Too Late, Mr. Cooper: Your Bride Ran with Your Baby novel Chapter 17

Liliana recovered quickly. She forced her voice to sound calm. “Helena’s nephew is due soon. She was excited and wanted to grab a drink to celebrate.”

Linton’s brow furrowed, his deep, expressive eyes still full of doubt. He opened his mouth to ask another question, but just then, Isabella popped out from behind him, cutting in first. “Liliana, what a coincidence seeing you here!”

Liliana’s eyes flickered. Only then did she realize Isabella was with him. Without a word, she grabbed Helena’s arm and stood up to leave. Isabella’s expression turned guilty. “Liliana, are you angry? Linton just brought me here to celebrate my new job with some friends. There’s nothing going on, don’t misunderstand.”

Liliana stopped. Linton never took her to meet his friends. They had been engaged for six years, had grown up together, yet he had never once let her into his social circle. As a result, his friends all looked down on her, assuming she was just some desperate, pathetic girl chasing after him. Now, Isabella starts as his secretary, and he’s throwing a party with his friends to celebrate. Liliana raised an eyebrow and shot Linton a look dripping with sarcasm.

Linton met her gaze coolly. “Grandfather asked me to take her out, to help her relax.”

“That’s right, it was Grandfather’s idea,” Isabella chimed in, her voice soft and gentle. “Liliana, you know I haven’t been doing well lately. Losing my husband, the anniversary of my parents’ death, and my depression acting up the other day… Grandfather was just worried about me. He thought that since I just started at the Cooper Group, Linton should take extra care of me for a while.”

She couldn’t be bothered to argue with him anymore. It was pointless, a waste of time. She turned to leave, but a cocky voice with a thick Crownport accent called out from behind her.

“Yo! Linton, you finally made it! We are waiting for you, man!”

Sebastian Kingsley, with a head of bleached blond hair and a loud floral shirt, swaggered over, his hands stuffed in his pockets. The smile on his face froze when he saw Liliana. “Liliana,” he said, frowning, his face filled with undisguised contempt. “What are you doing here? Don’t tell me you had someone follow Linton, found out he was throwing a party for Isabella tonight, and came here to cause trouble.”