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Chapter 292
Chapter 292
Spring was in full bloom, with the scent of flowers growing more intense each day, and daylight stretching longer into the evenings.
Leanne clocked out early, and Joy and Selina were once again crashing at her place for
dinner.
Joy arrived with a heavy nasal voice, immediately looking for a thermometer: “Let’s see if my fever’s gone down.” Material © NôvelDrama.Org.
Leanne saw her grabbing the ear thermometer and was about to stop her, but Joy had already taken her temperature.
“Holy mackerel! 108 degrees! Am I gonna kick the bucket?”
Leanne quickly took the thermometer, replacing it with a new one she’d purchased, “This
one’s busted.”
After retaking her temperature, it read 101.3 degrees. Joy clutched her chest, shaken: “What the heck is up with this thermometer? Almost gave me a heart attack.”
“She’s got the flu, too,” Selina sighed, shaking her head. “The three musketeers of Stonebridge, all down for the count.”
“Did I get you sick?” Guilt washed over Leanne.
Joy was evasive, avoiding eye contact. “I’m fine…”
Leanne understood.
Selina, still batting her mascara-thick lashes, got distracted by a pastry Leanne handed her: “Drop it, let’s just eat.”
After dinner, Leanne settled on the sofa to skim through some newly published academic papers. Joy, feeling under the weather, groaned while resting on her leg, and Selina was busy stirring up chats on various social media groups.
Suddenly, Selina frowned, “What’s this?”
“What happened?” Leanne asked.
Selina passed her phone over. “This news piece my friend shared. The Richardson and the Wright families were seen dining at the Fulton Mansion, talking marriage deals.”
Joy’s head jerked up. “What?!”
What was being passed as news was actually tabloid gossip. Somehow, paparazzi had snapped photos from an angle that caught everyone off guard.
In the luxury dining room, Suzan and her parents were clearly visible, while from the
Richardson side, only Jennifer appeared in the shot.
The article claimed with certainty that the Wrights intended to marry their eldest daughter to Curtis Richardson, a top bachelor of Stonebridge, rumored to have divorced his previous wife. The relation between the two families was described as long-standing and friendly, making this marriage a perfect match.
The photo did show both parties seemingly enjoying a cheerful conversation.
Leanne glanced at the photo briefly before returning her focus to her reading material.
The other two were visibly agitated.
“Didn’t Curtis confess his feeling to you and said that he only ever loved you? How come he’s discussing marriage with Suzan now?”
“It’s probably not his idea,” Leanne said.
If he wanted to marry Suzan, why bother tampering with thermometers and haunting her with his presence?
“You’ve been bamboozled. That’s what femme fatales do, enchanting people.” Joy commented, “But no worries, I’ve got a keen eye for jerks. Thinks he can play both sides without getting caught!”
Leanne just sighed.
Right then, her phone pinged with a message.
Caleb texted: [Good evening]
Lately, Caleb had been dropping casual greetings now and then.
It couldn’t exactly be called harassment since he never sent anything beyond simple
salutations.
Just yesterday, Leanne had posted a new dish on her social media, and he’d even liked it.
But when she checked again, he’d unliked it.
All in all, it was rather peculiar.
That weekend, Leanne had made plans to visit Mary, who had been incessantly asking about her. Given her advanced age and weaker immune system, coupled with Leanne’s
recent brush with the flu, she opted to wait fourteen days to ensure she wasn’t
contagious before visiting.
She took a cab to the Richardson estate, arriving at the same time as a Rolls-Royce
Phantom
Unaware that Curtis had switched cars after his last accident, she assumed it belonged to Maddox or Phillip