After Betrayal - I Married a Handsome Tycoon-Chapter 72: Impossible to Guard Against

Slo-an?

Moira Sloan!!

Zachary Curran wasn’t the most educated guy, but he could sound out the name from the letters just fine.

After getting a clear look at who Connor Quinn was chatting with, Zachary Curran swallowed hard. He looked uneasy for a moment before whispering his question, "Connor, is that the owner from next door?"

At the sound of his voice, Connor Quinn looked up, his gaze ice-cold. "Do you need something?"

Zachary Curran instantly shot to his feet, his answer sharp. "Nothing."

Moira Sloan had just hung up with Flora Rhodes when she received Connor Quinn’s message.

Seeing it, she narrowed her eyes and pretended she hadn’t.

They’d both been busy lately, so their paths hadn’t crossed much.

Now that Connor Quinn had taken the initiative to contact her, she suddenly realized her plan to dump him had been dragging on for far too long.

Honestly, she really regretted it now.

What had possessed her to get into this kind of relationship with Connor Quinn in the first place?

It just went to show that you shouldn’t act on impulse, and you definitely shouldn’t make decisions when you’re angry.

A single misstep can cause a lifetime of regret; the ancients certainly weren’t wrong about that.

That evening, Moira Sloan left work half an hour early to avoid Connor Quinn.

Instead of going straight home, she went to the little tavern she often frequented.

The tavern was dimly lit, and when she walked in, Leo Lawson was mixing a drink.

Seeing her, he slid a freshly mixed cocktail over. "Try my new recipe."

Moira Sloan set down her purse and sat, crossing her toned legs. The tip of her high heel bobbed gently as she asked with a smile, "Is it strong?"

Leo Lawson let out a low chuckle. "It’s decent. Nothing you can’t handle."

Moira Sloan picked up the glass, took a sip, and nodded. "Tastes pretty good."

It was sweet but not cloying, with a faint hint of jasmine.

Finished, Moira Sloan offered her praise freely. "In a small place like Everwood County, talent like yours is wasted."

Leo Lawson just smiled. "What about you?"

Moira Sloan raised an eyebrow. "What about me?"

Leo Lawson gave a faint, knowing smile, his sense of propriety perfectly tuned. He didn’t elaborate.

After finishing her drink, with something heavy on her mind, Moira Sloan propped her chin on one hand and stared absently at the shelves of liquor behind Leo Lawson.

Seeing this, Leo Lawson smoothly passed her another glass. "Something on your mind?"

Moira Sloan snapped out of her daze. She saw the drink in front of her and tapped a finger against the stem. A thought seemed to strike her, and her eyes suddenly lit up as she looked at Leo Lawson. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Leo Lawson was taken aback by her expression.

’This girl is up to no good.’

Sure enough, the next moment, Moira Sloan leaned forward, her eyes sparkling. "Boss Lawson," she said, "we’re friends, wouldn’t you say?"

Wary of giving the wrong impression, Leo Lawson subtly leaned back. "Are we?"

Moira Sloan had always been good at winning people over. Her expression turned serious, her tone firm. "Of course we are."

Leo Lawson said nothing, waiting for what came next.

Moira Sloan said with a bright smile, "How about you do me a small favor?"

Leo Lawson asked, "What kind of favor?"

Moira Sloan said, "Pretend to be my boyfriend. Not for long, just for a week."

Afraid he would refuse, she quickly mustered a warm, intimate smile.

Leo Lawson: "..."

When Moira Sloan finished and saw that Leo Lawson neither agreed nor refused, she added, "They say saving a life is the noblest of deeds, and in this case, you’d be saving a friend’s life!"

Leo Lawson didn’t respond. He lowered his head and began wiping a glass with a towel. After a moment, he glanced up at her. "It’s not out of the question."

Moira Sloan immediately understood the subtext. "What are your terms? Name them."

Leo Lawson said, "Three days. A week is too long. I’m worried you’ll actually fall for me."

Moira Sloan agreed in a heartbeat. "No problem."

When Moira Sloan left the tavern, she was in high spirits.

She didn’t know that not long after she left, Leo Lawson made a phone call.

When the call connected, a deep, stern male voice sounded from the other end. Leo Lawson scoffed. "What did you do to piss off that little firecracker of yours?"

"What happened?"

Leo Lawson said, "She asked me to be her boyfriend for a week."

Connor Quinn was standing at Moira Sloan’s front door with a bag of groceries. He lit the cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth, his voice magnetic and gravelly. "Is that so? And you agreed?"