Dumped Then Claimed By A Billionaire (Nerissa and Owen) novel Chapter 41

Chapter 41 Hand Touching!

The more Evelyn and Kaia thought about it, the more convinced they became that Riley definitely wasn’t calling out to Nerissa.

After all, Riley didn’t even respect the Calloway family, and Nerissa couldn’t even compare to them.

Nerissa heard someone call her name, and she glanced back to see Riley. She turned around and started walking over. Mrs. Merritt.”

Evelyn and Kaia exchanged looks, their faces filled with disbelief.

‘This country bumpkin is so full of herself, Evelyn thought. ‘Does she actually think Riley is calling her? How shameless. She sneered inwardly, ‘Nerissa should look in a mirror and see who Riley is, then see who she is. She’s completely delusional, and this is gonna be ridiculous. Just wait. Nerissa’s about to embarrass herself, and honestly, it’s gonna be way worse than what just happened to us.’

The thought made Evelyn feel a lot better, and the tightness in her chest eased up.

Kaia watched Nerissa with the expression of someone waiting for a good show. With Nerissa making a fool of herself first, her own embarrassment in front of Riley earlier didn’t seem like such a big deal anymore.

Evelyn and Kaia waited for Riley to humiliate Nerissa, but Riley walked right up to her with genuine warmth. “Ms. Jamison, it really is you. I thought I was seeing things.”

Riley’s voice carried unmistakable respect, and the way she spoke came out almost automatically.

Nerissa was young, but her presence and sophistication were way beyond her years. Even Riley, who came from serious money and had that polished socialite thing going on, felt a little outclassed standing next to her.

Nerissa looked at Riley and said, “Mrs. Merritt, I didn’t expect to run into you here,”

“Well, I guess that means we’re meant to meet.” Riley took Nerissa’s hand with a warm smile. “Ms. Jamison, I’ll be honest. You remind me so much of my little sister. If you don’t mind, just call me Riley, and I’ll call you Nerissa. Deal?”

Riley hadn’t planned to be this direct, but she wanted Nerissa to marry Lennox, and formal titles would only create distance between them. Using first names was the better choice.

“Okay, Riley.” Nerissa didn’t hesitate and accepted the offer graciously.

Riley’s face lit up with delight, and she immediately slipped the bracelet from her wrist and fastened it around Nerissa’s arm. “This is my gift to you for calling me Riley. You can’t refuse it, Nerissa.”

Before Nerissa could even process what was happening, a luxury bracelet worth seven figures was already secured on her wrist.

“Riley, this is too expensive.” Nerissa tried to refuse.

“Expensive? Do I look like someone who worries about one bracelet?” Riley pressed down on Nerissa’s hand to stop her from pulling it away. “Besides, this bracelet is lucky to be worn by you, Nerissa.” Her gaze shifted to Faye. “And who is this?”

Nerissa made the introduction. “Riley, this is my good friend Faye Penhaligon.”

Riley clearly wasn’t an ordinary person, and Faye felt a bit nervous as she spoke up. “Hello, I’m Faye. My nickname is Fifi. You can call me Fifi if you’d like.”

“No need to be nervous. If you’re Nerissa’s good friend, then you’re like a sister to me too.” Riley smiled warmly. “Fifi, just call me Riley like Nerissa does.”

“Okay, Riley.” Faye nodded.

Evelyn and Kaia watched the scene unfold, and their faces turned pale. Neither of them could believe what they were seeing.

‘How is this possible?’ Evelyn thought in shock. ‘Why is Riley being so warm to Nerissa? She even let her use her first name and gave her such an expensive bracelet. Does Nerissa have some kind of hidden identity we don’t know about?”

Kaia stood nearby, and the jealousy in her eyes was practically overflowing. She could barely stay on her feet, and all the color had drained from her face.

Right now, Kaia wasn’t just jealous of Nerissa. She was utterly baffled

‘Riley won’t even give me the time of day, she t

Successfully unlocked! that little country bumpkin Nerissa have that caught his attention? What could it possibly be just some nou num a tiny village. What right does she have to be better than me?’

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Chapter 41 Hand Touching!

Kaia clenched her hands into fists so tight that her sharp nails dug into her palms and drew blood, but she didn’t even

notice.

***

Riley was so enthusiastic about taking them to dinner that Nerissa couldn’t say no, so she and Faye went along.

The three of them arrived at a members-only restaurant, and Riley handed the menu to Nerissa. “Nerissa, you and Faye order whatever you want. Don’t be shy with me.”

“Thanks, Riley.”

Riley smiled and added, “Oh, by the way, I actually came to the mall with my brother today. I sent him to pick something up on the sixth floor, but would you mind if I call him down to join us for dinner?”

Nerissa immediately glanced at Faye to see what she thought, and Faye smiled. “Sure, the more the merrier.”

“Great, I’ll call him and tell him to come down,” Riley said, and she stepped outside to call Lennox.

Meanwhile, Lennox and Luke had already gotten into the car.

Luke was in the passenger seat, connecting his Bluetooth to play music. His grandmother was an opera artist, and growing up under her influence, he’d loved opera his whole life. Now he put on one of his favorite pieces.

Listening to the opera, Lennox pressed a hand to his chest and looked exhausted. “Can you change it? This is giving me a headache.”

Maybe he wasn’t old enough yet, but Lennox really couldn’t appreciate the beauty of opera.

“Lennox, you have zero appreciation for art,” Luke said, pulling out his phone and switching the opera to modern light music.

Just then, a phone ringtone cut through the air.

Lennox kept one hand on the steering wheel and answered with the other. “Hey, Riley.”

When Riley told him to come to dinner, Lennox refused outright. “Riley, I’m already in the car and I don’t have time-” But before he could finish, Riley cut him off. “Nerissa and her friend are here too, so get over here and stop dragging your

feet.”

Hearing that, Lennox immediately swallowed his refusal. His whole attitude flipped. “Okay, I’ll be right there.”

Luke was sitting right there in the passenger seat, so naturally, he’d heard the whole conversation. Seeing Lennox’s complete one-eighty, he laughed, “Lennox, you keep saying you don’t like Ms. Jamison, but the second my mom mentions she’s there, look how fast you change your tune.”

Lennox explained, “She saved my life, so having dinner with her is the least I can do. Don’t twist everything into some romantic thing.”

‘How tacky, he thought. ‘There’s more to this world than romance.’

“You’re really telling me your feelings for Ms. Jamison are just simple gratitude for saving your life?” Luke narrowed his

eyes.

“Naturally,” Lennox said, leaving no room for argument.

He was committed to staying single, after all.

About ten minutes later, Lennox arrived at the restaurant.

His presence was impossible to ignore. The moment he stepped through the door, every head in the restaurant turned. His aura commanded attention without effort.

Faye had assumed Riley’s brother would be some young hothead, but she was utterly wrong. The man who walked in carried himself like royalty. His presence was so overwhelming that she couldn’t even bring herself to look him in the eye.

“Riley,” Lennox said.

“Over here!” Riley waved at him. “Sit next to me.”

Lennox moved to sit beside Riley, and the second he settled into his chair, Faye felt the air grow heavier. The pressure was real.

She felt grateful that Lennox was sitting across from Nerissa and not across from her. If he’d been facing her directly, she might’ve actually died from nervousness.

Faye snuck a glance at Nerissa, but Nerissa’s face showed zero signs of tension.

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Chapter 41 Hand Touching!

‘A boss really is a boss, Faye thought and mentally gave Nerissa a thumbs up.

Riley gestured toward Faye. “Lennox, this is Nerissa’s friend, Fifi.”

Lennox gave a slight nod. “Hello. Lennox.”

It was a simple introduction, but his tone carried so much authority that Faye’s nerves kicked into overdrive. Her palms started sweating. “Hello, Mr. Stratford. I’m Faye.”

The conversation didn’t go awkwardly after that. Riley was naturally outgoing, and even though she was in her forties, she had no problem connecting with girls in their teens and twenties. With Riley smoothing things over, Faye started to relax.

Nerissa was usually quiet, but when she clicked with someone, she actually talked a lot more. The three of them chatted easily and really hit it off.

Lennox ended up being the silent one in the background.

He leaned back lazily in his chair, and his gaze drifted to Nerissa without meaning to.

Nerissa was chatting away easily, her tone relaxed and comfortable. Whatever topic Riley brought up, she could add something to it, and the whole time she kept eating macarons.

She didn’t act like those other society girls who cut one tiny macaron into a dozen pieces and made a big show of it. She bit into hers, and half of it was gone in one go, but somehow she still looked elegant and natural about it.

That kind of effortless grace came from deep within. Lennox couldn’t fake it.

‘That’s her sixth one, Lennox thought, raising an eyebrow slightly. ‘Are these macarons really that good?’

He couldn’t hold back anymore and reached out to take one from the plate.

The macaron wasn’t too sweet and had a subtle creamy flavor. It really was delicious.

Before he knew it, Lennox had eaten two macarons, and he was reaching for a third when Nerissa’s hand shot out at the same time.

She wasn’t even looking his way, but her hand landed right on top of his instead of the macaron. And what made it worse was that she lightly squeezed his hand.

Lennox’s body ran cold naturally, so his hands were always cool, but her palm was warm. The contrast between cold and heat hit like lightning, and a tingling sensation spread from their joined hands through both their bodies.

They both froze.

Nerissa looked up in surprise and met Lennox’s equally surprised eyes.

Their gazes locked, and her heartbeat hammered like rain pounding against a window. Even the air around them seemed to heat up.

Nerissa pulled her hand back immediately. “Sorry.”

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