After Betrayal - I Married a Handsome Tycoon-Chapter 151: Quite the Double Standard

Lillian Kidd’s voice was tinged with a smile, soothing to the ear.

Sensing her good mood, Moira Sloan replied with a smile, "I’m not busy. Did you need something, Lillian?"

Lillian said, "Have your senior brothers told you about Erudite Pavilion reopening?"

At those words, Moira Sloan’s smile vanished, though her voice remained level. "Is that right? My senior brothers didn’t mention it to me."

Lillian said with a laugh, "They probably wanted to surprise you."

Moira Sloan looked at her reflection on the elevator wall, as if in a mirror, and gave a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "Perhaps."

’A surprise?’

’More like a shock.’

Lillian quickly added, "Moira, when you have some time, could you come back and help me get things organized? I don’t know much about the business and I’m afraid I’ll mess things up."

Moira Sloan replied, "I’m in Atheria right now."

’Something like this is impossible to hide.’ 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Finn Fuller was such a high-profile figure. Their collaboration was bound to be hyped into a media frenzy.

Plus, Rachel Yates was sure to fan the flames.

News of her return to Atheria would reach Lillian Kidd’s ears sooner or later.

It was better to tell the truth herself than to have someone else expose her.

This way, she could avoid creating a rift with Lillian.

As soon as Moira spoke, Lillian sounded slightly startled, then pleasantly surprised on the other end of the line. "You’re back?"

"Mhm," Moira confirmed.

Lillian asked, "Are you free for lunch, then?"

Moira didn’t have any plans for lunch at the moment, so she agreed. "Yes. I’ll come over to the house to see you."

Lillian was overjoyed. "Wonderful! I’ll expect you for lunch, then. I can make you a few Sichuan dishes I just learned."

Moira smiled in return. "Thank you, Lillian."

After hanging up with Lillian, Moira stepped out of the elevator. Her smile vanished. She opened a pinned group chat and fired off a message: Erudite Pavilion is reopening? How come I didn’t know?

After she sent the message, the other three people in the group didn’t respond right away.

About five minutes later, Rowan Churchill finally replied: Yes. In one month.

Moira: Why didn’t anyone tell me?

Rowan: Well...

Caleb: We thought you knew.

Moira: How would I have known?

Rowan: Well...

Caleb: We thought our Eldest Brother would have told you.

Moira: ??

’Are she and this Eldest Brother of theirs even close?’

’Were those two completely delusional?’

’Why would they possibly think that venomous-tongued, black-hearted, and utterly elusive Eldest Brother of theirs would be the one to tell her?’

Moira typed as she walked the few steps to her hotel room door. She calmed down, and then, realizing something, she tagged her Eldest Brother in the group chat.

@Eldest Brother, did you approve of Erudite Pavilion’s reopening?

A moment later, he surfaced: Mhm.

Moira: Have you forgotten what Master said?

Faced with Moira’s accusation, he didn’t reply.

Moira pressed her lips together, swiped her keycard, and entered her room. She then backed out of the "We Are Family" group chat and tapped into another one named "Forbes Top Three."

You two have no objections to what he’s doing?

Rowan: My words carry little weight.

Caleb: I don’t dare question him.

Moira: Why are you two such cowards?

Rowan: An ’eldest brother’ is like a father.

Caleb: I’ve already paid dearly for my youthful recklessness. You learn from your mistakes, and I have no desire to repeat them.

Reading their replies, Moira let out a laugh of pure exasperation.

Blinded by a flash of anger, she didn’t carefully analyze what was off about Caleb’s message.

After a moment, Moira exited the group chat, tapped on the profile picture for the contact saved as ’Eldest Brother,’ and sent him a direct message: I don’t agree with reopening Erudite Pavilion.

He replied instantly: Okay.

Moira: What’s that supposed to mean?

Him: It means I heard you.

Moira: So what’s your decision?

Him: In one month, Erudite Pavilion reopens.

Moira: ’...’

In her thirty years of life, it was the first time Moira had ever felt like she was texting with a thick-skinned scoundrel.

He seemed cold and distant, but he was actually just a shameless rogue.

A lump of frustration caught in Moira’s throat. She wanted to curse him out, but out of respect for their shared apprenticeship, she gritted her teeth and held back.

Regarding the reopening of Erudite Pavilion, Moira had never said it out loud, but deep down, she had been against it from the very beginning.

It wasn’t for any particular reason, other than to respect Kain Alden’s dying wish.

Kain Alden had been perfectly clear—he’d said it right up until the end. The disciples could all go off and start their own ventures, but they were absolutely forbidden from reopening Erudite Pavilion.

As she thought about this, the frustration brewing in her chest began to boil over. Just as she was about to lose her temper, the phone in her hand suddenly vibrated.

She glanced down. It was a message from Connor Quinn, with a photo attached.

Her finger slid across the screen to open it. The photo was of a fluffy, all-white puppy that looked both dopey and adorable.

Do you like it?

Moira: ?

Connor Quinn: Should I get it for you?