Love's Cunning Ruse novel Chapter 245

Noblewood Retreat.

It's Sunday today and Ivan had no classes. He was just chilling on the couch, watching TV. Sitting next to him was Julie, leaning on Kieran. The three of them made a pretty cozy picture, just lounging around and watching TV.

On the screen, Lionel said, "I've got a slip of paper here with a fan's name on it. Let's reveal who the lucky fan is together."

Julie, tugging nervously at Kieran's sleeve, said, "I've already told Daphne to lay low. She should be able to dodge this, right?"

Pausing, she asked, "But what if she can't get away?"

Kieran responded, "Lionel is going after Daphne. If she manages to escape, that would be something."

Julie sighed, "This is all your fault. You knew I had the speaker on, yet you let Lionel hear Daphne's location!"

Kieran responded innocently, "I had no idea Daphne was trying to avoid Lionel."

Left speechless by this, Julie tried to console herself, "It's okay. Daphne is with her parents. She should be fine."

On the video, Lionel had already revealed the name he drew. It's 'Daphne'.

He even made a joke, "What a coincidence, this fan's name is the same as the woman who means the most to me."

Julie turned to Kieran and asked, "What does 'the woman who means the most' mean to you guys?"

Kieran responded, "I can't speak for others, but for me, the most important woman is the woman I love the most. No matter what happens, I want to be there for her right away. I want to be with her for a lifetime."

Julie nodded and said, "You could write a book, 'How to Pursue Your Partner' or maybe just 'The Secret to Winning Over Your Partner'."

Before Kieran could respond, he heard Ivan's voice from the side, "Mom, is Dad saying that you're the woman I care about the most? Because no matter what happens to you, I want to be there for you right away. I also want to be with you for a lifetime."

Seeing his son's innocent face, Kieran couldn't help but be alert.

Upon hearing this, Julie immediately hugged her son and said, "Ivan, you're also the person I care about the most."

Feeling smug, Ivan asked, "What about Dad?"

Seeing Kieran's expression, Ivan knew he had achieved his goal. He quickly pointed at the TV and said, "Oh no, Lionel is going straight to Daphne's car!"

Julie turned to the TV. Lionel and the camera crew were walking towards the parking lot, reading out the license plate number as they go.

They stopped in front of a newly parked car, and several cameras were pointing at the car door.

The door opened, and all the passengers got out with shocked expressions. Lionel stood not far from the car door, an assistant holding an umbrella for him.

Daphne, holding her parents' hands, barely stood up when she saw Lionel standing outside the car. Despite the car window between them, the man's gaze seemed to penetrate the glass.

She wrapped her scarf tighter around her head, gripping her parents' sleeves tightly.

The driver's voice rang out, "Last three passengers, please disembark."

Only after making sure she's bundled up tightly did Daphne finally muster the courage to get out of the car. Her head was almost tucked into her neck, but Lionel still called her out, "Daphne!"

On this side of the TV, Julie gripped Kieran's sleeve, "Do you think Mr. Lionel has lost it? Didn't he say he didn't want to marry Daphne? Why is he making such a scene?"

Kieran went on, "Instead of getting 90% of Fabian's wealth, I believe Lionel would rather see Fabian penniless. If you were Fabian, would you rather pass on 90% of your wealth to Lionel before you turn 55 and live off the remaining 10% peacefully, or hand over everything to Pearce after you're 55?"

"Definitely the 10%," Julie answered without hesitation.

Kieran nodded, "But if Lionel doesn't acknowledge the contract, then it can be voided, and Fabian can retain all of his wealth. Don't you think Fabian would be looking forward to that?"

She took it humbly like a child and nodded, "Look forward to it."

"And if you were Lionel, would you agree to void the contract?" Kieran asked again.

Julie shook her head decisively, "Of course not!"

It took a moment before Julie realized she was confused again.

"I still don't understand," she confessed, "What does this have to do with Lionel not wanting to marry Daphne?"

"Consider this," Kieran started, "For all these years, Fabian has been trying to get Lionel to give up the contract. But he never did. Why do you think that is?"

"Because Fabian is no match for Lionel."

"And why can't he compete with Lionel?" Kieran mused. "Because Lionel doesn't have any weaknesses. But now that Daphne is pregnant, wouldn't Fabian use her if he knew? The Kemp family could easily crush the Flores family like ants. The Flores family is no match for the powerful Kemp family, right?"

Kieran's words seemed to enlighten Julie.

He pulled her into his arms and said, "When Lionel first found out about Daphne's pregnancy, he was a bit panicked. He needed to take responsibility for Daphne, but he didn't want to drag her into this mess. So he decided to send her overseas to give birth. But in order to do that, he first had to convince her parents. Marriage is the best way to do that. If they already had a marriage certificate before Daphne was safely abroad, that would be stirring up a hornet's nest with Fabian. Lionel had already decided to give up Thelma's contract, but he had to make sure Daphne was safe first before he could negotiate with Fabian. However, before he could arrange everything, Daphne was already out of his sight..."