From Betrayal to Brilliance Her Rise to a New Life novel Chapter 70

From Betrayal to Brilliance Her Rise to a New Life

Chapter 70 Awkward, Flirty Situation

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Finished

But seeing Athena so confident, not a trace of defeat on her face, he suddenly felt there was nothing more to say.

Athena stayed stubbornly optimistic, still strong.

“By the way, thanks again–Harriet told me you and Teri stood up for me.” Athena glanced toward Teri, who was watching TV.

During dinner, Harriet had texted Athena about the gifts Teri and Dion had brought.

Athena suspected that if Zaden hadn’t quietly arranged it, Teri wouldn’t have “accidentally” given almost the same present as Dion’s.

She lifted her bottle and, copying what Zaden had just done, tapped hers gently against his.

A slow smile touched Zaden’s mouth as he tipped back a swallow.

The angle of his face was striking, the line from temple to jaw like a sculpture; even the stray silver at his sideburns looked refined, and when his Adam’s apple bobbed, it was unexpectedly, quietly sexy.

Athena felt a heat rise to her cheeks–a little lightheaded, dizzy, the world pleasantly tilting.

Maybe she was a little tipsy.

Then, she snapped fully awake, and the next second her body froze.

Her eyes dropped to her legs, and she saw Zaden’s head resting on her lap, fast asleep. The sight was equal parts shocking and mortifying.

She didn’t dare move.

She remembered the night before: Zaden had driven her home, he and Teri had stayed to eat, she’d poured herself a celebratory drink, and he’d stayed to keep her company.

They’d opened up, talked late, the mood had loosened, and between everything she’d had more wine than she knew–then faded off.

She couldn’t believe it–she’d actually spent the whole night with Zaden’s head on her lap.

No wonder her dream of endless squats left her legs feeling like lead.

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13:17 Mon, Oct 20

Chapter 70 Awkward, Flirty Situation

It wasn’t exercise at all; it was Zaden’s skull pressing down on her thighs.

Now what?

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Wake him up?

If he opened his eyes and they caught each other’s gaze, how utterly awkward would that be?

A dozen what–ifs raced through Athena’s mind. Her body went rigid–she didn’t dare shift for fear of rousing him–but freezing in place wasn’t a solution either.

She couldn’t wait for Zaden to wake up on his own, could she? Who knew how long that would take?

Ugh… her leg was already going numb.

Exactly then, her phone vibrated. She jerked, snatched it up, and cut the call off with one smooth motion–Harriet, no doubt, checking about last night.

After she hung up, she smacked a palm to her forehead and mentally scolded herself.

What was she thinking!

Why hadn’t she let the phone wake him? That would’ve been far less embarrassing than being the one to pull him awake.

Before she could worry any more, Zaden’s eyes opened slowly.

Athena cleared her throat. “You awake?” she managed.

He rubbed his brow and pushed himself up. Relief flooded her–like dodging a bullet–but it was laced with heat: the air between them went instantly, awkwardly charged.

Zaden’s gaze landed on her, a faint tilt at the corner of his mouth. “Sorry, I drank too much last night. I hope I didn’t trouble you.”

Athena let out a little inward laugh–trouble had already happened–and forced herself to sound casual.

There was nothing she could do now.

She repeated it, anchoring herself to the words: “No, it’s fine. Really.”

A heavy silence stretched between them. Waking up like this–eyes meeting before you’ve remembered how to be polite–felt uncomfortably intimate.

Even half–awake, Zaden looked impossibly handsome–rumpled hair, a lazy air about him.

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Chapter 70 Awkward. Flirty Situation

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