I Chose Me Over My Marriage novel Chapter 215

Nathaniel frowned deeply. "Why not?"

Maxwell opened his mouth, but the words died in his throat.

Nathaniel had no idea what he had pulled.

Since he had completely botched his plan, there was no way he was going to admit it out loud.

Instead, he deflected quietly, "I have my reasons."

Even though his scheme had failed, Preston had managed the cleanup impeccably, wiping every trace of evidence.

But just because Lyra hadn't made a move yet didn't mean she was letting it go.

There was a high chance she was already digging into it privately.

He absolutely could not afford to run into her right now and practically hand himself over on a silver platter.

Nathaniel studied his face for a moment before finally giving in.

"Fine. I handed you the opportunity. Whether you take it or not is your business, and if you regret it later, that's on you."

Ding—

A notification pinged on his phone.

Nathaniel glanced at the screen, a subtle shift altering his expression.

He put the phone away and looked back at Maxwell.

"I just got word that the Gardners of Averston are attending. Are you absolutely sure you want to sit this out?"

Hearing that, Maxwell bit his lower lip hard, his fists clenching tight.

Of course he wanted to go.

The Gardner Family was the colossal powerhouse the Sterlings had been desperately trying to cozy up to for ages, yet despite all his efforts, he had never even managed a sit-down with Ezekiel Gardner.

Having this golden ticket dangled right in front of him was pure torture.

Sensing his internal war, Nathaniel said smoothly, "You have two hours to decide. I've got things to handle. See you later."

Leaving those words hanging, Nathaniel turned and walked out.

As the door shut, Maxwell was left drowning in his own conflict.

Meanwhile.

Seeing who it was, Lyra's brow furrowed.

"Marcus, what do you want?"

She wasn't entirely shocked that the Sterling Group had sent a representative.

She just hadn't expected it to be Marcus Sterling.

"It's been almost two months since we last saw each other. Did you miss me, Lyra?"

Marcus flashed a cocky smirk, leaning fully into his signature playboy persona.

As Chloe Thorne would put it, he was full of hot air.

In the past, Lyra would have just ignored his theatrics out of respect for the Sterlings.

But now, she had absolutely zero reason to hold back.

A cold smile touched Lyra's lips. "Is there something wrong with your eyes?"

Marcus blinked, completely thrown off, but before he could process it, she kept going.

"Or is Mr. Sterling just suffering from selective amnesia because you're too busy throwing money around and partying?"