Chapter 739:

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She knew she had no right to meddle in the old wounds between Colten and Julian, but his quiet deception unsettled her deeply.

Noticing her distress, he reached for her hand, gently prying the letter from her grasp. “Are you upset?”

She recoiled, slipping her fingers free.

With a weary, self-deprecating smile, he murmured, “All I did was lie to him, and you’re upset with me. Guess he still matters to you.”

Without waiting for her answer, he calmly fed the thick pile of letters into the shredder.

𝗜ոѕ𝘁𝗮ո𝘁 𝖺𝖼с𝖾𝘀𝘀 oո gа𝘭ոo𝘷e𝗹𝘀.𝘤om

The relentless whir of the machine pressed down on Katherine’s chest, squeezing the air from her lungs. She set the invitation aside, her voice strained. “I’m going.”

Before she could turn away, Colten caught her and drew her firmly into his arms.

Her whole body stiffened, bracing herself against him.

He yanked her back into his arms, his grip tightening when Katherine tensed defensively against his chest. He refused to let go. “Kate, I know you’ve never forgiven me for faking my death. But I had no choice—I was cornered. Just… don’t get involved with the Nashes, alright?”

Katherine peeled herself free, her tone steady despite the pain flickering in his eyes. “I have no right to interfere in your business. You’re worrying about nothing.”

Colten studied her, unreadable as always. “And if I did something you couldn’t accept, would you blame me?”

“If it has nothing to do with me, why should I care?” she replied with an icy tone.

A quiet breath of relief escaped him. Tucking the invitation away, he mustered a strained smile and congratulated her before letting her leave.

Once she was gone, he called the planning team and asked for the official guest list.

As he suspected, Julian’s name was missing.

But a milestone like this wouldn’t feel right without him.

A shadow of a smirk touched Colten’s lips as he quietly arranged for someone to deliver an invitation directly to Julian.

Katherine chose not to invite Julian because the IPO carried enormous weight for her company. She wanted to maintain her composure and refused to let his presence unsettle her focus.

Yet inviting him made strategic sense too. His power in the city ran deep, and his absence from her company’s celebration would trigger media speculation and damaging whispers.

Julian showed no signs of dodging the event. He accepted the invitation without hesitation and asked Eleanor to join him as his date.

Eleanor thrived at social gatherings, particularly when drama simmered beneath the surface. Her eyes lit up as she pressed him, “You want me there with you? Does this mean you’re ready to make our relationship official?”

His response came without missing a beat. “Haven’t I done that already?”

Her eyebrows shot up in genuine surprise. “When exactly did we go public? My dad just finished lecturing me about being naive, cheerfully letting you use me as your personal shield.”

He shrugged with practiced indifference. “Then think of this event as our official debut.”

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