Rejected Heiress, Reigning Queen novel Chapter 136

Carter's gaze darkened, and the air around him turned icy.

Travis matched his intensity, neither man willing to back down in their silent standoff.

"Travis, I like Carter."

Emma suddenly stepped forward, looping her arm affectionately through Carter's. She bit her lip, looking appropriately shy.

"I'm the one who forced him to marry me."

Travis froze completely.

What did he just hear?

For a fleeting second, Carter also doubted his own ears. Beneath his carefully blank expression, his mind was racing with absolute euphoria.

She said she liked him?

Even though it was almost certainly a lie to appease Travis, hearing those words felt incredibly good.

Carter fought the urge to smile, doing his best to play along.

"Do you even hear what you're saying right now?"

Travis stared at Emma, looking both suspicious and slightly angry.

Could it actually be true?

"Travis, don't you have a big race tomorrow? I made a massive bet with Tristan. If you lose, I'm the one who gets humiliated."

Emma puffed out her cheeks, pulling on Travis's arm again. "So you need to get some serious rest tonight."

Reminded of the bet, Travis let out a helpless, deeply affectionate sigh.

"Got it. Relax, I'm not going to lose."

Travis took the room originally meant for Julian and went straight to bed. He needed to adjust to the time zone, and a good night's sleep was crucial for tomorrow's race.

Emma stared at his closed door and let out a long breath of relief.

"I'm sorry," Carter suddenly said.

Once the medication was applied, Emma's fingers lightly traced the skin near the injury.

A maddening, electrifying itch spread across Carter's torn skin, but he didn't dare move a muscle. He kept his fists clenched, completely pretending he didn't feel a thing.

Emma smirked, leaning in close to his ear.

"If you didn't want to go back to your room, just say so. Don't waste my medical supplies."

Her voice was soft and sweet, but laced with a teasing, icy clarity.

Carter's heart hammered against his ribs. She had completely seen through his little trick.

"Don't forget, Mr. Harrington. I'm a doctor."

Emma stood up and packed away the first aid kit. One glance at the tear pattern was all she needed to know exactly how he had purposely strained the muscle to rip the stitches. Did he really think he could fool her?

Faced with her terrifying professional accuracy, Carter pressed his lips together and awkwardly changed the subject.

"While I was looking for you, my men sent over some information they dug up on Pamela Palmer."