The Rejected Luna (Avery and Kaden) novel Chapter 161

161 /212

**Between the Wings of Twilight Lies the Memory of You**
**by Liren Ava Roen**
**Chapter 161**

For a staggering sum of a hundred million dollars, he could easily hire me as a housekeeper or even a trophy wife. He could make me cater to Verna’s every whim once she had his baby, and honestly, I wouldn’t bat an eye at it.

That was the extent of my dwindling pride. There were countless ways to sever our ties, and as long as there was no emotional connection between Steven and me, I could endure anything. I could simply pretend he was just my boss. For that kind of money, I would tolerate any insufferable employer. But the catch was that he wanted to sleep with me.

That was a line I wouldn’t cross.

Deep down, I had a nagging suspicion about why he had brought this up out of the blue. He was feeling lonely, or perhaps Verna had gotten under his skin again. This had happened more times than I could count in my past life. Whenever he had a blowout with Verna, he would pull me into his bed, unleashing his pent-up frustration on me, leaving me so sore that getting out of bed the next day was a struggle.

It felt like history was repeating itself. Until Verna fell head over heels for him, he needed a woman to unleash his anger on.

The allure of the money faded away like mist in sunlight, and I abruptly snapped back to reality, yanking my hand away from his grasp. My gaze was piercing as I leveled my eyes at him.

“What I’m saying is, I can accept your first condition, but the second one is non-negotiable. You have more money than you could possibly spend in a lifetime. A hundred million could easily buy you hundreds of women, not just one. And I know how ungrateful and foolish I must sound, but Steven… even with all that, I still refuse you. And I always will.”

His strikingly handsome face paled, and dark clouds gathered in his eyes, a storm brewing just beneath the surface. A vein pulsed angrily in his temple, yet he somehow managed to keep his temper in check.

I stood up, running my fingers through my long, tangled curls and straightening my collar, trying to regain my composure. I looked down at the cold, stony figure of the man I once knew so intimately.

“Steven, since we can’t come to an agreement on our divorce, we’ll have to take this to court.”

I leaned in closer, my voice dropping to a low, unwavering whisper. “And let me be clear—I will do whatever it takes to finalize this divorce in this lifetime.”

“Court?” he shot back, his expression sharpening, a humorless and bitter smile playing at the corners of his lips. “You want to sue me? You go on and on about how much you respect my grandfather, about how fond you are of him, then you turn around and drag his favorite grandson through a messy lawsuit? Do you really want to make things that ugly?”

He had a point. The primary reason I had sought a peaceful, negotiated divorce was out of respect for the old man. A lawsuit would be a catastrophic mess, especially for a family like the Lancasters. They were a dynasty, with a pristine public image cultivated over generations, seemingly untouched by marital scandals. Even my father-in-law, with all his sternness and intimidating presence, had only ever been with Mary.

I kept my expression steady, refusing to show any sign of weakness. “You’re forcing my hand. If you hadn’t reneged on your word and had simply negotiated the divorce properly, we wouldn’t be at this point.”

Steven closed his eyes for a brief moment, the weight of the situation heavy on his shoulders. He tugged at his collar, his breathing noticeably labored.