They Called Me Heartless So Reborn I Watched Them Self Destruct novel Chapter 158

Chapter 158: 158- Gotcha!

Lucien:

The moment I entered the hall, my eyes found Arabella sitting beside Toby. So that was where she had decided to spend the evening.

I had received her message earlier, telling me she would come to the celebration on her own. By the time I replied, she had already stopped answering, and now I could see why.

I followed my family to the royal table and took my seat, but even with people speaking around me, my attention kept wandering back to her.

A warrior stopped to ask me something about tomorrow’s patrol, and once he left, my mother tried to pull me into another conversation, but I barely heard half of it.

Arabella looked beautiful. The black dress hugged her body, and the slit along her thigh became visible every time she shifted in her chair. She knew I was watching her too. At least, I thought she did.

Not once did she look in my direction. I reached for my phone under the table and sent her a message. Are you planning to ignore me all night?

I waited, watching her from across the hall. She continued eating. A few minutes later, I tried again.

At least look at me, Bella. I’m getting bored over here.

Still nothing. That finally made me check my phone properly to make sure the messages had actually gone through. They had.

I lifted my head again and found her listening to Toby while she ate, completely unaware… or deliberately ignoring my messages.

Knowing Arabella, the second possibility seemed far more likely. Bradley was speaking to one of the guards near the end of the table when I called him over.

“Go and ask Arabella where her phone is.” 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

He stared at me for a moment. “You called me over here for that?”

“Yes. And while you’re there, find out why she isn’t answering me.”

The look he gave me made it clear he had several things he wanted to say, but thankfully, he kept them to himself and walked toward her table.

I watched as he stopped beside Arabella. She looked up at him and immediately gave him a smile that she apparently couldn’t spare for me tonight.

They spoke for a few seconds before she shrugged and went right back to her food. Bradley returned with amusement written all over his face. “She says she forgot her phone in her room.”

I glanced at Arabella again. She was still happily eating beside Toby as if I didn’t exist. I knew that woman well enough by now. She was pissed at me for not trusting her blindly. But I couldn’t punish Jasmine just like that.

I believed Arabella, but belief and proof were two different things when I was sitting on the throne. If Jasmine had really given her that potion, I needed something solid enough that no one could question whatever I did to her afterward.

Before making her announcement, my mother leaned toward me. “Lucien, Elder Marcus is waiting for you in your office. You should go see him.”

“No, Mother. Not right now.” I flatly refused, with no room for argument. She looked a little too nervous. “Son, you can’t keep a council elder waiting.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify