"By the way, I heard the Byron family broke off their engagement with Cindy."
Shirley couldn't resist sharing the gossip with Claire.
"Oh?" Although Claire had guessed the Byron family would do this, she didn't expect it to happen so fast.
"The Byron family wanted York to marry the daughter of some nouveau riche, so they called it off."
"Word is, the girl's looks are... questionable, but the Byron family is in a crisis right now, so they had no choice but to pick her."
"I heard she's totally obsessed with York. She even went to the hospital to give Cindy a hard time about it."
Claire wasn't particularly interested in this kind of drama.
York was ancient history to her.
Even when they were engaged, she hadn't felt much for him.
Not to mention they had broken it off a long time ago.
But Shirley couldn't stop talking, so Claire just listened along.
"You were right before. York really isn't worth pining over."
"Anyone with enough money can have him!"
Shirley gritted her teeth, feeling like she had wasted her feelings on him.
"Don't make him sound like a male escort."
Claire found it amusing.
Shirley thought about it for a second. Was it really that far off?
Then again, York wasn't an escort; he was just a pawn for the Byron family.
"I almost feel sorry for Cindy now."
Claire didn't know what to say.
She truly had no words.
In reality, when York took his new fiancée to the hospital, the situation wasn't exactly what Shirley had imagined.
York's new match wasn't as wealthy as Mabel's family, but her nouveau riche father doted on her endlessly.
Her father had built his fortune on pure luck rather than business acumen, a trait his daughter unfortunately shared.
Because of this, their family desperately needed a smart man to take over the empire.
If they just brought in some gold-digger, the father and daughter would likely be eaten alive.
But York was different.
Even though Frederic Byron was a ruthless mercenary, York was still a capable and decent young man.
That was exactly what Larkin valued in him.
He had asked for his daughter's opinion, and Tabitha dames thought York was handsome and
smart-qualities that would
ove
guarantee excellent heirs.
So, she willingly agreed to the arrangement.
As for York already having a fiancée, it wasn't a hard problem to solve.
As long as the Byron family was willing to break the engagement, it was fine. Larkin didn't push too hard, either.
He discussed it with Frederic Byron and asked for York's opinion.
If York was willing to break his
engagement and promised to trenet
his daughter well that was enough.. Gontent
If not, they could just walk away with no hard feelings.
Larkin wasn't going to force it.
Tabitha's only condition was that York take her with him to officially end things with Cindy.
If they were getting married, she wanted to make sure York completely severed ties with his ex.
She had no intention of dealing with a husband hung up on his past.
Initially, York had refused, but the Byron family's financial situation was dire.
The crushing responsibility his parents forced upon him left him with no way to hold his ground.
So, he met with Tabitha.
Tabitha certainly wasn't as beautiful as Cindy, let alone York's first fiancée, Claire.
In fact, Tabitha was on the curvier side.
She wasn't overly heavy, just pleasantly plump and quite cute.
They agreed it was a marriage of convenience. Tabitha frankly admitted she was only interested in his looks and intellect hoping they. could produce an heir as soon as they tied the knot.
While York didn't want to marry so soon, the choice was no longer his.
"Alright, I accept."
With their agreement settled, they headed to the hospital together.