecilia. He wished to remain uninvolved.

"Alright, then," Zachary replied, somewhat disappointed. "By the way, did you really hand everything over to Nicholas?"

"For now, yes," Nathaniel confirmed.

Zachary finally relaxed, having feared Nathaniel was being manipulated due to his impaired vision. "How's Cecilia?" he asked.

At the mention of Cecilia, Nathaniel's lips curved subtly upward before he curtly replied, "None of your business," and ended the call.

Zachary stared at his phone, his spirits plummeting. "He truly prioritizes romance over friendship—" He was interrupted by a call from George. "I asked you to invite Vivian to dinner yesterday, and you didn't come back all night! Do you think I won't skin you alive?"

"She didn't want to come. Should I have kidnapped her?" Zachary snapped, hanging up. He'd been rebuffed by Vivian despite his cordial invitation to the Sinclair residence.

In a rage, Zachary instructed the manager to triple Magnus's bill, curious about the source of his sudden wealth. The manager readily complied.

That day, Nathaniel left work early, arranging for a bouquet of flowers to be delivered.

Seeing Nathaniel chauffeured around, Cecilia found it hard to believe he was drowning in debt. His return with a large, oddly prepared bouquet—with the pistils removed—only fueled her suspicion. "Here, this is for you, Ceci," he offered.

Cecilia hesitated. "Where did you get the money? Didn't we agree you'd save to pay off your debts?"

Nathaniel remained impassive. "Leftovers from my company's event. Nobody wanted them. I remembered you like flowers."

"Oh, I see," Cecilia replied, accepting the flowers. "Thank you." Then, she added, "Can I visit your company tomorrow?"