I Chose Me Over My Marriage novel Chapter 116

She paused for a second before continuing.

"Don't worry, I know my place and I know boundaries. I absolutely won't cause any trouble for you. It's just a small favor. Please?"

Meeting her earnest gaze, Miles didn't refuse. He gave a slight nod.

"Fine. In a way, it is a mutually beneficial arrangement."

He wasn't blind to Eleanor's true intentions.

She was terrified of his feelings for Lyra, but she couldn't bear to send Lyra away.

So, her only remaining option was to neutralize the threat through him.

Setting him up on blind dates was just a tactic to rush him into marriage.

If pretending to court Cecilia could ease Eleanor's paranoia and buy him some peace, it was worth it.

"Great. Can we exchange numbers, then? That way, if either of our mothers tries to pull another stunt, we can tip each other off."

As she asked, a faint glimmer of desperate hope shone in her eyes.

Her logic was flawless, and Miles had no reason to say no.

"Alright."

After they added each other's contacts, Cecilia let out a breath of relief.

"Well... I'll go upstairs and get my mom. I won't waste any more of your time."

Miles gave a polite nod, and Cecilia smiled before turning and heading up the stairs.

When Cecilia and Mrs. Chambers came back down, they were both beaming.

Eleanor followed closely behind them, her expression entirely unreadable, impossible to tell if she was pleased or suspicious.

When she remained silent, Miles chose to remain standing.

"Mom, whatever you want to say, just say it."

Meeting his calm, unapologetic gaze, Eleanor opened her mouth, hesitated, and finally voiced her thoughts.

"Do you actually like the Chambers girl?"

"You know the reality of the situation, Mom. We were classmates. We spent a lot of time together in middle and high school. But since she went abroad for her senior year, we haven't seen each other in nearly a decade. Don't you think it's a bit premature to talk about 'liking' someone after one brief reunion?"

His logic was airtight, leaving absolutely no room for Eleanor to argue.

"So you're saying you're interested in her?"

Miles shook his head. "We exchanged contacts. As for being interested or liking her, that depends entirely on whether a connection naturally develops over time."

He didn't admit to anything, but he didn't strictly deny it either.