She's Too Busy Winning to Watch Him Cry novel Chapter 100

"I meant exactly what I said."

Furious, Madeline lunged forward to grab Jasmine, but Jasmine swiftly sidestepped the attack.

Madeline stumbled, barely catching herself on the edge of the table. By the time she regained her balance, Jasmine was already walking out the door with her head held high, Tabitha and Elara trailing triumphantly behind her.

Whispers erupted from the onlookers. Lyra quickly stood up and helped Madeline into a chair. "Are you okay?"

"You're completely different now."

Madeline spoke with thick frustration. She hated seeing Lyra so passive. The old Lyra was a firecracker—bold, unapologetic, and fiercely protective of her own boundaries. Now, she was emotionally detached, letting people walk all over her.

Lyra frowned softly. "If you pick a fight with her, Rowan will absolutely destroy your family's business."

Madeline stared in disbelief. "Is Rowan really that obsessed with protecting her?"

Lyra nodded grimly. In her past life, the Fairchild family had been entirely decimated for that exact reason. "Besides, Caleb is getting married soon. I can't afford to cause any drama right now."

"Caleb is getting married? That's amazing!" Madeline's anger briefly dissolved into surprise. "What's your new sister-in-law like?"

"She's wonderful," Lyra said, her expression finally softening into a genuine smile.

"You better save ten invitations for me. My entire family is coming to that wedding."

Lyra laughed. "Deal."

They spent the next hour catching up on lighter gossip.

After they parted ways, Lyra got into her car and merged onto the busy street. Her phone buzzed with an unknown number.

Without thinking much of it, she answered on speakerphone. The voice on the other end nearly made her slam on the brakes.

"Get to Seaborne General Hospital. Now."

It was Rowan.

The line went dead before she could respond.

A cold dread settled in her stomach.

Gripping the steering wheel tightly, she took a sharp turn at the next intersection and sped toward the hospital.

...

The second Lyra walked through the hospital doors, Lucas Chavez stormed up to her.

Losing his patience, Lucas grabbed her wrist tightly. "You're saying that on purpose, aren't you? You know damn well it was a hit-and-run, and the street cameras had a blind spot."

So there was no evidence to prove her innocence?

"I literally just parted ways with Madeline. I wouldn't have had the time to orchestrate a hit-and-run."

In her previous life, Rowan had guarded Jasmine with such terrifying precision that Lyra couldn't have laid a finger on her even if she tried. In the end, it was Lyra who was left broken and bleeding.

This time around, knowing full well she couldn't touch Jasmine, her only focus had been saving Fairchild Holdings. Revenge hadn't even crossed her mind.

It wasn't just a lack of desire—it was a logistical impossibility.

Rowan's protection was an impenetrable fortress.

Meeting his lethal stare, Lyra tilted her chin up, speaking with absolute clarity. "I didn't do it. I had nothing to do with that car."

Rowan stared down at her, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "Was it you, or was it Madeline? Tell the truth."

Lyra turned deathly pale. He was actually dragging Madeline into this nightmare. She frowned deeply. "Neither of us had anything to do with this. For all you know, she crossed someone else."

The moment the words left her mouth, Rowan's expression turned utterly predatory, his large hand snapping forward to ruthlessly grip her jaw.