The Scorned Heiress: No More Mercy novel Chapter 535

"I thought we were friends. Can’t I call you that?" Bonnie protests, playing the victim as she looks to her cousin Julianna for backup. "I didn't even do anything wrong!"

"Opening your mouth was your first mistake. Keep it shut, and you'll be fine," Danny shoots back, not offering her a single ounce of grace.

He doesn't care if people call him ruthless or brutal. It is a small price to pay to ensure Tara doesn't misunderstand his intentions. The whole fake-fiancée fiasco had definitely pissed Tara off. She had ignored him for days, and he had worked relentlessly to clear the air and permanently sever his ties with the Sinclair family just to get back into her good graces. There is no way he's going to let another girl ruin his progress.

Julianna is actually caught off guard by Danny's hostility. Bonnie has always addressed him that way, and while Danny always found it annoying, he usually just ignored her. To see him strike back so aggressively is entirely new.

Is it because of Tara? The thought sends a sharp pang of hurt through Julianna's chest.

"Bonnie, don't be stubborn," Julianna says calmly, perfectly masking her internal pain. "If Mr. Calhoun doesn't like the nickname, just use his name."

"You must be Miss Sinclair!" Jovani interjects. Seeing Julianna seems to make her even happier than seeing her own daughter. She steps forward with an eager, almost fawning smile, completely unable to contain herself. "It's been so long! We met at a party overseas a while back. Do you remember me?"

Unfortunately for Danny, Tara isn't paying any attention to his defense. Her entire focus is locked onto the dynamic between Jovani and Julianna.

How bizarre. Jovani is pouring an ungodly amount of energy into courting Miss Sinclair. Anyone with eyes can see that her fawning enthusiasm isn't just polite cocktail chatter; she is aggressively desperate to get into Julianna's good graces. But why? What exactly does Julianna bring to the table that Jovani wants so badly?

A woman as calculating and purely transactional as Jovani doesn't suck up to people just for fun. There has to be a concrete, highly profitable motive. Tara narrows her eyes, a new theory forming. Maybe Jovani didn't just come to this event because she stopped caring about hiding her connection to Jade. Maybe she has an entirely different target in mind.