The Jilted Heiress' Return to the High Life - Chapter 37

Chapter 37:

🍙 🍙 🍙 🍙 🍙

“Grandma, isn’t there a rule about no serious conversations at the dinner table?” Nate interjected smoothly, shooting her a pointed look.

Evelyn huffed, crossing her arms with a pout.

“Rules can bend for special cases. Honestly, you’re already acting so protective of Corrine, and she hasn’t even married you yet!”

Nate’s lips parted, but no words came out.

Corrine, flustered by the exchange, ducked her head and focused on her food, her lips pressing into a tight line to hide her awkwardness. Out of nowhere, a hand appeared in front of her. Nate’s hand.

His hands were strikingly elegant, the kind that would make artists sigh with envy. With steady precision, he reached for a plump Pacific white shrimp. His fingers, long and deft, worked with such ease that peeling the shell seemed like an art form.

In moments, the shrimp meat separated from its shell with elegant precision. Corrine found herself transfixed. She had never witnessed such artful shrimp peeling. Her gaze settled on his hands, momentarily lost in their beauty.

Such hands, she thought, could make any action a visual pleasure.

Unbidden, an intimate image flashed through her mind, causing her cheeks to flush.

Nate caught her staring. A rare, soft smile transformed his usually stern face. By the time he placed a plate of neatly peeled shrimp in front of her, Corrine blinked herself back to reality, startled by the gesture.

“Try it,” he said simply, his voice low and steady, his gaze holding hers with an intensity that made her heart skip.

Corrine hesitated, then murmured softly, “Thank you.”

Every story starts at gαℓησν𝒆𝓁s․com

She picked up a piece, biting into it carefully. The sweetness of the shrimp melted on her tongue, sending a warm, subtle satisfaction through her.

Evelyn, watching from the other side of the table, raised an eyebrow.

It seemed her grandson wasn’t quite as emotionally oblivious as she’d feared. She glanced at her own plate of shrimp, now looking rather unappealing, and casually tossed the piece back down.

Leaning forward with an expectant gleam in her eyes, Evelyn spoke again.

“So, Corrine, about moving in with me—when do you think you’ll do it?”

Corrine set her fork down gently and said to Evelyn with a polite smile, “I’m currently staying with my grandfather.”

“I see.” Evelyn nodded, her expression softening with understanding, though a fleeting glimmer of disappointment crossed her features. She had hoped that by inviting Corrine to stay with her, there might be an opportunity for Nate and Corrine to grow closer. But with Corrine living with her grandfather, that plan seemed out of reach—for now.

After dinner, Nate led Matias to the study to wrap up some work. When he emerged later, the quiet scene in the living room caught him off guard.

Corrine was seated next to Evelyn, her posture poised yet relaxed. She listened intently, her smile warm and engaging, as Evelyn spoke. The soft glow from the living room lamp illuminated her features, lending her an almost ethereal presence.

.

.

.