Chapter 88
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Just then, Theodore’s phone started beeping insistently, and he quickly moved away to keep Daniel and Eliana from hearing.
He opened WhatsApp, which had been buzzing nonstop, and saw the group–filled with wealthy socialites and their partners had been mentioning him like crazy since yesterday.
Since he had time to kill, Theodore started reading from yesterday’s messages.
[Damn! Is today Easter? Mr. Theodore Russell is finally back in the game?]
[Back in the game? He pulled a hero move saving the girl.]
[He straight–up stole Anthony’s fiancée at his engagement party. Theodore’s a legend!]
[Is Alice still in the group? Tell her to chime in!]
[She is!]
Someone immediately tagged Alice, but she didn’t respond.
Those were all messages from yesterday.
Today’s messages were even more over the top. The socialites kept asking if he’d eloped with Alice and whether they should still consider her his girlfriend.
Theodore gently rubbed his phone, his expression unreadable.
Meanwhile, Alice lay in her hospital bed, flipping her phone restlessly as she scrolled through the same group chat. Her face heated up and her nerves spiked when she saw “consider Alice his girlfriend,” but she didn’t dare reply hastily.
Ever since the socialites found out about her and Anthony, they’d been giving her the cold shoulder and even sniping at her occasionally, yet she couldn’t bring herself to leave the group–it held too many memories of her and Theodore.
Staring at the screen, she wondered if he’d reply and what he’d say
Suddenly, a message popped up–from Theodore!
Her heart racing, Alice read the three simple words: [She isn’t.]
Just like that, he’d cut ties with her.
Alice’s gaze instantly went vacant.
Who could have guessed it wasn’t over? Theodore’s next message popped up right away: [Keep blabbing and my honey will get ticked off.]
This sent the group into a frenzy, with a flood of question marks.
[Who’s that?! Theodore’s new flame?]
[Then why keep Alice here? Boot her from the group!]
[Hold on, if Theodore has a new girl, why’d he save Alice?]
Yeah, if that was the case, why bother saving her at all?
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Chapter 88
Alice sank her teeth into her lower lip so hard it ached. Of course she knew about Eliana, but she refused to believe Eliana held such importance in Theodore’s heart. Otherwise, why would he have chosen her over Eliana in a moment of crisis?
But Theodore stayed silent.
The guys in the group wouldn’t let it go.
[Theodore, add your honey to the group.] This came from Clinton, the guy who’d tried to clash with Eliana before.
Theodore’s eyes flickered. Though Clinton was usually a flake, this time his suggestion hit home.
There was just one hitch–he didn’t even have Eliana’s WhatsApp contact.
Thinking this, Theodore sent her a friend request, waiting for her to accept.
Just then, a door creaked open behind him. He turned to see Eliana seeing Daniel out, their relaxed expressions making it obvious they’d had a good talk inside.
Theodore arched an eyebrow. Few people weren’t scared of Daniel, especially younger ones–even the rowdy Jayden turned shy as a mouse around him.
Right now, Eliana was saying softly, “Get some rest, Mr. Daniel Russell.”
“Sure.” Daniel grunted, then spun around and barked at Theodore the second he saw him, “What’re you gawking at? Tell someone to set up a room for me now!”
Theodore eyed him in confusion. “You’re really staying?”
Ever since Logan married Lainey, Daniel hadn’t spent the night at Russell Manor
Daniel’s eyes bulged, looking fierce as a guard dog. “What, you got a problem with that?”
Alice was moving into Russell Manor tomorrow, and he had to stay to back Eliana up. Plus, if Theodore dared to flirt with Alice again, he’d break his legs without hesitation.
“Sure thing,” Theodore said, glancing at Eliana beside him before telling Daniel, “Let’s go. I’ll take you to the penthouse to rest.”
After getting Daniel settled, Theodore returned to his room and asked casually, “What’d Grandpa talk to you about?”
Eliana pulled out the gem and held it out. “Not much. He gave me this.”
‘Grandpa actually gave this to her?‘ Theodore thought, his eyes flickering.
The last person to own this emerald necklace had been his mother. Sadly, she’d passed away when he was six, taken by illness. Later, when Lainey asked for the emerald necklace, Daniel snatched it up, saying it was reserved for his future granddaughter–in–law.
Now that it was in Eliana’s hands, he didn’t mind at all. Strangely, he felt like if his mother were still alive, she’d approve of this choice too.
Seeing him stare at the emerald necklace with a serious look, Eliana asked, “You want me to give it back?”
After all, this family heirloom belonged to the Russell family, and she valued his input.
Theodore’s voice was rough as he said, “It’s yours. Keep it.”
She nodded. “Alright, I’ll hold onto it safely.”
As she turned to stash the emerald necklace in her wardrobe, Theodore commented, “The safest place is on you.”
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In GMW
Chapter 88
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Eliana admitted frankly, “Nah, I’m scared of breaking it.”
Theodore was stunned. Most women would’ve worn it proudly and showed it off every day.
For some reason, Theodore kept thinking it wasn’t that she wasn’t good enough for him–it was the other way around.
He forced himself to change the subject and asked, “Did your phone go off?”
“Huh?” Eliana had been so busy talking to Daniel that she hadn’t noticed if her phone had buzzed. Now that Theodore brought it up, she pulled out her phone and unlocked the screen, only to see a “Friend Request Pending” notification.
When she saw “Theodore” on the request, she looked up in surprise at the slightly awkward man in front of her. “You actually sent me a friend request?” Thinking about how people had always begged him for his WhatsApp contact since he was a kid, Theodore clenched his teeth. “What’s wrong with that?”
His glare was practically saying, “If you don’t accept, I’ll lose it.”
Eliana shook her head. “No, I just figured you stopped using WhatsApp ages ago.” After all, he’d been blind for two years–how would he have used it?
‘Ouch, that stung,‘ Theodore thought.
Eliana tapped “Accept” without another word.
At the ping of the acceptance notification, Theodore smiled faintly. Then he quickly added her to the group chat.
AD
