My Unchosen Ex Chases Reborn Me (Soren and Fiona) novel Chapter 186

Chapter 186 Hidden Leverage

Chapter 186 Hidden Leverage

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All told, it was a bargain that granted both sides a share of the spoils. Fiona understood that Soren possessed any number of stratagems to settle Junbert.

He had chosen this one because it allowed her a taste of triumph and demanded not a single sacrifice from him.

Yet the thought tilted sideways in her mind.

If, one day, Soren chose to move against Vincent, he could do so just as bloodlessly–letting her brother drink the bitter draught alone while he remained untouched.

The notion left her momentarily adrift, her gaze unfocused on the embroidery hoop resting in her lap.

A few days later, a court official rose during morning assembly and named Zachary Niven. Junbert, he declared, had only just begun to improve under its present governor; the man should remain until the work was complete.

Emperor Aldric accepted the suggestion with the faintest nod–yet bestowed not a single new title or reward.

In court language, silence where praise ought to be was punishment in disguise.

Every palace and manor in Jexburgh took the hint. Deference toward the Niven family grew cool, polite, cautious.

Once, a girl of Fiona’s talent and beauty would have had suitors lined like lanterns. Now those same families held back, content to watch from a safe distance–just as they had when Roxanne had dominated every conversation.

Inside the Zonfrillo Estate, however, not a ripple stirred.

Long before the rumors finished circling the city, Meryl received a letter sealed with her husband’s hand. The truth, tucked between routine greetings, soothed her at once.

During Xavier’s last private audience, the Emperor had already named Zachary a man of merit. To retract that verdict now would be to bruise his own imperial face.

The chill posture the throne presently adopted was no more than a shield against schemers who might read too deeply.

Meryl shared the real story with Hannah, whose years left no room for needless worry. The

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Chapter 186 Hidden Leverage

entire second branch wore easy expressions.

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Only one consequence remained–her son and daughter would likely lose yet another year before marriage negotiations could resume. Annoying, yes, but hardly fatal.

Meryl could do nothing except breathe through the impatience knotting her chest.

Fiona reached over and brushed a stray thread from her mother’s sleeve. “Please, don’t trouble your heart. If I can remain beside you for another two years, that alone is a gift worth treasuring.”

Meryl let out a slow sigh that fluttered the candle’s flame. “Of course I am happy to keep you close, but you know how the city spins its tales. I worry what stories they will stitch around

your name.”

Fiona let a quiet laugh escape, light but unyielding. “Let them gossip if it amuses them. When Father returns to Jexburgh promoted, their tongues will tangle. Besides, the rumors save me the trouble of entertaining suitors who lack real sincerity.”

The truth was, Meryl had never thought highly of those other young men. In her mind, there existed only one suitable choice–Xavier Luthor–and every other name paled beside his.

Yet with society’s gaze sliding away from the Niven family, she feared dragging Xavier’s reputation into turbulence. Good things, she reminded herself, required patience.

The main branch kept its discontent folded inside courteous smiles; only in the privacy of a mother–daughter visit did Joanna dare let the subject surface.

Joanna lowered her voice as she took her daughter’s hand.

“I just wonder whether the second branch’s troubles will spill over and stain the main branch as well,” she murmured, resentment flickering beneath the courteous tone.

Her son had only just earned his new post; now it too might be dragged into the eddy.

Rita let her mother’s words drift past like distant bells. Her whole attention wrapped around the infant cradled against her chest, warm and trusting.

She bounced him in an easy rhythm, brushed her lips across the downy crown, and coaxed a small, gummy smile every time her finger tickled his cheek.

“We once believed that Fiona’s match with the Luthor family was all but sealed,” Joanna sighed, adjusting the emerald ring that never left her finger. “Now I am not so sure. If she could join the Wagner family instead and lend you some strength, that would hardly be the worst

outcome.”

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Chapter 186 Hidden Leverage

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She clicked her tongue. “With looks like hers, I expected her to aim for the highest branch. Yet it seems even that Prescott girl–shipped off to the provinces–is ranked above her now.”

“And you,” she went on, voice softening, “should not torment yourself over some concubine. The keys to the household coffers rest in your palm. What storm can a mere bed–mate truly raise? Work on your marriage, Rita. The colder you grow toward Eli, the more that vixen profits.”

“Mother, I want to stay at home for a while,” Rita said at last.

Joanna’s brows knit with worry, but her love for her daughter won out over argument. She simply nodded.

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