Trash Husband, I'm the Top novel Chapter 396

Mrs. Winters forced a smile, though her expression betrayed her true feelings.

She had been over the moon when Louis finally agreed to let the family arrange his engagement—the relief and excitement had been overwhelming. But her joy was short-lived. It turned out Louis had no interest in the debutantes she’d so carefully selected; instead, he wanted to get engaged to Judy, a woman he’d barely known for any time at all.

Mrs. Winters was at her wit’s end.

She had absolutely no desire to see the Winters family joined with the Chambers family.

Looking back, she almost wished she’d just let Louis be with Nora. At least Nora was gentle, nothing like Judy, who was all business, all the time. As for Judy’s mother—Mrs. Winters hadn’t interacted with her often, but it was obvious she was a formidable woman, not someone easy to deal with.

The elderly Mrs. Cooper hadn’t shown her face in society for quite some time, so when she made her entrance, people immediately flocked over to greet her.

She exchanged pleasantries, introducing Nora to the crowd. Everyone recognized Nora; what took them by surprise was that, after leaving the Chambers family, she had somehow become the beloved granddaughter of the Coopers.

Some people just seemed born under a lucky star.

After mingling for a while, Nora’s legs began to feel weak. She excused herself to Mrs. Cooper and slipped away to the lounge.

That was when Nora’s phone rang. It was Judy. “Nora, can you come upstairs? I need a hand.”

Nora sighed, resigned, and made her way up.

Judy, dressed in a striking red gown, was struggling with a stuck zipper. With no one else around, she’d had no choice but to call Nora for help.

Nora freed the zipper and straightened Judy’s dress. “Congratulations on your engagement,” she said, her tone sincere.

Judy gathered her skirt and thanked her. “You look exhausted. Why don’t you rest here for a bit?”

Nora didn’t protest and agreed, settling down in the adjoining lounge to lie down and catch her breath.

When she was feeling a little better, she got up to head downstairs. She opened the door—only to find Daniel sitting on the sofa.

He was dressed in a tailored suit, looking thinner than before, but his gaze was as sharp as ever.

Nora’s brow furrowed; she immediately turned to leave.

“Nora.” Daniel called her name, his tone more restrained than in the past.

“Wait.” Daniel caught up and grabbed her wrist. “Nora, are you really still hung up about us?”

For a second, Nora wondered if she’d misheard.

Hung up? Was Daniel seriously that full of himself?

“Why else won’t you work with Judy?” Daniel pressed, lips taut, insisting on an answer.

Nora felt he was being utterly unreasonable.

She forced herself to stay calm. “I simply prefer to work alone. Besides, I’ve worked at Chambers Group before, and I didn’t like it. Is that reason enough?”

Daniel felt a pang in his chest.

He wanted to ask if it was the company she disliked, or him. But the words stuck in his throat—it would only invite humiliation.

“If you want your studio to grow, Chambers Group is your best shot.”