Burn the Marriage, Keep the Crown novel Chapter 208

He came up with the idea of using a competition to draw in viewers.

But finding contestants who both knew antiques and looked good on camera was nearly impossible.

So he asked me to keep an eye out.

“Serena, you’re beautiful, and you’re an expert in antiques…”

Serena understood what Director Thomas was hinting at, but she still refused. “Director, I’d really rather not.”

“How can you say that? This is a wonderful opportunity to promote the culture of the Republic of Valeria! It’s settled, then. I’ll talk to my cousin about it right away.”

Serena didn’t even get a chance to object—Director Thomas was already off on his mission.

Well, it’s not like she’d definitely be picked, anyway.

…

Rain swept through Alderburg—quick and heavy, gone as suddenly as it came.

Frederick Foster stepped into the private lounge just as the rain stopped.

He’d skipped the hassle of an umbrella and jogged inside, water inevitably speckling his clothes and hair.

Someone with a sharp eye rushed over to offer him a towel.

Frederick waved it off, unconcerned, and went straight to Aaron.

When he saw Aaron sitting alone with nothing but a glass of red wine in front of him, Frederick relaxed a little.

“Drowning your sorrows again?”

He’d heard about Serena leaving Alderburg just an hour ago.

Everything had happened so suddenly—without the slightest warning.

He’d almost thought it was a joke.

But Victor had been so certain.

So Frederick had left his own pleasant company behind and hurried over to find Aaron.

But Aaron wasn’t hunched over his drink the way he usually was. Instead, he was tapping the armrest, looking quite pleased with himself.

“Ever seen a canary? Raised in a warm, sheltered cage all its life. One day, it accidentally slips out and finds a world completely different from the one it knows—exciting and new. But after a while, it’ll realize that the world outside isn’t as wonderful as it seemed. In fact, it’s full of dangers at every turn. When that happens, it’ll fly back to the comfort of its cozy cage.”

Frederick chuckled. “So you’re saying Serena’s your canary? That once she’s seen how rough the outside world can be, she’ll come right back to you. But, honestly, I don’t think Serena’s the canary type. You better be careful—she might fly out and never come back.”

Aaron’s eyes went cold.

Frederick quickly raised his hands in surrender, grinning. “Alright, alright, I’ll drop it. As long as you’re okay. Anyway, I’ll get going.”

“Where to?”

“What do you think?”

Aaron furrowed his brow, but as Frederick turned to leave, he called out, “A few days ago, Cynthia Lynwood ran into a woman at the grocery store who looked exactly like Evelyn.”

Frederick stopped dead in his tracks.

The devil-may-care smile vanished from his face.

It took him a long moment before he managed to whisper, “What did you say?”