The Bride He Took For Granted novel Chapter 82

The Bride He Took for Granted

Chapter 82

Landon had called Joan into his office only to tell her that the crisis had been resolved.

She no longer needed to worry.

Relieved, Joan let out a breath. She lowered her eyes, letting a hint of sadness appear in them before speaking softly.

“I’m nothing compared to Elise.”

“She grew up seeing the world, meeting different people, and experiencing things I could only dream of.”

“While she had all those opportunities, I was just a girl from the countryside trying to study hard and build a better life.”

“I’ve never had her background, her connections, or the kind of experiences she’s had.”

“Sometimes I wonder if I’m not good enough for you…”

Seeing Joan, who was usually so confident, reveal a rare moment of vulnerability, Landon thought of the banquet he had originally declined.

“The day after tomorrow, one of our partner game studios is 、 holding a thank-you dinner. Several celebrity endorsers will1B23

Chapter 82

Hope lit up Joan’s eyes, only to fade a moment later.

“I don’t think I should go. I’d need an evening gown and jewelry for something like that.”

Landon smiled and tapped her nose.

“If you want them, that won’t be a problem.”

Joan’s hesitation disappeared, and her dazzling smile returned as she wrapped her arms around him.

“I want to go.”

“I knew you’d say yes.”

Just as the mood began to turn intimate, someone knocked on the office door.

It was Elise.

“Mr. Carter, may I come in?”

Joan’s smile vanished immediately, and she quickly let go of Landon.

“I’ll head out first.”

Þandon nodded.

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Chapter 82

He straightened his suit as he watched Joan open the door.

When Elise looked up and saw Joan, she calmly shifted her gaze

away.

Her expression was serene, as if Joan had never mattered to her at all.

Compared with Elise’s complete indifference, Joan’s hostility suddenly seemed unnecessary.

Joan paused at the door, lowering her eyes as she listened to the conversation inside.

Elise’s flats stopped in front of Landon.

Her voice was as soft and even as always.

“I just learned that you turned down PlayBean Studio’s thank-you dinner?”

Landon raised an eyebrow.

His eyes flicked briefly toward Joan at the door before moving

away.

Without looking at Elise, he turned toward his desk.

What about it?”

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Chapter 82

Elise took two steps closer.

“My name should be on the invitation. If you’re not going, give it to me.”

Elise was actually a little angry.

Her name had clearly been on the invitation, yet Landon had never told her and had declined it on his own.

If the organizer had not contacted her to ask whether they should reserve her seat, she would have remained completely

unaware.

Landon paused as he turned his chair around to face her.

“The invitation does have your name on it, but as my wife. So tell me… are you my wife?”

Landon stared at Elise, a teasing smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Elise said nothing.

Whatever warmth she had felt was already gone, leaving only coldness.

She was not Landon’s wife.

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And she was incredibly grateful she was not.

A faint, mocking smile touched Elise’s lips.

Then she turned and walked out without hesitation.

Landon watched her slender figure disappear.

He wasn’t sad, exactly.

Still, for some reason, he felt strangely empty.

******

Harold did not wake up until eleven.

Still hungover, he sat up slowly, his head spinning. A dull ache throbbed at his temples.

After resting for a while, he got out of bed and went to the bathroom. When he looked in the mirror, he noticed a bruise near his temple.

He had no idea how it had gotten there.

He called Daniel in from the living room, where he had been playing with Blitz, and asked him to help him remember what had happened the night before.

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“It was Elise. She helped you upstairs.”

Harold frowned.

“She helped me? Where were you?”

Daniel looked guilty.

“I… was looking for a parking spot.”

While showering, Harold couldn’t stop wondering what he had been like when he was drunk.

What if I lost control and did something stupid? What if Elise hit me because of it?

With that thought, Harold quickly rinsed the soap from his hair and body.

He threw on a bathrobe, walked out, and pulled up the hallway footage from the previous night.

His entire weight had been leaning against Elise.

She had struggled to support him as if she were carrying a

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