Bait for a Gentleman novel Chapter 118

Sebastian offered a faint smile, as if he had entirely anticipated this reaction.

His tone sounded casual, yet carried an authority that made it impossible to decline. "Waldo, this is strictly Uncle Felix's wish. He couldn't be here today, and if I bring this right back to him... I'll never hear the end of it."

Carter rolled his eyes from the sidelines.

*Uncle Felix takes the blame again. Who would actually dare yell at Sebastian? Even his own parents couldn't control him.*

"Well..." Waldo hesitated for a few seconds.

Sebastian gave the velvet box another gentle nudge toward him. "If you refuse it, I'm afraid Uncle Felix won't even dare walk through your front door the next time he sees you."

"You..." Waldo sighed, looking utterly helpless but amused. He picked up the box, inspecting it for a moment.

He chuckled. "If this stays with an old man like me, it'll just gather dust in some safe. Tell your uncle I appreciate the gesture."

He then looked at Audrina and waved her over. "Come here."

Caught off guard, Audrina blinked in surprise and walked over.

"Do you like it?" Waldo asked.

No one noticed the faint, knowing gleam in Sebastian's eyes, a look that said he had orchestrated this exact outcome.

He had promised he would give her a better necklace.

So she liked playing Zachary's fiancée, did she?

Then he was going to make sure she put it on, right in front of Zachary, right in front of the entire Sutton family, for everyone to see.

Audrina's gaze fell on the blinding brilliance of the diamonds.

Under the lights, the sapphires gleamed with a deep, profound blue, as if harboring a hidden secret.

It was truly stunning—so beautiful it made you want to claim it instantly.

But she realized Waldo intended to re-gift it to her.

In front of so many people, she could only politely decline with a smile. "Waldo, this is too precious. I couldn't possibly..."

Before she could finish, Zachary stepped forward, placing a hand on her shoulder and pulling her closer to him.

"Just landed. Thought I'd give you a surprise," Cyrus Sutton walked over and bent down to give his grandfather a hug.

Straightening up, his eyes swept over the room before landing squarely on the necklace sitting on the table.

He glanced at Sebastian. "A gift from you, Sebastian?"

Sebastian neither confirmed nor denied it. "Uncle Felix's idea."

Cyrus turned to Zachary, a smirk forming on his lips that entirely bypassed his eyes.

"Zachary, what was that I heard right as I walked in? Too valuable? Can't accept it?"

Zachary looked at him, his face an impenetrable mask. "Yes."

Cyrus let out a short, mocking laugh. "Zachary, Grandpa already offered it. How could you possibly reject it on Audrina's behalf?"

He took a step forward, closing the distance between him and Zachary to less than a meter. One was in an immaculate, stiff suit, the other in a casually unbuttoned dress shirt, but neither yielded an inch of dominance.

"In all these years you've been engaged to Audrina," Cyrus said, his words dripping with implication, "you've never actually bought her anything nice, have you?"