Dumped Then Claimed By A Billionaire (Nerissa and Owen) novel Chapter 66

Chapter 66

Chapter 66

Hannah froze on the spot, just staring at Nerissa.

It took her a while to process what was happening.

‘Am I really not dreaming?’ Hannah thought.

‘She’s really here, at my place!’ she thought.

‘I’m actually seeing my precious daughter-in-law right here in my own house!’ Hannah thought.

Riley thought it was weird to see Hannah like this.

Hannah was always big on etiquette.

Hardly ever did she lose her cool like this.

Or at least,

not that Riley could remember.

‘What’s up with her today?’ Riley wondered.

‘Why is she looking at Nerissa like that?’ Riley thought.

‘Does she not like Nerissa or something?’ Riley wondered.

Riley couldn’t think of any other reason.

‘Mom really has no taste!’ Riley thought.

‘Nerissa is so great, and Mom doesn’t even like her?’ Riley thought.

(2)

55 vouchers

Riley shot her mom a subtle, worried look, then gave her a gentle nudge with her elbow and whispered, “Mom, Nerissa’s saying hi to you.”

That was when Hannah finally snapped back to reality. She almost wanted to give herself a good smack just to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.

But then it hit her. Her precious daughter-in-law was right there! Even if this was a dream, there was no way she’d embarrass herself in front of Nerissa.

‘I’m the best mother-in-law in the whole universe!’ Hannah thought.

With that thought, Hannah beamed and gently took Nerissa’s hand. “Oh, don’t call me Mrs. Stratford! That sounds way too distant. Nerissa, just call me Mom,”

But as soon as the word “Mom” slipped out, Hannah realized her blunder and scrambled to fix it. “Wait, I mean Auntie! Yeah, Auntie! Just kidding, Nerissa, you can call me Mrs. Stratford if you want.”

21:06 Wed, Jan 21

Chapter 66

After she finished it, Hannah finally breathed out, feeling the tension leave her shoulders.

She let out a quiet sigh of relief.

“That was close, Hannah thought.

28

55 vouchers

‘Good thing I reacted fast, didn’t scare my precious daughter-in-law and managed to play it off perfectly,’ Hannah thought.

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Stratford,” Nerissa greeted.

Nerissa never would’ve guessed that Hannah, who always seemed so stern, actually had such a playful side.

Seeing this, Riley finally let out a sigh of relief.

‘Looks like I was just overthinking things, Riley thought.

‘Mom really does like Nerissa, Riley thought.

‘Otherwise, she wouldn’t be joking around with her, Riley thought.

Riley naturally hooked her arm around Nerissa’s, smiling warmly as she said, “Mom, Nerissa, let’s not just stand out here. Let’s head inside and chat.”

“Yes, let’s go in,” Hannah chimed in with a smile.

Hannah slipped her arm through Nerissa’s on the other side. As they walked, she called back to Luke, “Luke, go check if Your Uncle Lennox is done with his meeting yet.”

“Okay, Grandma,” Luke replied.

Luke nodded and hurried inside.

“Nerissa, do you like tea?” Hannah asked.

“I do,” Nerissa replied with a slight nod.

Honestly, she was way more into Cilowesad tea than coffee.

Besides, tea always did a better job of keeping her alert.

Hannah immediately called out to the butler, “Could you bring out that rare black tea I’ve been saving?”

Riley was stunned, completely baffled.

‘Wait, what?’ Riley thought.

‘Did she just say rare black tea?’ Riley thought.

‘Did I seriously hear that right?’ Riley thought.

21:06 Wed, Jan 21

Chapter 66

‘What’s up with Mom today?’ Riley wondered.

A

(「28)

55 vouchers

‘She’s being so generous all of a sudden!’ Riley thought.

Ever since the rare black tea was banned from being picked over twenty years ago, it’d been so rare that money couldn’t even buy it now. Hannah had guarded it like a dragon hoarding treasure.

Her mother had never allowed her to lay a finger on it.

‘I never would’ve guessed… Riley thought.

But today, her mother actually asked the butler to bring it out just for Nerissa!

‘This is crazy!’ Riley thought. ‘Seriously, it’s like spotting a unicorn in broad daylight!’

Luke headed upstairs.

To be honest…

Lennox could hear Luke’s footsteps coming up the stairs, getting closer and closer.

Lennox quickly rolled up his sleeves, showing off his strong forearms, and then sat down at his desk and started flipping through some documents, making sure he looked like he was way too busy to be bothered.

Luke pushed open the door and found Lennox at his desk, busy with paperwork.

“Uncle Lennox, Nerissa’s here,” Luke announced.

“Mm,” Lennox said, looking totally unfazed, like it was no big deal at all.

Luke walked over and grabbed Lennox’s arm. “Uncle Lennox, Nerissa’s here already, and you’re still stuck with those files? Come on, let’s head downstairs!”

Lennox let Luke pull him out of the room.

Suddenly, Luke noticed something was off.

He turned to Lennox, leaned in, and sniffed him curiously.

“Uncle Lennox, did you put on cologne?” Luke asked.

The Stratford family always kept pine incense burning in the laundry room.

But today,

Besides the usual pine smell, there was a subtle woody note mixed in.

It was crisp and refreshing.

And honestly, it smelled pretty great.

21:06 Wed, Jan 21

Chapter 66

High-end woody fragrances were nothing like those synthetic colognes.

28

55 vouchers

“No,” Lennox replied, his expression completely unreadable. “You must be imagining things. Why would I ever wear cologne?”

“Guess I must’ve been imagining it,” Luke said, not thinking much of it. Then he added, “Oh, by the way, Kinsbeat Game is dropping their new game, Splendor Peak, in three days. Do you really think they can beat Calloway Group and actually pull off the first AAA Game ever made in Cilowesad? And maybe even snag the Celestial Dome Awards this year?”

Making an AAA Game was insanely hard.

Even with that mysterious Ms. Jamison joining the team and their proposal looking seriously impressive, actually finishing an AAA Game was still like reaching for the stars.

Lennox narrowed his eyes. “If the whole game is as good as those screenshots they posted online, then they’ll totally nail it.”

Luke scratched his head. “Everyone always shows off the coolest, most intense parts, right? So those screenshots are probably the best moments in the whole game. No way the whole thing’s gonna be that awesome from start to finish.”

Lennox said with a faint smile, “Let’s just wait and see. I’m really looking forward to what Ms. Jamison’s gonna deliver.”

But honestly, what Lennox wanted most was to meet Ms. Jamison in person.

When they got downstairs, they saw Nerissa, Hannah, and Riley sitting together, enjoying tea and chatting.

The three of them looked relaxed, clearly enjoying each other’s company.

Nerissa was an absolute treasure.

She was young, but she was wise beyond her years and incredibly well-spoken. No matter what they talked about, she always had her own unique perspective, never just saying things to please people, but genuinely sharing her thoughts. Others always came away from a conversation with her having learned something new.

Hannah had adored Nerissa from the moment she met her. After chatting for a while, she liked Nerissa even more. She couldn’t help smiling with satisfaction every time she looked at Nerissa.

She could barely contain her excitement.

‘How can a girl be this pretty and this talented?’ Hannah thought.

‘If Nerissa actually became my daughter-in-law, it’d be like the Stratford family hit the jackpot!’ Hannah thought.

‘Son, you better not screw this up!’ Hannah thought.

“Grandma, I brought Uncle Lennox over,” Luke called out at that moment.

21:06 Wed, Jan 21

…

Chapter 66

Hearing this, Hannah immediately waved them over.

“Lennox, Luke, come here!” she called out.

The two of them walked over.

Lennox led the way and greeted her first, “Ms. Jamison.”

Both of them were wearing white shirts today.

The vibe was unexpectedly perfect, and they were total eye candy together!

Lennox’s eyes narrowed with interest.

‘Well, who would’ve thought?’ Lennox mused.

‘Looks like that dumb book actually came in handy,’ he thought, a bit amused.

A

28

55 vouchers

‘Turns out Ms. Jamison and I have the exact same taste, Lennox realized, a hint of satisfaction in his mind.

“Mr. Stratford,” Nerissa looked him straight in the eye, totally at ease. “Anything bothering you lately? Feeling off at all?”

“Nope, can’t say I have,” Lennox said, shaking his head.

Nerissa picked up the medical kit beside her. “Let me check your pulse first.”

With that, she took out a small pillow for pulse reading from the kit.

Lennox sat down in the chair across from her.

He placed his wrist on the pillow for her to check.

His hands were seriously gorgeous, long, elegant fingers, nails perfectly rounded and gleaming with a healthy shine. The skin on the back of his hand was so fair and smooth, with faint blue veins just barely showing through. Honestly, it made one want to reach out and touch them.

Nerissa totally had a thing for hands, and just seeing a pair of beautiful hands could instantly put her in a good mood. She gently placed her warm fingers on his wrist to check his pulse. The sensation was so smooth and flawless.

They were sitting so close that Lennox could see every single one of her long, curled lashes, each one perfectly defined. Her skin was amazing, fair, delicate, and smooth.

At this moment,

he suddenly heard his heart pounding.

It was loud.

It felt like someone was banging a drum in his chest.

21:06 Wed, Jan 21

Chapter 66

28

55 vouchers

“So, how am I?” Lennox asked, trying to keep his voice steady as he fought off that weird rush inside. He glanced up at Nerissa, his voice low.

At that, Riley and Hannah gave Nerissa anxious looks, waiting for her answer.

“Everything’s fine. You’re recovering really well,” Nerissa said, pulling her hand back.

Hannah and Riley finally breathed easy.

‘No problems at all?’ Lennox repeated in his mind, still trying to process it.

He narrowed his eyes.

‘Really? Is there truly nothing wrong?’ he wondered, asking himself again.

‘If everything’s fine, then why is my heart racing like this?’ Lennox thought, feeling more flustered than ever.

He was a nervous wreck.

He felt like a fish out of water, almost suffocating, struggling to catch his breath.

Nerissa noticed the doubt in Lennox’s eyes and gently asked, “Mr. Stratford, is there anything else you’re worried about?”

Lennox shook his head slightly. “No, nothing else.”

‘Maybe… Lennox thought, trying to make sense of it.

‘Maybe this whole flustered feeling is just in my head?’ he wondered.

After all, this only ever happened whenever he had any physical contact with Nerissa.

‘Guess I’ll just have to keep an eye on it,’ Lennox decided.

Meow!

Right at that moment,

a plump black cat suddenly sprang onto Nerissa’s lap, meowing nonstop.

Nerissa immediately scooped up the chubby cat, her eyes lighting up in surprise. “Oh wow, you’re such a sweet chunky baby!”

Luke stared in disbelief. “Whoa, Nerissa! It actually let you hold it!”

Everyone else sitting on the couch looked just as shocked, like something totally unbelievable had just happened.

Even Lennox, who never showed his emotions, looked a bit taken aback seeing Nerissa with the cat.

Nerissa blinked in surprise, her voice curious. “Wait, does it not usually let people hold it?”

21:06 Wed, Jan 21

Chapter 66

:

28

E55 vouchers

Luke shook his head. “No, this cat’s got a real attitude. It’s always causing trouble like some mischievous dog. scratches, bites, you name it! Nobody can get near it without getting attacked.”

“So he’s got two sides to him, huh?” Nerissa couldn’t resist planting a kiss on the chubby cat’s big round face, absolutely loving it. “By the way, what’s his name?”

“He’s called Snowball,” Riley answered with a grin. “Yeah, I know, he’s a black cat, but that’s the joke.”

‘Snowball?’ Nerissa echoed, still trying to wrap her head around it.

She stared at the chubby black cat, totally baffled. “Seriously, who came up with that name?”

‘A black cat called Snowball?’ Nerissa thought, almost laughing at the irony.

‘That’s hilarious!’ she couldn’t help but think.

Hannah smiled at Nerissa, her eyes twinkling. “Lennox was the one who named the cat. He actually found Snowball in a trash can outside. The cat was just a newborn, umbilical cord still attached, and it was the dead of winter. We all thought there was no way the cat would survive, but Lennox somehow managed to keep it alive. Snowball’s always been very attached to Lennox. Honestly, you’re the only person besides him who’s ever been able to hold the cat. Even I can’t get close enough to pick it up. Nerissa, looks like you and Snowball really have a special connection!”

AD

Comment

Send gift

No Ads

21:06 Wed, Jan 21