After Betrayal - I Married a Handsome Tycoon-Chapter 86: The Beauty Landlady and the Tenant
Moira Sloan looked up after four rounds of a tile-matching game and met Connor Quinn’s deep, intense gaze.
But it was late, and with the swirling smoke, she couldn’t see him very clearly.
Moira raised an eyebrow. "Finished moving?"
Connor Quinn crushed the cigarette between his fingers and replied in a low voice, "Yeah."
Moira glanced behind him. "That’s it?"
Connor said, "I’ll move out as soon as the renovations on my other apartment are finished. I won’t be staying long."
Moira’s slender fingertip, resting on her phone screen, tapped it. "Oh."
’Who’s he in such a hurry to distance himself from?’
A little caricature of Connor popped into Moira’s mind, mimicking him in a perfectly passive-aggressive tone: ’I’ll move out as soon as my other apartment is finished. I won’t be staying long, blah, blah, blah...’
Neither of them spoke on the way back to the apartment complex.
Moira’s mind was on other things. The competition Rachel Yates was entering was fast approaching.
She’d heard that the Jennings Family had just put Rachel Yates in her place, so now Rachel was counting on this competition to win back some dignity.
’Win back some dignity?’
’We’ll see if she has what it takes.’
What goes around, comes around. Heaven spares no one.
Those who humiliate others will themselves be humiliated. It’s a boomerang; when you set out to do evil, you’d better be prepared for the day it comes back to bite you.
’What was that saying again?’
’Oh, right. Everything in the world is a joke, until it happens to you.’
Until the knife is twisting in her own gut, she’ll never feel the pain. Until the slap lands on her own cheek, she’ll never experience that rush of ’speed and passion.’
When the car reached the complex, Moira directed Connor where to park.
It was an old complex with no assigned parking spots. As long as you weren’t blocking pedestrians or other cars, you could park wherever you found a space.
Once the car was parked, Connor went to get his things from the back seat while Moira stood a few feet away, watching him.
She watched him lean over, his back arching, stretching the fabric of his black short-sleeved shirt.
Broad shoulders, trim waist.
His masculine charm revealed itself in that unguarded moment.
Moira’s eyes narrowed instinctively as she suddenly realized something.
There was a reason Shauna Duane was so infatuated with Connor Quinn.
A man like Connor possessed an indescribable grit.
He wasn’t like those elite city men—impeccably dressed in suits, cultured and polite. They were nice to look at, but ultimately had no substance.
’How to put it?’
In short, he had a raw, thrilling masculinity that radiated from his very core. Whether he was your type or not, he could catch you in an unguarded moment and leave you flustered.
By the time Connor turned back, Moira had already averted her gaze and was looking at her phone.
Five minutes earlier, Flora Rhodes had sent her a message: "You’re really coming to Rachel’s competition? If you are, I can get you a ticket."
Moira typed back: "I’m really going."
Flora: "You really can’t judge a book by its cover. Who would’ve thought she’d hook up with Shane Jennings? Honestly, if the three of us looked in a mirror, you or I could be the other woman, but never her. She looks so pure."
Moira: "The dogs that bite don’t bark."
’And a thief won’t have the word ’thief’ written on her face.’
After texting Flora, Moira lifted her gaze to Connor.
Seeing that he had gathered all his things, she turned and walked ahead to lead the way.
She had led him just like this once before—their first time together.
But now, things were different, and her feelings were completely different too.
From friends with benefits to beautiful landlady and tenant... Moira was only now beginning to sense the ambiguous undertones of their new arrangement.
Tsk.
’Sure enough, once two adults have done *that*, there’s no such thing as clean boundaries unless they cut off all contact for life.’
They took the elevator upstairs. As soon as they were inside, Moira found the spare key and tossed a copy to Connor.
She then leaned her slim waist against the entryway cabinet, watching him change his shoes. With her arms crossed, she said lazily, "Seven hundred a month, due on the first. You pay for as long as you stay. If it’s less than a full month, I’ll charge you the daily rate."
Connor said, "Okay."
Moira added, "Don’t let anyone know you’re living here."
’Especially not Shauna Duane.’
Connor, half-squatting, straightened the high heels she had just kicked off haphazardly. "Don’t worry," he replied in a low voice.
Moira watched him, and a faint tingle went through her heart.
But the odd feeling was so faint it was negligible.
When Connor said he would take care of all the housework, he meant it.
After coming inside, Moira sat on the sofa for a bit before going to take a shower. While she was gone, he went downstairs to buy groceries.
By the time Moira came out of the bathroom, he already had two dishes and a soup on the table. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦
They were simple, home-cooked dishes, but the presentation was stunning.
Moira’s eyes lit up, and she walked over to the dining table and sat down.
She was starving after spending the whole day at the hospital. It wasn’t that the hospital didn’t have food, but she was a picky eater, and nine times out of ten, she didn’t like takeout.
After dinner, Moira went to dry her hair while Connor cleaned up the kitchen.
Just as she reached her bedroom door, the phone in her hand vibrated.
She lowered her gaze. A message had popped up on the screen: "Moira, when are you free? I’ll arrange for you to meet your senior apprentice."
