Dumped Then Claimed By A Billionaire (Nerissa and Owen) novel Chapter 126

Chapter 126

Hunter frowned. “You know exactly what you did wrong. You’re just trying to cozy up to the Berenson and Sullivan families!”

With that, he turned and walked away.

Watching Hunter walk away, no one had a clue just how much Ivy was kicking herself inside.

‘I’m such an idiot.

‘If I’d known it would end up like this, I never would’ve called Grandpa an old geezer that day.

‘And I really shouldn’t have acted like I didn’t know him at all,’ Ivy berated herself.

Dylan and Winifred were so sick with regret, it was like their guts were twisted in knots. Their faces were a storm of emotions, lips quivering as they stared at Hunter’s retreating back, not daring to utter a single word.

Hunter walked up to the group.

Verissa’s grandma, Nerissa’s

granny,

and Nerissa’s uncles-let’s head out.”

“Sure,” Mrs. Sullivan and Mrs. Berenson nodded.

The whole group strode right past Dylan, Winifred, and Ivy, not even glancing their way.

Winifred just stood there, watching everyone pile into the four stretch limos parked by the curb, feeling like she could smash her head against the wall from regret.

If they’d only adopted Nerissa back then, they’d be the ones riding in those luxury cars right now.

But they just let all that wealth and privilege slip right through their fingers.

*****

Soon enough, the four stretch limos rolled into Cityview Estates.

Looking around at the rundown neighborhood, Mrs. Sullivan and the Berensons had pain written all over their faces.

The Berenson uncles looked like they’d just been punched in the gut.

At first, when they heard Nerissa was living in a villa, they’d actually felt relieved. But when they found out she’d only just moved in, and before that, she’d been holed up in some cheap rental with Hunter, their hearts just sank.

They’d expected the rental to be pretty bad, but they never thought it’d be this awful.

The princess they’d always spoiled and protected, the one they’d never let out of their sight, had actually been living in a place like this.

Mrs. Sullivan clutched Nerissa’s hand, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Arie, my sweet girl, you’ve had it so

rough! My heart aches for you!”

Mrs. Berenson couldn’t hold back her tears either.

“Grandma, Granny, don’t cry,” Nerissa said, gently wiping away their tears. “I really wasn’t suffering at all. Sure, Grandpa and I didn’t have much, but every day felt meaningful! And Grandpa was always so good to me.”

Being poor never bothered Nerissa. Life was just simple and peaceful.

She never minded tough times.

What really scared her was having family like she did in her past life.

Thankfully, things were different now.

This time, she and her family were finally reaching out to each other, meeting halfway with open arms.

Seeing her granddaughter so thoughtful and grown-up, Mrs. Berenson’s heart ached even more. “Oh, my poor Arie… If your parents knew you’d had to live like this all these years, it would break their hearts!”

Mrs. Berenson always knew her granddaughter hadn’t had it easy all these years.

But actually seeing it with her own eyes was a whole different story.

Her heart was breaking.

And to make things worse, her daughter Charlotte was still missing.

Nerissa hugged Mrs. Berenson tightly. “Granny, don’t cry. Things are finally looking up for us. From now on, life is only going to get better.”

Mrs. Sullivan’s voice was thick with emotion. “Selene, Arie’s right. Things are only going to get better for us.”

*****

Inside the study at Stratfordland, Lennox sat at his desk, completely absorbed in his book. He had the book in one hand and a pen in the other, scribbling notes whenever something caught his attention.

Knock, knock, knock-

Someone knocked at the door.

“Come in,” Lennox said, not even looking up from his book.

Hannah walked in, carrying a fruit platter. “Lennox, have some fruit.”

“Mom, just set it down,” Lennox replied.

Hannah went on, “Still reading this late?”

“Yes,” Lennox nodded. “I’m studying finance.”

Hannah glanced at the book title. “A Random Walk Down Wall Street? Are you sure you’re actually studying finance, or are you just reading some romance novel?”

‘Seriously, a random walk down Wall Street? And he calls that finance?’ Hannah thought.

“A romance novel?” Lennox scoffed. “Why would I ever read something like that?”

With that, Lennox casually closed the book and handed it to Hannah. “If you don’t believe me, just take a look yourself.”

If you looked closely, there was a light sheen of sweat on Lennox’s nose.

‘Man, I’m nervous, Lennox thought, trying to keep his cool. After all, this was just a book with a fake cover- *A Random Walk Down Wall Street* in disguise.

d

Hannah reached out, just about to grab the book, but pulled her hand back at the last moment. “What’s the point? I can just Google the title and see what kind of book it is.”

Lennox breathed a silent sigh of relief and quickly stashed the book away in his drawer.

Hannah pulled out her phone, opened Google, and typed in the title.

It didn’t take long.

She found the answer right away.

D

When she saw that *A Walk Down Wall Street* really was a finance book, Hannah just shook her head. “Seriously, who comes up with a title like that for a finance book?”

‘What a weird title,’ she thought.

“So, Mom, what’s up? Did you need something?” Lennox asked.

“I just wanted to check in on how things are going between you and Nerissa,” Hannah said, plopping herself down right in front of Lennox and propping her chin up with both hands. “Lennox, I seriously adore Nerissa -like, I’m obsessed! I’ve already decided she’s going to be my daughter-in-law!”

“Oh,” Lennox just shrugged, sounding totally indifferent.

“Oh? That’s it? I’m asking you-are you actually going after Nerissa or not?” Hannah snapped.

“Mom,” Lennox replied, barely bothering to move his lips, clearly not taking it seriously. “Don’t start playing matchmaker. Nerissa and I are just regular friends, nothing more.”

“Do you even realize that if you keep acting like this, you’ll end up in the doghouse when you finally want to chase her?” Hannah was practically fuming.

Lennox just smirked. “Chase her? Seriously?”

“Mom, you’re really overthinking this,” he said, totally unfazed.

He’d never go chasing after a girl.

Hannah couldn’t be bothered with Lennox anymore. Her gaze drifted to his bookshelf, and she suddenly spotted a cookbook. “Home Cooking for Beginners? Lennox, wasn’t your office supposed to be your battlefield? Look at you, already proving yourself wrong! Come on, admit it-are you picking up cooking just for Nerissa?”

Hannah’s eyes lit up like she’d just cracked the case.

Lennox just shrugged, totally unfazed. “Oh, that one? That’s Luke’s.”

He picked up a file and started leafing through it, not bothered at all. “Come on, Mom, you know me. Why would I ever start cooking just for some girl?”

‘No way.

‘Absolutely never happening!’ he scoffed to himself.

Hannah rolled her eyes, turned on her heel, and snatched up the fruit platter she’d just brought in.

Lennox was just about to grab a piece of watermelon when his mom swooped in and took the whole platter away. “Mom, weren’t you supposed to bring me fruit?” he protested.

Hannah huffed, “A lonely old bachelor like you doesn’t deserve the fruit I brought over myself!”

‘Old bachelor?

‘Single is single, but old? Come on.

‘Why tack on the “old” part’ he complained.

‘Do I look ancient or something?

‘I’m not even thirty yet!’

Lennox just sat there, feeling a bit bummed.

Bzzzt-

Right then, his phone vibrated.

Lennox grabbed his phone.

A WhatsApp notification popped up.

Lennox glanced at the date on his phone. It was the 25th-tomorrow would be the 26th.

He and Nerissa had already agreed to go out for dinner together on the 26th.

‘So what? She’s probably texting about our dinner plans.’

Lennox immediately opened WhatsApp.

Sure enough, it was a message from Nerissa. Lennox’s lips curved into a faint smile, but it vanished the moment he read what she wrote.

It read:

[Hey, sorry! I was planning to take you to that awesome hole-in-the-wall spot tomorrow, but something came up last minute. I have to head back to Kindowen with my family, and I probably won’t be back in Aosthorne until after the New Year. Let’s catch up and go together another time!]

‘Back to Kindowen?

‘And she won’t be back until after the New Year?’ he felt a bit let down.

Lennox shot back instantly: [Nerissa, is everything alright? Is there anything I can do for you?]

[No worries, really. My family just got in touch with me, so I’m heading back with them.]

The news about the Sullivan and Berenson families had been blowing up lately. Lennox hadn’t really followed it, but after reading Nerissa’s reply, he put two and two together. He arched an eyebrow and texted back: [Congrats to the little princess of the Sullivan and Berenson families for finally coming home!]