Chapter 1039:

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Yasmine, unbothered, looked Cathryn over without any attempt at subtlety. She had heard the servants address her as Mrs. Brooks and drawn her conclusions immediately. Undeniably beautiful — but not a trace of makeup, no visible effort made to appeal. No wonder Andrew had strayed.

Stealing men from their wives and partners had always been her sharpest skill. She moved toward Cathryn with a practiced sway, looked her over slowly, and spoke with the casual authority of someone delivering advice. “No matter how beautiful a woman is, if she doesn’t bother to make herself appealing, she won’t hold a man for long. If you want to keep his heart, you have to keep his attention first.”

“Enough,” Andrew snapped, his glare cutting toward Yasmine. He had a strong suspicion Cara’s hand was behind this.

Cathryn looked at Andrew, her eyes cold. A quiet, humorless laugh escaped her. “Is that so?”

“Cathryn.” Andrew’s voice dropped. “I had a few drinks with her. I didn’t touch her.”

Yasmine glanced at Andrew with an expression of soft, manufactured affection. “Damien, last night my hand was right here, against your chest — and now you act like a stranger?”

“You forced yourself on me,” Andrew said sharply.

Yasmine lowered her lashes with a slow, deliberate smile. “But you didn’t stop me.”

Yasmine knew exactly how to work a man. It was as natural to her as breathing.

Andrew stood frozen in disbelief. The way she spoke dismantled every defense he had without giving him a single handhold to fight back. He had done nothing wrong, and yet she had twisted things so precisely that he had no way to prove it.

He turned to Cathryn, his voice urgent. “Cathryn, you have to trust me.”

𝗗оwո𝘭o𝘢𝖽𝘢𝘣𝗹𝖾 рDFѕ 𝗼𝘯 𝘨𝖺𝗹𝗻𝘰𝗏e𝗹𝘀.𝖼𝘰𝗆

Cathryn pressed her fingers into tight fists, nails cutting into her palms as she held the storm inside her perfectly still.

Yasmine caught the shift in Cathryn’s expression and felt the quiet satisfaction of having driven a wedge between them. When she had first stepped into Brooks Manor, its grandeur had left her momentarily off-balance. Now she was in familiar territory, and she moved through it with complete ease. In her experience, a wife who had lost her husband’s affection lived in quiet misery no matter what title she held. Most wealthy wives were dull and predictable — which was precisely why their husbands strayed.

Seeing Cathryn as an easy target, Yasmine pressed forward. “Men don’t want someone dull waiting at home. They want someone who truly understands them, someone who actually listens —”

Cathryn turned her gaze on Yasmine, and the words died in the air.

Yasmine’s pulse faltered. The woman who had seemed passive and contained a moment ago now carried an entirely different weight.

Cathryn let out a cold, quiet laugh. “You’re saying my husband spent last night with you?”

Yasmine lifted her chin with a smug smile. “Yes.”

“You’re lying,” Andrew said sharply.

Cathryn silenced him with a single look. He went still immediately. She turned back to Yasmine.

“My husband has a mark on his chest. Can you tell me what it looks like and what color it is?”

Yasmine went silent. She had barely grazed Andrew the previous night and knew nothing about any such mark.

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