By then, the Ashford would probably find some way to stir up trouble, so Noelle figured there was no point in making this more complicated than it is.
She didn’t bother arguing with Conner. Which, to him, her lack of response could only mean one thing- she already knew those wedding gifts were fakes. That only fed his smugness.
He picked up the coffee the waiter had just served, arching a brow as he spoke in a condescending tone.” Noelle, don’t be fooled by all of this. Those fakes aren’t worth anything. The only people who truly care about you are the Ashfords.”
She drew in a deep breath, willing herself to keep her cool despite the revulsion creeping up inside.
She had asked Conner to come here so he wouldn’t keep pestering Mary. However, judging by the way he carried himself, he seemed to think she actually wanted to have a friendly chat.
Her patience snapped. “What exactly do you want? I’ve got things to do. I’m not here to waste time on
small talk.”
Conner set his coffee cup down with deliberate calm. For someone who was about to ask for a favor, he sure wasn’t making any effort to swallow his pride. “I heard the Coles and your family go way back. Do me a favor, will you? The Novara Corporation has run into a bit of a snag.
“This project we had lined up with the Cole Group got snatched by another company. We can’t get a meeting with anyone from the Cole Group, but you probably can, right?”
Noelle frowned. The day before, he had gone to the Cole residence and caused a scene. Today, the Novara Corporation’s deal with the Cole Group fell through. It was hard not to connect the dots.
Suspicion aside, she wasn’t about to lift a finger for Conner. Even if he had been polite, Noelle wouldn’t have stooped so low as to help him. And with him acting so high and mighty, there was no chance at all.
When the waiter brought over a fresh cup of coffee, Noelle shook her head. “I didn’t order that. Give it to
this gentleman.”
The waiter blinked. “But… he already has one…”
Noelle’s response made it clear that she didn’t want it.
It was something Conner was paying for, and she had no interest in taking anything from him. She was done getting tangled up with him, even if it was just a cup of coffee.
The Ashford family had a way of using favors as leverage, and she could already picture Conner holding this over her head, insisting she owed him.
She said, “I can’t help you with this, and I’m not going to. You should go find someone else.”
When she was done speaking, Noelle rose to her feet. “My family and I don’t owe you or the Ashfords a
damn thing You claimed that you gave me more wedding gifts than I brought to your family. Fine.
However, you kept every bit of it I didn’t take a single thing when I left. So, let’s get one thing straight- stop bothering me and my family My patience has its limits.”
She was about to walk away when Conner caught her wrist, his gaze warm and unwavering as he said, Noelle, you may have a limit to how much you can tolerate Caleb. But there’s someone else you’d never run out of patience for, because you love him.
Hearing those words, Noelle felt a wave of disqust rise in her chest. She jerked her wrist free from Conner’s grip
So was he finally coming clean?
She had seen through his game long ago, and he was delusional if he thought he could pull this little reveal on her now. He was far too confident in himself. Whatever feelings she had once had for Conner had vanished the day she had decided to end her life.
Noelle narrowed her eyes, her gaze turning cold as she said sharply, “My patience with anyone in your family has limits. And I will never love anyone from the Ashfords again, no matter who it is.”
She bit down hard on the last part of her statement.
Conner frowned at her reaction, clearly puzzled. Still, he was convinced that if Noelle knew he was Conner, not Caleb, she would help him without question and be back on his side in no time.
But with a crisis looming over the project, he didn’t have time to dwell on it. Instead, he went straight for his trump card.
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