Obedience No More He's the One I Deserved novel Chapter 298

**TITLE: Beseeched 298**
**Chapter 298 Friends, Warnings, and Secrets**

Kate leaned back against the car seat, her expression a mixture of defiance and vulnerability. “They don’t like me because I’m too pretty,” she declared, her tone heavy with conviction.

Tony felt a lump form in his throat, the weight of her words pressing down on him.

Her seriousness caught him off guard, rendering him momentarily speechless. What could he possibly say to that?

He cleared his throat, attempting to find the right words, finally settling on, “Yeah, I guess pretty girls tend to stick together. Ms. Porter is great, though. You really lucked out getting to know her.”

A flicker of pride ignited in Kate’s eyes as she lifted her chin slightly, a smile teasing at the corners of her lips. “Of course! I have amazing taste.”

But then, as if a shadow had crossed her thoughts, her expression darkened. “But that means your boss is even more unbelievable! Dawn is so sweet, and he still hurt her. How could he do that? Isn’t he afraid of, I don’t know, going to hell or something?”

Tony’s demeanor shifted, a frown etching itself onto his face. “You better take that back,” he warned, his voice low and serious. “I told you, he has his reasons.”

“Oh really? What reasons could possibly justify that?” she pressed, her curiosity piqued.

Tony hesitated, the words stuck in his throat. He wanted to spill the truth, to explain the complexities of the situation, but he knew some things were far too intricate to lay bare.

Even his boss struggled under the weight of the consequences. Tony certainly didn’t have the strength to handle it himself.

“Why’d you stop?” Kate huffed, crossing her arms in frustration.

“See? At the end of the day, you guys always have excuses,” she shot back, her tone filled with skepticism.

Tony felt the need to defend his boss, though he couldn’t quite articulate why. “Anyway, things aren’t what you think. My boss and Roxanne? There’s nothing going on between them. Trust me on that. He wouldn’t even look at her that way.”

His voice held a sincerity that made Kate pause. She turned to him, scrutinizing his face for any hint of deception.

If he believes it, there might be some truth hidden in there, she thought.

Her brother had kept secrets from her too, and she was no stranger to the complexities of adult relationships.

But this Ethan guy …

Kate pressed her lips together, deciding to hold her thoughts as they drove.

When Tony pulled up to the address she had provided, he couldn’t hide his surprise at the opulent gated community that lay before them.

A rich girl, huh? No wonder she exudes such confidence.

“We’re here,” he announced, shifting the car into park.

He reached into his pocket, retrieving a business card, and handed it to her with a serious expression. “If anything goes wrong later, just contact me directly. And please, tell Ms. Porter that the rumors online aren’t true. We’re still trying to sort things out. Just ask her not to overthink it.”

Tony felt the weight of his words; he wasn’t sure how much he was allowed to say, so he chose to share only half of what he felt.

“Oh, right,” he added, a note of urgency creeping into his voice. “You should be careful too. It might be wise to hire a bodyguard.”

Kate opened her mouth, ready to laugh and dismiss him, but as the warning registered, her eyes widened in alarm.

Wait. Could this be some sort of feud among wealthy families?

“Then what do you want to know?” Norris inquired, clearly intrigued.

“His love life! How does he treat people? What kind of man is he?” She began counting on her fingers. “Oh, and how does he get along with his wife? You do know he’s married, right?”

Norris fell silent, his gaze shifting to his sister as he tried to read her expression.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” she asked, her voice dropping slightly as she instinctively shrank back.

“Why do you look like you’re about to bite me? I’m just asking!”

“Is that really something you should be asking?” Norris flicked her forehead lightly, his tone sharpening. “Let me be clear, Kate. If you want to keep a sugar baby, I won’t say a word. But you are not allowed to pursue someone who’s already married. No excuses.”

Kate fell into a contemplative silence, her mind racing.

“What the hell?” she finally exclaimed, running her fingers through her hair in frustration. “You’re totally misunderstanding me. Ugh! Fine, I’ll just say it. I’m friends with his wife. But lately, Ethan’s been all over the internet with those rumors. I want to know what kind of person he really is so I can figure out how to talk some sense into my friend.”

Norris let out a relieved breath, the tension easing slightly. “My heart almost stopped.”

“Come on, hurry up and tell me what you know,” Kate urged, her impatience bubbling to the surface.

“I don’t know much about his private life,” he admitted, “but I did try to get a project from him once, so I did a little digging. I heard his wife is his first love, and it took him a long time to win her over.”

He paused, gauging her reaction. “He doesn’t have a messy personal life. As for those stories online…”

**Chapter 299 What She Needed to Hear**