A Night of Desire-Chapter 86: Aren’t You Afraid She’ll Hate You

Rowan Linden suddenly chuckled. "That’s true. When you want something, you’re dead set on getting it. You’ll stop at nothing, and no method is beneath you."

"But deceiving her like this... aren’t you afraid she’ll hate you when she finds out the truth?"

For some reason, the thought of Clara Grant hating him in the future sent a dull ache through Seth Quinn’s chest. But he quickly suppressed the feeling and said flatly,

"By then, she’ll be my wife. What does it matter if she hates me or not?"

"Hmph," Rowan Linden grunted. ’That’s Seth Quinn for you.’

"You’re so fixated on marrying her that you’d even use a child that young to get your way."

As he spoke, he fixed his gaze on Seth Quinn. "So, are your feelings for her genuine?"

’Otherwise, why would he go to such lengths—stopping at nothing—just to marry one woman?’

Seth Quinn’s hand, which had been swirling the glass of water, paused. This was the second time he had heard that question.

Yesterday, when Sarah Shelby had asked, "Are your feelings for Clara genuine?" he had found the question almost laughable. After all, they hadn’t known each other for long and had only met a few times.

’It wasn’t love at first sight, and there hadn’t been enough time for feelings to grow. So how could there be any talk of genuine feelings?’

And yet, he had nodded. But his nod had acknowledged his genuine *intention* to marry her, not any genuine *love* for her!

Now that Rowan Linden was asking the same question, he could have given the same answer. But this time, he hesitated. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

He realized his feelings for Clara Grant seemed to have grown more complex, even though it had only been one night.

He could no longer just brush it off with a non-answer.

’Are my feelings for Clara Grant genuine?’ In his opinion, they hadn’t reached that stage. ’After all, desire and love are two different things.’

’But if there were no genuine feelings at all, why was I so worried and furious when I saw her almost get taken advantage of?’

’Worried she’d be hurt, and furious that someone had dared to touch her!’

Seeing that he remained silent, Rowan Linden spoke again, his expression thoughtful. "If your heart’s not in it, then don’t lead her on."

A flicker of movement in Seth Quinn’s eyes. His gaze landed on Rowan Linden’s face. For some reason, his friend’s simple words made him extremely uncomfortable.

After a two-second silence, a playful smile touched Seth Quinn’s lips, but it didn’t reach his eyes. His voice was even colder when he spoke.

"What’s this? You seem to have a pretty high opinion of her."

Rowan Linden stared at Seth Quinn, stunned for a moment, before looking away. "Don’t worry, I know the rule about not messing with a friend’s woman. It’s just that she seems so pure and kind, and girls like that are rare in this world. Since you’ve found one, you should treasure her."

"Of course."

Seth Quinn uttered just two words, then raised the glass and drained it in one gulp. He set the glass down on the table and stood up.

"I’m going to go check on them."

...

Skylar Hayes was no longer in the hospital room. Only Clara Grant and Cherie, who was now fast asleep on the bed, remained.

Clara Grant was sitting dazedly in the chair by the bed, her mother’s words still echoing in her mind.

There was no denying it. Skylar Hayes’s words had struck her like a bolt of lightning, and she still hadn’t recovered from the shock.

’She really wasn’t Cedric Grant’s biological daughter!’

’She really was just as Chloe Grant had said—a pathetic wretch who didn’t even know who her own father was!’