Revenge on My Heartless Husband and Daughter (Tiffany) novel Chapter 99

How did this turn into a situation where Ethan and I seemed like the real couple, and Shawn ended up as the outsider?

As a married woman, I had to stand by my principles. I couldn't give Ethan the wrong idea—that something could happen between us at any moment. That illusion had to be shattered.

So I replied, "Thanks for your concern, Mr. Hayes. Things between us are not good, but not terrible either."

Ethan messaged back almost instantly. "I thought you were mad and ignoring me."

It wasn't that I didn't want to talk to him. I just didn't want to leave any evidence behind that Shawn could twist into something bigger than it was.

Wasn't this the inner monologue of anyone walking the line of temptation? Scared of getting caught but unable to resist the pull?

I answered, "Just a casual chat. Nothing to get upset about."

Ethan didn't text back after that. Maybe he got busy—or maybe I was a little too cold, and he picked up on it.

Around noon, Noah dropped by. As Queena's cousin, he'd always shown a suspicious amount of interest in me.

His squinty eyes scanned me at least dozens of times, up and down, before he finally said with a grin, "Mrs. Hartwell, free for lunch? I know a place that serves great grilled fish. Want to try it with me?"

I nodded. "Sure, I love fish."

That one simple reply probably convinced Noah I was easy to figure out. He jumped on his phone right away to reserve a private room.

But of course, I wasn't going to let my guard down around him. Even if Shawn and I were headed for divorce, I wasn't about to hand over any leverage—and if anything, I needed to catch them instead.

My hand brushed against the recorder I'd tucked into my purse. Good thing I brought it with me.

Noah offered to drive, but I turned him down and brought two senior managers from the hotel with me in my own car.

I wasn't sure whether Noah had planned something with Queena, but when we pulled into the underground parking garage, I thought I saw a car I recognized—Shawn's. Not far from it was Queena's sleek red Porsche, elegant but not showy.

I acted like I hadn't seen anything and chatted with the hotel execs about renovation plans as we stepped into the elevator.

Noah pressed the button, subtly watching my face for a reaction. When he saw nothing out of the ordinary, he seemed visibly relieved.

I assumed Shawn and Queena were already upstairs in one of the private dining rooms.

They weren't being overly affectionate, at least not that I could see. But the quiet intimacy between them said it all. That silence, those simple smiles—sometimes it hurts more than any betrayal shouted from the rooftops.

I knew how Queena played her games.

But if she was using fire, I needed to fight back with fire. If she wanted me to watch—fine. I saw everything. Now what?

Noah went to order food, and soon enough, Shawn showed up—with Queena right behind him.

Anyone who didn't know the truth would think they made a perfect couple.

"Mrs. Hartwell! What a surprise," Queena said with fake astonishment. She turned to Noah. "You invited Mrs. Hartwell to lunch today? Is it because she's decided to move forward with the materials deal?"

Noah chuckled and said, "Mrs. Hartwell is still considering, but I'm serious about this. With Mr. Hartwell and you here, I can promise you quality wood with an unbeatable price."

Shawn said nothing. His dark eyes were fixed on me, unreadable.

I leaned my chin on my hand and gave Noah a sweet smile. "Sounds good. I'll consider it. But don't think you can pull tricks just because your cousin's a vice president at the company."