Betrayed and Dumped: She Rose Stronger Than Ever novel Chapter 378

Rebecca paused with her glass halfway to her lips, a frown settling on her face. “We haven’t even signed the contract yet. Coralbridge Bank hasn’t made any announcements. How did you find out we’re in talks?”

Shawn hesitated for a moment, then tapped his temple as if scolding himself. “You know how it is. I had dinner with Timothy’s assistant a few days ago. He mentioned it to me, just in passing, and asked me to keep it quiet. I let it slip, totally by accident. Trust me. You’re the only one I’ve told. No one else knows.”

Rebecca didn’t look convinced.

Shawn’s fingers curled tighter around his glass. He prided himself on staying a step ahead, planning every move. Tonight, though, he could feel Rebecca watching him differently. She hadn’t acted like this before. Now she seemed almost suspicious.

Did she pick up on something? Was she starting to connect the dots?

He remembered someone had been poking around about Sonja overseas. Maybe they’d followed the trail back to him. That would explain a lot.

A lazy smile flickered at the corners of Shawn’s mouth. He leaned in, dropping his voice. “Trust me, I’d never be on the other side from you.”

Rebecca’s eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Shawn twirled his glass, still smiling. “Do you even know where I’m from?”

Rebecca shook her head, confused by the sudden change in topic.

Shawn’s gaze drifted away, his voice going soft. “It’s a small town, barely a blip on the map. My family barely scraped by. Both my parents got sick when I was a kid, so we had to rely on my uncle in the city just to get by. I figured out early on that my only shot was through school. I worked like crazy, got into a good university on my grades alone. Four years of juggling classes and side gigs just to save enough to study abroad. That’s how I got here.”

Rebecca listened, even though she was getting more and more lost. Still, she nodded politely. “That’s… really impressive.”

Shawn’s smile faded and he looked at her, serious now. “I’m telling you this because, Rebecca, we’re the same kind of people. We started with nothing. No connections, no shortcuts. Just working ourselves to the bone, trying to climb up.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify