Dumped Then Claimed By A Billionaire (Nerissa and Owen) novel Chapter 67

Chapter 67

Chapter 67

Hannah was hinting at something more.

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It was not just about Nerrisa having a connection with the cat.

It was about her being connected to people here too!

Snowball belonged to Lennox, so obviously, the person meant for Nerissa was Lennox himself.

The more Hannah thought about it, the more delighted she felt.

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It was as if she could already picture Lennox marrying Nerissa and welcoming her into the Stratford family.

Hearing Hannah’s words, Nerissa shot Lennox a surprised look.

She never would’ve guessed that someone as cold and aloof as Lennox, who always seemed like he couldn’t care less about anything, would actually pick up a stray cat from outside and bring it home.

And to raise a newborn stray cat so well, he must’ve put a lot of effort into it.

Nerissa smiled as she looked at Lennox. “How did you manage to get Snowball so chubby?”

She looked absolutely stunning when she smiled, her eyes sparkling like they could pull someone right in. Lennox suddenly found himself unable to meet her gaze.

“It’s not picky,” Lennox replied.

Nerissa chuckled. “How many cans does Snowball go through in one meal?”

“At least three,” Lennox answered.

“Three cans? You still add kibble on top of that?” Nerissa asked.

Lennox nodded. “Besides the cans and kibble, every meal comes with 50 grams of raw beef and some biscuits. And after the meal, it gets some goat milk to wash it all down. It’s not just easy to feed. It’s a total foodie.”

“Seriously? No wonder Snowball’s so chunky! I think he needs to go on a diet, or he’ll end up with all sorts of health problems, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, you name it. Might even get a heart attack and keel over! Mr. Stratford, you know spoiling him like this is basically loving him to death!”

At that, Lennox gave Snowball a gentle pat on the head. “Hear that, buddy? Time to cut back on the snacks.”

“Meow!” Snowball protested, turning his little head away and pointedly ignoring Lennox.

Nerissa hugged Snowball. “Snowball, you have to listen to your dad. Eat a little less from now on, so you can stay healthy and strong, okay?”

“Meow, meow, meow!” Snowball pawed at the air, making it obvious he wasn’t listening to a word she said.

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Chapter 67

Lennox’s eyes drifted over to Snowball’s

paws.

The next moment, his expression turned stormy.

‘Stupid cat!’ Lennox grumbled to himself.

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‘Seriously, where does he think it’s putting those paws?’ he thought, jaw clenched.

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Feeling Lennox’s glare, Snowball scrambled to pull his paws away from where they had been resting on Nerissa, looking all flustered.

Snowball whined to himself.

‘Dad’s so scary!’ Snowball thought, shrinking back a little.

Once Snowball finally moved his paws, Lennox’s face relaxed back to normal.

Nerissa cuddled Snowball as she chatted away with the others.

Lennox and Luke hung out nearby, keeping her company.

Everyone was getting along, and the vibe was super chill.

Riley peeled a tangerine for Nerissa and grinned, “Nerissa, mind if I ask you something a little personal? What kind of men do you like?”

Hannah instantly perked up, listening intently.

No one noticed.

Even Lennox, who’d been quiet the whole time, set his cup down without a word when he heard Riley’s question.

Nerissa shook her head. “Honestly, I haven’t given it much thought yet.”

Right now, all that was on her mind was studying hard, getting into her dream college, and getting Grandpa Jamison out of Aosthorne.

Hannah jumped in, “Well, do you like men who are handsome, have killer abs, make bank, and very tall?”

“Who wouldn’t love a man who’s hot, loaded, and has a six-pack?” Nerissa grinned. “I’m just a regular girl, so of course I’m into that.”

Hannah nodded, beaming. ‘Looks like my bratty son actually has a shot!’ she thought.

When it came to height, Lennox was a towering 6’4″.

As for looks, he totally outshone those pretty boys from the entertainment world.

And those abs? No need to even mention it, he hit the gym every single day.

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Chapter 67

When it came to money, he was a regular fixture in the top 10 of the rich list.

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For the first time, Hannah thought maybe all that money her bratty son had was finally good for something.

At exactly 11:30,

Stratfordland started lunch right on time.

Hannah sat at the head of the table, giving Nerissa a grand introduction of the feast. “Nerissa, over here we’ve got some spicy dishes that’ll wake you right up. Those ones are light and fresh, and this section was all about the rich, savory flavors. And don’t forget the ones with a real kick! Since I had no clue what kind of food you might like, I told our chefs to whip up their signature specialties. So dig in, make yourself at home!”

The Stratford family kept more than twenty chefs on hand.

They could whip up specialties from every corner of the country.

“Thank you, Mrs. Stratford,” Nerissa said.

“Oh, sweetie, I told you, make yourself at home!” Hannah replied.

Riley grinned and said, “Lennox, you’re a bit older than Nerissa, and you’re sitting right next to her. Girls’ hands are delicate, and those seafood have shells that are tough to crack. Be a gentleman and help Nerissa out. Make sure you do the peeling for her, alright?”

“You got it, sis,” Lennox replied.

Nerissa didn’t really pay much attention to Lennox’s reply.

Until…

A slender hand put a freshly peeled crab leg on her plate.

Nerissa blinked in surprise and looked up.

She caught sight of Lennox’s sharp profile, his nose straight and lips set in a firm line. Noticing her gaze, he glanced over, his voice low and a little husky, “Not into crab? Want me to peel a shrimp for you instead?”

“Sure,” Nerissa said. He was so chill about it, so she just rolled with it.

‘Free help? No reason to say no,’ Nerissa thought to herself.

‘Might as well make the most of it,’ she mused.

Seeing this, Hannah and Riley exchanged a look, both grinning from ear to ear.

‘Looks like it’s not just us getting our hopes up for nothing!’ they thought.

‘Best news ever!’ they cheered.

Even Luke was shocked.

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Chapter 67

‘Oh my god!’ Luke thought, his jaw practically hitting the floor.

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‘Uncle Lennox is actually peeling shrimp for a girl? Is this even the same man I knew?’ he wondered, mind blown.

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, Luke would’ve bet money this was fake.

After lunch.

Riley and Hannah took Nerissa out to the back garden to walk off lunch.

The back garden at Stratfordland was massive, packed with all kinds of rare and exotic plants, some you wouldn’t even find in a botanical garden.

Right now, the gardeners were busy trimming the flowers and watering the plants.

Wherever they went, Hannah would introduce Nerissa to everyone. “This is Ms. Jamison, our honored guest here at Stratfordland.”

“Hello, Ms. Jamison,” the gardeners called out.

Luke and Lennox trailed behind.

Luke leaned in and whispered, “Uncle Lennox, fess up and I’ll go easy on you. Keep dodging and I’ll make it tough. Just tell me, are you into Nerissa or not?”

“Dude, give it a rest, will you? I told you, I’m not the settling-down type,” Lennox replied.

Luke shot back, “Then why were you playing waiter for Nerissa? Peeling shrimp and crab for her and all that?”

“Because she saved my life,” Lennox replied.

Serving his lifesaver was the least he could do.

Luke narrowed his eyes, ‘Was it really as simple as Uncle Lennox claimed? Yeah, right.

He didn’t buy it for a second.

Luke added, “Oh, and by the way, Nerissa’s birthday is on the 8th next month. Uncle Lennox, make sure you get her something nice.”

When Nerissa treated Lennox at the hospital, she had shown her ID to the staff.

Right then, Luke secretly memorized her birthday.

“Just so you know, I don’t spend a dime on anyone who’s not blood,” Lennox said flatly.

Luke was speechless. ‘How typical! Uncle Lennox is still the ultimate penny-pincher. Just mention money and he full cheapskate mode,’ he thought. “But that’s Nerissa we’re talking about! And didn’t you say she literally saved your life?”

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“I already paid her for the treatment,” Lennox replied.

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Luke rolled his eyes, totally fed up. “Uncle Lennox, good thing you’re a sworn bachelor. Otherwise, you’d never land a girlfriend in this lifetime!”

As evening rolled around, Nerissa announced she was leaving.

Hannah didn’t really want to see her leave, but she couldn’t keep her from heading home. “Lennox, take Nerissa back.”

“Got it, Mom,” Lennox replied.

Hannah, Riley, and Luke walked Nerissa to the door.

Riley reminded Lennox, “Lennox, drive safe, okay?”

“Got it,” Lennox replied with a slight nod.

Hannah stood by the passenger side. “Nerissa, come visit us again soon, okay?”

“I will, Mrs. Stratford,” Nerissa replied.

After Lennox and Nerissa left, Luke said, “Grandma, Mom, I’m gonna head out too. Got some work waiting for me back at the office.”

“Alright, take care,” Hannah nodded.

Once everyone else had left, Riley finally turned to Hannah. “Mom, seriously, isn’t Nerissa like ten thousand times prettier than the girl you saw at the hospital?”

Hannah’s eyes lit up as she suddenly remembered. “Riley, I didn’t even realize until you mentioned it. Nerissa is the girl I saw at the hospital! Can you believe how fate works sometimes?”

Riley gaped at her. “Are you serious?”

“Of course!” Hannah nodded.

Riley laughed, “Now it all makes sense why you were acting weird when you saw Nerissa! Looks like Lennox and Nerissa are totally made for each other.”

“Totally! They’re just meant to be!” Hannah chimed in.

Guess that settled it. No more mother-daughter battles over who was the prettiest!

The car was nice and cozy inside.

The music playing was her favorite opera piece.

With Nerissa running herself ragged over the new game launch these past few days, she had barely got any sleep at night. So as soon as she hopped into the passenger seat, she leaned back and instantly crashed out.

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Chapter 67

From the rearview mirror, Lennox caught a glimpse of her profile, smooth and delicate.

Without even thinking, he eased off the gas, slowing the car down.

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It wasn’t until forty minutes later that the car finally pulled up in front of her apartment building.

Even after the car stopped, she didn’t wake up.

Lennox didn’t wake her up or turn off the engine. Instead, he grabbed a clean blanket, carefully tucked it around her, moving gently. As he leaned in, his nose ended up brushing right against Nerissa’s.

Lennox froze, finding himself inches from Nerissa’s face, her features magnified before his eyes. He quickly sat back up, blushing.

‘Oh damn!’ Lennox thought, feeling his heart skip a beat.

His heart was pounding again.

Heat surged through him, almost unbearable.

Lennox took a deep breath, grabbed a bottle of ice-cold water from the car fridge, and downed the whole thing in one gulp, trying to cool himself off and calm his racing heart. Only after that did he finally feel the heat in his chest start to fade.

After that, Lennox put his phone on silent, opened Google, and typed in [What’s a good birthday gift for a girl:]

The answers were all over the place.

Some said stuffed animals while others recommended lipstick, skincare products, or even bags, because a good bag could fix anything!

Lennox wasn’t in a rush. He took his time, reading through every single answer with care.

Lennox lost track of time as he kept browsing through all those answers.

Suddenly, Nerissa woke up. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw the car parked out front of her building. Still groggy, she glanced at the dashboard clock, then snapped awake. “Did I keep you waiting for long?”

They’d left Stratfordland at 6:10 after dinner. Usually, it was just a thirty-minute drive, but now it was already eight o’clock!

Lennox answered, totally unfazed, “Traffic was a bit heavy. I just got here and I haven’t even turned off the engine yet.”

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