Larkin's wife wasn't pulling any punches.
Olga's expression visibly soured.
But she knew the Byron family was still on the brink of collapse.
If Larkin and his wife pulled their investments now, the Byrons would never recover.
The problem was that Larkin and his wife were ruthless.
If they went public about the Byrons backing out of the engagement, the Byrons
could never use York's marriage as a bargaining chip again.
The Byron family's reputation in Apex would be ruined forever.
York would become a pariah in the dating pool, and their company would be
blacklisted by every potential partner.
She glanced at her husband.
Frederic was much more composed.
Instead of arguing with Mrs. James, he looked directly at Larkin.
"Larkin, our previous agreement stands. Nothing has changed."
"York just felt sorry for Cindy, which is why he let her stay in that apartment."
"We can take that property back immediately."
Frederic was far more calculating than Olga, and twice as ruthless.
Back when the Byron family and Cindy's family were still business partners, the engagement had been set in stone early on.
With the scandalous revelation regarding Cindy's true parentage, the fiancé arrangement had already been shuffled around once.
York letting Cindy crash at his place was merely a parting gift to soften the blow of a broken engagement.
The issue was that York hadn't entirely severed ties.
Cindy had constantly exploited that lingering connection, completely exhausting Tabitha's patience.
If York had handled it properly, they wouldn't be in this mess.
Initially, Tabitha had even agreed to let Cindy stay there.
Frederic's swift decision to evict the girl was undeniably ruthless.
Tabitha, however, felt zero sympathy for Cindy-she had brought it upon herself.
"That apartment was originally meant as York's weekday crash pad," Frederic continued smoothly.
"Tabitha can move in whenever she likes."
"Isn't a trial cohabitation the trend before tying the knot these days?"
"I think you two should spend some time living together. Once you've settled into a rhythm, we can make the wedding official."
Frederic was practically pushing them down the aisle, showing zero intention of canceling the engagement.
But would Tabitha's side cave so easily?
Mrs. James patted Tabitha's hand,
shooting a mocking glare at the
.n
Byron men. "You make it sound so simple, but I doubt York is willing tö hurt his precious ex."
"Otherwise, he wouldn't be playing house with a mistress."
She had been furious upon discovering the living arrangement. If this marriage was
a business transaction, York needed to play by the rules!
Instead, the boy had the audacity to string two women along.
"Mrs. James, I'm not stringing anyone along, and I certainly don't have a secret lover," York protested.
"When Cindy and I broke off the engagement, we agreed she could stay at the apartment temporarily."
"Her relationship with her family is
completely fractured. She has
nothing left, and I couldn't bring
myself to kick her while she was
down."
FindNovel.net
"I swear, absolutely nothing inappropriate is happening between Cindy and me."
York felt a suffocating wave of frustration.
Even though he still harbored some affection for Cindy, he had accepted his family's arrangement.
Tabitha had laid out her terms clearly from the start, and he had no intention of betraying her.
But Cindy had needed help, and he had occasionally thrown her a lifeline without overthinking it.
The elite social circles had twisted the narrative, spreading rumors that he was keeping a mistress and living a double life.
That gossip was exactly what had provoked Tabitha's parents.
"Whether you crossed a line or not is irrelevant, Mrs James snapped The fact remains that Cindy has been using your protection to openly antagonize Tabitha." .net