Wife You Discarded is a Billionaire's Crush novel Chapter 179

The man's voice was teasing, and he made no effort to lower it.

Everyone in the room could hear.

Liliana was instantly mortified.

She understood why Cedric had asked her to come: to assert his ownership.

He wanted to put on a show for Douglas, to pretend that they were a deeply affectionate couple.

Oh, no—that *she* was deeply in love with Cedric.

But doing this in front of both families' elders was social suicide for her.

She stood frozen in place, her toes curling inside her shoes, her face tense with discomfort.

"Sit here." Cedric patted the spot beside him.

It was a reddish-brown wooden bench, big enough for two people, but it would be a tight squeeze.

The man looked at her with a smile in his eyes, like a doting husband.

But she just felt a wave of irritation.

Before she could even move to sit, she heard Chloe say to Mirabelle with a laugh.

"They seem so in love. Ah, my Douglas is such a worry. He's about the same age as Cedric and still not married."

Mirabelle wasn't adept at this kind of conversation. She replied stiffly, "It's normal for young people to prioritize their careers."

Chloe's eyes darted around, and she seized the opening. "But a career can't carry on the family line, can it? There's no end to work. Those shareholders at Sewell Group don't respect him, forcing him to enter the real estate industry right after he took over…"

So, that was why the two families were meeting.

Liliana knew nothing about business. She obediently sat down next to Cedric, hoping that if she cooperated, he would be pleased and give her the allowance.

She sat pressed against him. His arm was firm, muscular, and well-defined.

A strand of her long hair fell across his elbow, the ends tickling his skin through his white shirt.

It sent a faint tingle through him. Cedric's eyebrow rose slightly as he discreetly observed Douglas's expression.

"Is there anyone you're interested in?" Cedric leaned back, resting one hand on the back of the bench behind Liliana.

The gesture was intimate, almost as if he were half-embracing her.

Douglas's knuckles turned white as he gripped the game piece, but his expression remained unchanged. "Yes."

Everyone except Liliana was a little surprised.

Perhaps Douglas had never mentioned having someone he was interested in before.

Liliana guessed it must be the person who had caused him to leave the country and then return so suddenly.

"From what family?" Chloe forgot all about business, craning her neck to ask.

The gazes that had been on Cedric now shifted to Douglas.

Aside from Cedric, that is. He wasn't curious about who Douglas was interested in—as long as it wasn't Liliana.

He glanced sideways at the woman beside him. *His* Mrs. Forrest.