She's Too Busy Winning to Watch Him Cry novel Chapter 115

When five o'clock hit on Thursday, Lyra didn't head home.

She stayed behind to work overtime.

Having Secretary Montgomery order takeout, she forced down a few bites before diving back into her paperwork for several more hours.

Night had completely fallen by the time her phone buzzed just past eight o'clock. It was Delilah.

"Lyra, honey, I'm at a gala tonight and my car broke down. Mr. Lawrence is dealing with the mechanic. Can you come pick me up at... this address?"

"On my way."

An order from her mother was not to be ignored.

She checked the location pinned in the text message.

Shutting down her laptop, she grabbed her keys and sped straight toward the sprawling private mansion hosting the gala.

Half an hour later, she arrived at the estate.

The moment she stepped into the glittering ballroom, she spotted Tabitha. Draped in a stunning silver gown and clutching a champagne flute, Tabitha was striking a haughty pose while cornering Delilah. A small flock of high-society wives flanked her.

Word had it that Ford Enterprises had aggressively swept up several massive contracts. Even though Rowan had failed to annihilate Fairchild Holdings, he had clearly not stopped feeding the Fords.

Drunk on her newfound proximity to the Jameson empire, Tabitha was parading herself around like royalty—despite the fact that barely a few months ago, she hadn't even been qualified to breathe the same air as these women.

"I hear your Lyra and Rowan aren't quite as thick as thieves anymore," Tabitha crooned with dripping sympathy. "He's always been such an icy man, but these days, it seems he doesn't even acknowledge her existence."

She flashed Delilah a devastatingly fake, pitying smile.

Delilah flushed with humiliation. She knew full well how ruthlessly Rowan had discarded her daughter, leaving her with no ammunition to fire back.

"Of course, he treats my Jasmine entirely differently," Tabitha boasted loudly. "He showers her in roses, diamonds... he even bought her a multi-million-dollar sports car the other day."

The surrounding wives gasped in theatrical awe.

"Mr. Jameson is that generous? He really knows how to spoil his woman. You'd never guess it looking at him... everyone assumed he was a ruthless machine incapable of love, but look at him now..."

"You are truly blessed, Tabitha. It's not every day a woman gets to be the future mother-in-law of Rowan Jameson."

Basking in the intoxicating flattery, Tabitha couldn't suppress her smug, triumphant glare.

"Honestly, Rowan is just a straightforward man," she purred. "If he doesn't like someone, he doesn't like them. A girl can throw herself at his feet all she wants, but it won't buy her an ounce of his affection."

"Mom, stay away from Tabitha," Lyra said as she navigated the dark, winding roads.

Keeping her eyes glued to the street, she fired a stark warning. "She is a deeply dangerous woman."

Delilah chuckled softly and murmured, "I know, sweetheart."

Delilah had indeed noticed a drastic shift in her old classmate.

Tabitha had become impossibly arrogant.

It was a far cry from the humble, deferential woman who had first knocked on the Fairchild mansion's doors begging for connections when the Fords initially arrived in Seaborne City.

But Delilah didn't take it to heart. It was human nature, after all. Tabitha had clawed her way up from nothing, so parading her newfound wealth was just a desperate attempt to erase the humiliating years she spent bowing her head to survive.

...

By the time they arrived back at the mansion, Caleb still wasn't home.

With the wedding just around the corner, her brother was drowning in last-minute preparations.

The summer heat was beginning to set in. Liam, who was home on break from culinary school, brought up the upcoming nuptials. "Miss Fairchild, why didn't you go help Caleb set up the new house?" the young man asked curiously.