Love’s Cunning Ruse

Chapter 190

In the end, Daphne decided to hop in Lionel’s car because he threatened her, saying, “You can get in

the car and pack your stuff yourself, or I’ll have Skyler Rex toss your stuff out.”

Skyler is Mr. Lionel’s assistant. Daphne gave Lionel a cute look and asked, “Can you give me Skyler’s

phone number?”

“If you call me in an intimate way, such as Lion, I’ll tell you,” Lionel responded with a teasing grin,

looking quite devilish. Without another word, Daphne opened the door, sat in the passenger seat, and

buckled her seatbelt.

How much did she not want to call him? Wasn’t she pretty chummy with Skyler?

“Got your tongue?” Lionel wasn’t about to let the topic slide. He didn’t start the car, but instead turned

to Daphne.

Daphne gave a fake smile and said, “In my mind, you’re like a god. Casually calling you by your name

would totally diminish your status!”

“Then call me ‘Mr. Ideal.”

“Mr. Ideal!” Daphne called out in a low voice.

Only then did Mr. Lionel start the car, satisfied.

Lionel’s apartment had left a deep impression on Daphne, so when she stepped foot in the room, her

legs were shaking.

“I’m not going to eat you!” Lionel opened the shoe cabinet and handed Daphne a pair of pink slippers.

Daphne remembered there were no women’s slippers in the house that morning, and she could tell

these were new..

Seeing Daphne staring at the slippers, Mr. Lionel smirked, “I bought these for you. Feeling touched?”

Daphne wasn’t about to tell Lionel that she was staring at the slippers because she was thinking about

how much effort Lionel put into trying to move her. She viewed him as a typical manipulative man.

Being someone with integrity, Daphne wasn’t easily swayed by sweet talk. So, she said, “Oh yes, I’m

so moved!” but she told herself not to believe a word from this man.

Seeing through Daphne’s insincere flattery, Lionel caught the wariness in her eyes.

Just as Daphne was about to walk further into the house, Lionel blocked her way.

They were too close, so Daphne could smell his cologne, the same scent as his bedsheets. The smell

reminded her of their past intimacy.

So, she stepped back, pressing her back against the door.

Lionel bent down, leaning his hand against the door next to Daphne’s head.

Lionel was tall, tall enough to envelop Daphne in his arms. Daphne saw this as a dangerous move, so

she didn’t dare look up. She knew if she did, he might mistake it for her being cute.

But, Daphne not looking up didn’t mean Lionel was going to let her off.

He lifted her chin, forcing her to look up. Daphne’s heart raced, before she could say anything, she

heard him ask, “Daphne, have you ever been dumped?”

She wished she had been.

Before she could answer, he started talking to himself, “Am I not your only man? Were your previous

relationships only emotional? Or were you dumped before you could get to know the other guy?”

She found that when this man was silent, he seemed like a playboy. But when he opened his mouth,

she wanted to punch him! His ‘get to know’ was too suggestive!

“How did you figure out that I’ve been dumped before?” She glared at him and said, “I’ve always been

the one getting dumped!”

Facing this quick-witted woman, Lionel found himself speechless for the first time.

He let go of Daphne’s face, took a step back, and looked at her solemnly, “You didn’t get what you

wanted because you deserve better.”

This solemn and slightly melancholic Lionel was new to Daphne. She felt he wasn’t trying to comfort

her, but himself.

Under the dim light, he seemed to be surrounded by a glow, reminding Daphne of his appearance

under the spotlight. But few people really knew the story behind the star Daphne knew about Lionel’s

past relationship with Albertine, how they didn’t end up together, and that Albertine was now happy.

While the man adored by countless fans shone in the spotlight, no one knew how he got over that

relationship.

All Daphne knew was that after he broke up with Albertine, he took a whole year off. She would never

tell Lionel that she was always checking his social media. During his break, she occasionally saw his

posts, pictures of him around the world.

Back then, she thought Albertine was just one of his many girlfriends. But then, he never had another

rumored girlfriend, and without the rumors, he focused on his acting career and quietly rose to

superstar status.

Lionel was successful and well-off, while Daphne was just a journalist and a fan. She remembered

jokingly discussing with Julie that the ideal love story was like her former boss Flavia and Kenton

Jenkins, who, after hardship, reunited and lived happily ever after. A tragic love story, she thought, was

like Lionel and Ms. Albertine’s.

At that time, Julie didn’t know about Lionel and Albertine’s situation, so she asked Daphne, “Lionel and

Ms. Albertine broke up, and does that mean their love was a tragedy?”

Daphne shook her head, “Nah, the real tragedy is that he became a better man for her, but she ended

up marrying someone else. Isn’t that tragic?*

Julie nodded that time, and Daphne felt pretty pleased with her point.

Back then, Daphne never thought she’d end up with the guy they often talked about, let alone share a

tiny space with him.

After a moment of silence, Daphne suddenly looked up at Lionel and boldly asked, “Why did you break

up with Ms. Albertine?”

As an onlooker, Daphne thought Ms. Albertine was quite a catch, a bit blunt, but if Daphne were a guy,

she’d totally spoil her.

Daphne was nervous after asking the question, especially when she saw Lionel’s gaze deepening. She

realized how foolish a question it was. But the cat was out of the bag now, and there was no taking it

back.

She cautiously watched Lionel’s deep eyes, and softly said, “Sorry, you don’t have to answer that.”

“We didn’t break up.” Just as Daphne thought Lionel wouldn’t answer, he suddenly cut her off. His deep

gaze fell on her pale face and said, “We just missed each other.”

His love story with Ms. Albertine was always about missed chances. When she had a crush on him, he

was still living the life, treating her as his best agent and friend. When he realized her feelings, he

hesitated and backed off. When he finally decided he wanted to be with her, she had given up and

moved on.

So they always missed each other.

Lionel took a deep breath, turned to Daphne and said, “I’m a bit tired, I won’t walk you home. It’s late so

you might not get a cab here. You can stay here tonight and leave tomorrow. If you want, you can stay

in my room, I can share half of the bed, or you can stay in the guest room.”

Before he could finish, Daphne rushed to the guest room like she was shot from a cannon, thanking

Lionel for his hospitality on her way.

“Being a flat-chested has advantages since at least no one can say you’re a bimbo.” With that, Lionel

gracefully retreated into his bedroom.

Left alone, Daphne almost burned a hole through the master bedroom door with her gaze, “Who are

you calling flat-chested, you jerk!”

Daphne returned to her room, locked the door, and patted her chest in relief. Then she felt she might

be overthinking it. After all, she was the one who initiated the contact with Mr. Lionel, was she really

worried he would retaliate?

She looked down at her own chest, and self-mockingly said, “Daphne, you’re not too bright, are you?”

The next morning, Daphne was on her way to pick up Julie from the hospital as agreed, but got a call

from Julie saying she had already arrived at Noblewood Retreat.

“Daphne, come straight to Noblewood Retreat! I have something to ask you.” Julie told Daphne on the

phone.

Daphne felt Julie’s tone was a bit serious, and she had no idea what she wanted to ask. So she had no

choice but to take a cab to see Julie.