I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 198

Sienna froze, her grip on Seraphina's arm slipping away. A flash of surprise and betrayal crossed her face. "Even you think I'm in the wrong? I was just trying to find her a good man! If she doesn't appreciate my good intentions, fine, but how can you side with her?"

Seraphina leaned forward smoothly, her tone dripping with practiced patience. "Don't get worked up. Just let me finish."

She let out a soft sigh, playing the part of the sympathetic friend perfectly. "Sienna, your biggest mistake wasn't trying to set her up. It was rushing it. You should have been subtle, guiding her step by step until she willingly agreed to it herself.

"You were way too aggressive. Shoving her directly into your cousin's lap like that—of course she was going to bite back. However..."

She smoothly pivoted the conversation. "Even though you messed up your approach, Nora is definitely not entirely innocent here."

Sienna's eyes instantly lit up, latching onto that final sentence like a lifeline. She practically slammed her hand on the table.

"Exactly! You see it too! Nora is just greedy! She refuses to let go of the Fletcher family's wealth, but she still wanted to keep my cousin hooked as a backup plan! Does she really think the world revolves around her, and she gets to have her cake and eat it too?"

Fully brainwashed by her own twisted logic, she grew increasingly furious.

"And now she's actually threatening to sue me! It's just half a million dollars! She acts like it's a massive fortune. She must be desperate for cash. I only borrowed it a few days ago, and she's already rabid about getting it back, terrified I won't pay up. I am so sick of her! Seraphina, could you maybe lend me the money to cover it? Once my project gets its next payout, I'll wire it back to you immediately."

"Then what am I supposed to do?! Where am I supposed to scrounge up half a million dollars in three days? All my company's capital is tied up in the project right now. I have zero liquidity. Nora is being absolutely vicious this time. She said she'd sue, and she meant it. She doesn't care about our history at all."

This was the exact moment Seraphina had been waiting for.

She reached out and covered Sienna's hand, patting it gently, looking like the picture of a devoted, deeply concerned friend.

"Sienna, listen to me. Pay her back first. At the end of the day, you do owe her that money. Every day you hold onto it gives her more ammunition to take you to court. If you pay off the debt, she loses her main leverage against you. Whatever happens after that is strictly between her and your cousin. It won't drag you down with him."