He Loves Me Right, Finally novel Chapter 199

Backstage, models cycled through wardrobe changes, makeup touch-ups, and last-minute run-throughs.

Once Wynette confirmed Alice had everything handled, she headed back to the main hall.

She sat down beside Adriel and leaned in to whisper the news, "Noah and Lorelei are getting married."

"Married?" Even Adriel was caught off guard.

There'd been zero buzz about a Noah Shepherd wedding.

His mind went straight to Adam's recent push to replace the heir.

Adriel murmured, "Adam called that family meeting about a new heir and then dropped it out of nowhere. Maybe Lorelei's the reason."

But what had she done to make even Adam back down?

Wynette recalled the scene she'd just witnessed.

Clearly, it was Lorelei.

Noah had looked like he wanted to murder her, but didn't dare actually do anything.

Like she had something on him.

Whatever Lorelei had been doing during her disappearance, she'd come back with the entire Shepherd family in the palm of her hand.

Wynette was, admittedly, curious.

Adriel squeezed her hand. "The Shepherds are a sinking ship. I don't want you anywhere near it. Winnie, I need you to understand what I mean."

The way things were going, the water was too muddied to ever run clear again.

The Shepherds' fate was already sealed.

He just needed Wynette to stay out of the blast radius no matter what happened over there.

Upon hearing that, she looked at him, surprised for a moment.

Then, she smiled and promised him. "Okay."

She turned her attention to the runway.

Stage lights were set. The host was doing final sound checks.

Barring catastrophe, the show would begin on schedule.

The Shepherd Group was third in the lineup. The Jewell Group was second to last.

Wynette flipped through the program with one hand, whispering to Adriel about the other brands' collections.

When the Shepherd segment came up, she set the program down. "Restroom."

She got up and headed out.

Inside the restroom, a flash of scarlet caught her eye.

Lorelei was at the mirror, touching up her lipstick.

Through the reflection, she spotted Wynette in the doorway and arched a brow. "Not coming in?"

Wynette hesitated.

Lorelei gave a light laugh. "It's just me. Come in and lock the door. I put an out-of-order sign outside. Nobody's getting in."

Wynette noticed the sign she'd walked right past.

She'd been texting Alice about last-minute details and hadn't noticed it.

So, Lorelei had been waiting for her.

Wynette stepped inside and locked the door.

As she approached, Lorelei turned on the faucet.

Running water filled the silence between them.

Lorelei turned to face her.

She leaned back against the counter, palms braced behind her. "Wynette. I told you—give me time, and I'd find a way in."

There was a note of pride in her voice.

Wynette looked at her. "What did you do?"

What did the Shepherds need most?

No way. It can't be...

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