Betrayed and Dumped: She Rose Stronger Than Ever novel Chapter 99

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”When they reached the lobby, Cindy snapped her fingers and grinned. “I’m in a great mood tonight. Dinner’s on me!”

Justin’s eyes practically sparkled. “Yes! I could eat a horse.”

They headed outside, laughter still lingering, but then all three of them paused at the door.

“Stephen? What are you doing here?” Cindy’s face lit up as she spotted him.

Not far away, Stephen stood with one hand in his pocket, dressed in that same sleek black suit. He looked like he belonged on the cover of a magazine, all sharp lines and quiet confidence.

Rebecca blinked. Hadn’t he said he couldn’t make it?

Stephen smiled, his eyes narrowing just a bit. “The bidding’s over, and you three look suspiciously happy. Makes me wonder if I missed something.”

“Wonder?” Cindy flung her arms around her brother, laughing. “No secrets here. We won, Stephen!”

Stephen looked surprised, his brows lifting. He glanced past Cindy, checking for confirmation. “Seriously?”

“Seriously, Mr. Duncan! We did it!” Justin nearly bounced with excitement.

Cindy stepped back and Justin, caught up in the moment, gave Stephen a quick hug. “Mr. Duncan, we pulled this off without your help for the first time. I can’t believe it.”

Stephen just stared for a second. Hugging Justin was definitely a first. He gave Justin’s shoulder a friendly pat. “You did well.”

Rebecca watched, then hesitated only a moment before opening her arms. It was just a professional thing, she told herself.

“Mr. Duncan, we didn’t let you down.”

Stephen stiffened, eyes wide for a heartbeat. It took him a minute to respond, but then he awkwardly returned the hug, just for a second. His voice was low and maybe a little shaky. “You’ve done reall ywell.”

No one else noticed, but his ears had turned bright red.