Dumped Then Claimed By A Billionaire (Nerissa and Owen) novel Chapter 55

Chapter 55 Owen’s World Just Collapsed

Hendry and Diana went to Nerissa. They actually went to Nerissa!

Owen froze. He stood there staring at the scene in front of him with his mouth hanging open and cold sweat running down his back.

The reporters who’d been ready to interview him were just as shocked, and they all started whispering to each other. None of them had expected this sudden twist.

“Who’s that girl?” someone murmured.

“She’s gorgeous.”

“She really is. And if Mr. and Mrs. Penhaligon came here personally to meet her, she’s gotta be someone important.”

“The way Owen was acting just now, I totally thought they were here for him. Turns out they weren’t.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Penhaligon probably don’t even know who he is.”

“Owen just embarrassed himself so bad. If I were him, I’d be looking for a hole to crawl into.”

“Right?”

Owen stood there listening to the reporters talk, and his face went from red to white and back again. He was so mortified that he wanted the ground to swallow him up.

It was bad enough that Hendry and Diana weren’t here for him, but they were here for Nerissa instead. For Owen, this was the ultimate humiliation.

‘What the hell is Nerissa?’ he thought. ‘How did she even get close to the Penhaligon family? Her status is nowhere near

theirs.’

Owen never would’ve dreamed that the Penhaligon family, people even he couldn’t reach, would treat Nerissa with such

respect.

If he’d known this would happen, he never would’ve walked over here. Now he’d just made a complete fool of himself for nothing.

Owen took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. He couldn’t panic right now.

In his mind, Nerissa was still his lapdog. So she must’ve gotten close to the Penhaligon family because of him.

He thought, ‘She’s got no real skills, but she’s first-rate at sucking up to people. That’s how she tricked Grandpa into forcing me to marry her in the first place. She’s probably scared I won’t agree to remarry her tonight, so she’s cozying up to the Penhaligons to impress me.’

He kept telling himself, ‘Yeah. That’s definitely it. So Nerissa’s gonna bring Hendry and Diana over to introduce them to me any second now. Once she does that, I can get back all the face I just lost.’

Thinking this, Owen steadied himself. His confidence came flooding back. He thought, ‘Just ten seconds. In ten seconds, Nerissa will be standing right in front of me.’

Owen closed his eyes and counted down in his head. ‘Ten, nine, eight-‘

Right when Owen counted down to 5, a woman’s voice called out, “Owen.”

‘Nerissa’s here,’ Owen thought. ‘I knew it. She can’t escape me.’

A smug smile tugged at Owen’s lips, and he opened his eyes, but when he saw who it was, his eyes went wide. “Audrey? What are you doing here?”

It wasn’t Nerissa. It was Audrey.

Owen froze, unable to process what was happening.

Audrey blinked in surprise at his reaction. “Owen, the engagement ceremony is about to start. Who are you waiting for?”

Owen immediately looked toward where Nerissa had been standing.

Nerissa, Hendry, and Diana were already gone, and their backs disappeared through the entrance of Building B.

‘She didn’t bring Hendry and Diana to find me, Owen thought. His legs nearly gave out, and the world tilted around him.

Kaia, standing beside him, couldn’t hold it together either. Just three minutes ago, she’d been mocking Nerissa for not being worthy of attending the Penhaligon family’s banquet.

But now Nerissa had become an honored guest of the Penhaligon family.

She couldn’t understand it. ‘How does Nerissa deserve this?’ Kaia thought. ‘She’s just some country bumpkin.’

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Chapter 55 Owen’s World Just Collapsed

Jealousy burned in Kaia’s eyes until they turned red. First Riley, and now the Penhaligon family. She couldn’t figure out how Nerissa, a nobody from nowhere, had climbed over her head step by step and gotten to know all these influential people.

“Owen?” When Owen stayed silent, Audrey spoke again.

Audrey’s voice snapped Owen out of his thoughts, and he forced a tight smile. “No, I wasn’t waiting for anyone. Audrey, let’s go inside.”

Audrey nodded.

Owen wrapped his arm around Audrey’s shoulder, and they walked toward the banquet hall.

The hall buzzed with activity, and glasses clinked everywhere.

Owen mechanically accepted everyone’s congratulations, but his mood was a mess, and all he could see in his mind was

Nerissa’s face.

Nerissa wasn’t showing up now because she was obviously waiting for the engagement part. She’d crash in right when Owen slipped that ring onto Audrey’s finger.

Owen narrowed his eyes at the thought and looked over at Yale. He waved him over. “Yale, come here for a sec.”

Yale jogged over right away. “Owen.”

Owen lowered his voice. “Get more security ready. When Nerissa shows up, make sure you keep things under control.”

Nerissa was so jealous of Audrey that who knew what crazy shit she’d pull. There were numerous reporters here today, and he couldn’t let them write anything unfavorable about Audrey. As her fiancé, he had to protect her.

“Owen,” Yale said, “Nerissa went next door to the Penhaligon family’s party. She’s not coming here.”

Owen narrowed his eyes. “Going to the Penhaligon party is just a cover. She’s trying to win me over. She’s a VIP guest at the Penhaligons’ now, so she’s probably already negotiating the Butterwood deal for me.”

Yale thought Owen was reading way too much into this. Nerissa had changed entirely and was no longer anything like she used to be.

Yale frowned and was about to say something, but Owen cut him off with an anndyed look. “Just do what I’m telling you to do.”

Yale looked up at Owen and didn’t push it. He just nodded. “Got it.”

At the Penhaligon family’s party, Hendry and Diana walked in with Nerissa.

Diana smiled at Nerissa. “Ms. Jamison, Fifi’s changing into her gown in the dressing room, so she sent us to meet you at the entrance.”

Nerissa’s tone was casual. “Mrs. Penhaligon, you and Mr. Penhaligon really didn’t need to come out here. I could’ve found my way in.”

Diana quickly replied, “You’re Fifi’s savior. Of course we had to come meet you.”

Diana was genuinely grateful to Nerissa. Without her, Faye would have been destroyed that night. The social circle had seen cases like this before, and one victim was even the daughter of their distant relatives.

The perpetrators were brought to justice eventually, but the psychological damage never faded.

Three years had passed, and that girl still couldn’t recover. She was too scared to go out alone, too afraid to meet strangers, too scared to go to school.

Even now, whenever Hendry and Diana thought about that night, their hearts raced with lingering fear.

Hendry turned to Nerissa and said, “Ms. Jamison, my wife is right. You’re Faye’s savior. Without you showing up, we might not be celebrating Faye’s eighteenth birthday tonight.”

Nerissa smiled and replied, “Mr. Penhaligon, Mrs. Penhaligon, you’re being too kind. Anyone would’ve helped in that situation. I just did what I should’ve done.”

Diana looked at Nerissa with pure admiration in her eyes. ‘This girl is truly remarkable, she thought.

Nerissa had done something incredible, but she wasn’t proud or arrogant about it. Instead, she stayed humble and gracious. Most people her age couldn’t manage that kind of composure.

The three of them were walking inside when Faye bounced over in her new gown. When she saw Nerissa, her eyes went wide with surprise. “Nerissa! Oh my god, you look absolutely gorgeous tonight. You look like a fairy.”

She’d never seen Nerissa in formal wear before, and this version of her outshone any red carpet celebrity by miles.

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Chapter 55 Owen’s World Just Collapsed

“Fifi, you look beautiful too,” Nerissa said, pulling out a box. “This is your birthday present.”

Faye took the box and asked, “Nerissa, can I open it now?”

“Of course.” Nerissa nodded slightly.

Faye opened the box and found a golden necklace inside. The pendant was a delicate golden lock with a unique design. Faye had never seen anything like it in stores before.

Nerissa continued with a warm smile. “Happy birthday. This necklace is for you.” She paused and added, “Oh, and the charm opens up. There’s a Snow Pill inside. If you ever run into an emergency, open the locket and take the pill. It could save your life.”

Faye’s eyes widened, and she immediately opened the charm.

A perfectly white pill sat inside the locket’s core.

Hendry’s eyes went wide when he saw it. ‘Holy shit. That’s a Snow Pill,’ he thought.

Nerissa wasn’t exaggerating at all. This thing really could save someone’s life in a critical moment.

The pill wasn’t expensive, but money couldn’t buy it. People just couldn’t get their hands on one, no matter how rich they

were.

He hadn’t expected Nerissa to give such an incredible gift right off the bat.

Faye stared at the open charm in amazement. “It really does open. Nerissa, thank you so much. I love this gift. Can you help me put it on?”

“Of course.” Nerissa took the necklace and fastened it around Faye’s neck.

Faye was beautiful, and the chain made her look even more stunning. The necklace didn’t look tacky on her at all. It was gorgeous and completely eye-catching.

Hendry looked at the necklace resting against Faye’s neck and leaned closer to Diana. He lowered his voice. “Diana, Faye really met someone important this time.”

Diana smiled, “I think so too. Ms. Jamison is definitely a blessing for Faye.”

*****

The engagement ceremony between Owen and Audrey had officially begun.

After the opening remarks, the host’s voice rang out across the room. “Now let’s welcome our accomplished groom-to-be, Mr. Owen Calloway, CEO of Calloway Group, to the stage.”

Enthusiastic applause erupted from the crowd.

Owen pulled himself together and strode confidently toward the stage.

The host handed him the microphone. “Mr. Calloway, today is a major milestone in your life. Would you like to share a few words with everyone?”

Owen took the microphone and began speaking, “Good evening, everyone. I’m Owen. First of all, my fiancée Audrey and I want to thank each and every one of you for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend our engagement ceremony.”

He raised his glass to the guests. “Having you here to witness our happiness is truly an honor for both of us.”

Another round of warm applause filled the venue.

After Owen finished his speech, the host continued. “Now let’s welcome our beautiful bride-to-be, Ms. Audrey Pierce, to the stage.”

Audrey appeared in a designer gown, holding up the hem of her dress with both hands.

She walked up the steps one at a time and stopped in front of Owen.

The host’s voice rang out again. “Now, will the bride and groom please exchange engagement rings.”

Two attendants immediately came forward carrying trays, each holding a matching ring.

Owen picked up the ring with an affectionate expression on his face. He slid it onto Audrey’s finger, but his eyes kept drifting toward the entrance doors.

‘Knowing Nerissa’s personality, she’ll definitely burst through those doors any second now,’ he thought. ‘She’ll call Audrey a homewrecker in front of everyone, and then she’ll drop to her knees crying and begging me to give her another chance.

Owen couldn’t help but smile at the thought.

Kaia kept her eyes glued to the entrance and said, “Aunt Evelyn, you can’t forgive Nerissa too easily later. A country bumpkin like her doesn’t deserve Owen at all.

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Chapter 55 Owen’s World Just Collapsed

“I have no idea how she even managed to get close to the Penhaligon family and the Stratford family, but you should make her take me to meet the Stratfords and introduce me to Mrs. Merritt before you forgive her.”

Kaia was still dreaming about marrying into a wealthy family. As long as she could meet Riley, she’d get to see Lennox.

Evelyn watched the entrance too. She’d specifically told the security guards outside to let Nerissa in the moment they saw

her.

But even after Owen slipped the ring onto Audrey’s finger and the engagement ceremony ended smoothly, Nerissa never burst through the doors like the Calloway family had imagined.

Owen stared at everything in disbelief. He couldn’t believe he’d actually gotten engaged to Audrey.

Audrey noticed something was off with his expression and asked with concern, “Owen, what’s wrong? Are you feeling sick?”

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