A wedding night Love Affair With The Billionaire
Chapter 46Chapter 46 Did Your Heart Hurt, Eliza?

Raelyn wore a white cocktail dress with a bit of a tutu, outlining her graceful figure yet making her look innocent and youthful.

She had been busy the whole morning preparing this lunch box, for she had known her purpose since little. She was to become the matriarch of the Deleon family. Naturally, to reach her goal, she'd had to put in some effort, like how she conducted herself, her speech, and cooking.

She walked lightly over and placed the lunch box on his desk.

It was only then that Tanner noticed her.

Rubbing his glabella, he had spaced out.

Even though it looked like he was reading the newspaper attentively, the page stayed for a long, long time.

"Tanner, I've made you lunch. Give it a try."

She intentionally revealed the band-aid in her hand, knowing Tanner would definitely notice it.

"What's with your hand?" He remained flat, not even questioning.

Raelyn smiled. Tanner was aloof to everyone, so it was a great honor to obtain his concern.

She pretended to hide her hand as if she did not want him to see it at all.

"Nothing; just a little accident when I was cooking. It is just a small wound." There was an happiness on her face. Her happiness would have people thinking she was the genuine president's wife.

Tanner checked out the lunch box she had brought. It was a small box wrapped in a beautiful piece of cloth.

Catching his line of sight, Raelyn quickly unwrapped the cloth. There were three layers to the lunch box; pasta, salad, and soup, which she had thoughtfully separated.

She was a noble young lady, after all; her cooking would definitely not be on the same level as the Deleon family's chef. However, with a few years under her belt coupled with a thoughtful presentation, it still looked decent.

Seeing that she was going to open the lunch box, Tanner stopped her.

"Leave it for now."

They may have known each other since little, but she wasn't the one he fancied, so he felt nothing toward her gestures.

Being indifferent toward her was already the most he'd do, and it was all only to steady his mother and grandmother.

He knew they would never accept Eliza since he was little, and his collaboration and interaction with the Stone family was naturally to have them thinking it was all to court the legitimate young lady of the Stone family, Raelyn.

However, he knew who he truly liked, and he had no intentions of eating the food she brought.

"Tanner, I... I know this isn't as good as the chef's, but I made it just for you. Will you have a bite? Just a little?"

She pursed her lips, looking a little aggrieved with her misty, amorous eyes laced with a hint of coquetry.

Though Tanner never once looked right at her, he could tell the coyness in her voice. As his gaze landed on the band-aid on her finger, his tense face finally eased a little.

They were childhood friends after all, and she wasn't his enemy either, having always tried to please him even. Plus, he could see a little bit of Eliza in her.

He wouldn't describe his feelings for her as hate, in all honesty.

Raelyn had been keeping an eye on his expressions, opening the lid just when his gaze softened, allowing the aroma of the meal to perfuse in the air.

"I'll leave you be. Have some. I'll sit on the sofa there. I'll leave when you're done."

She pushed the lunch box over to him and trotted to the sofa opposite him.

Raelyn had been taught etiquette ever since she was a child, so her manners were top-notch.

Checking out the food in front of him, he was surprised to replace they were all simple ingredients. He came without having breakfast, so he had gotten a little hungry. When Raelyn saw that he had started eating, she pulled out her phone, pretending to check her messages when she was actually taking a few photos of him. The photos were a little dark, and his expressions could not be seen clearly, but people who were familiar with him would know that it was him at a glance. With that, she pulled a succeeding smile.

Acting coquettishly always worked. Be it Mckenna or Tanner, they'd fall for it.

She had deliberately selected basic ingredients and put her heart and soul into making them so that it would leave a more lasting impression than if she were to make a feast. She didn't mind Tanner having a relationship with Eliza as he'd be hers in the end anyway.

Nicholas's background check wasn't hard to obtain, so Fran returned in no time.

However, he was surprised to see Raelyn when he entered. Though for a second, he thought the real Mrs. Deleon had arrived, but seeing Raelyn's smile, he came to a conclusion. No way would Mrs. Deleon come, and smile so diabolically at that. She must be her sister, Raelyn.

But, when has a woman ever entered the president's office? Plus, Mr. Deleon was eating?! What in the world?

Okay, bad timing. Maybe he should leave.

"Come back."

Tanner coldly said as he put the cutlery down.

Seeing Fran enter, she knew her plans were foiled. She cursed in her heart. Why couldn't he come in later! However, she was still smiling on the outside, looking a-okay. Tanner wouldn't pick the cutlery back up when he had put it down.

"Looks like you guys are busy. I'll leave you to your work."

She had feigned consideration from the very beginning, so she'd naturally keep up the act to the very end.

Despite her reluctance to leave, she still packed up the lunch box, taking a glance when she was at the door.

She had achieved her main goal anyway; the set of photos would definitely help her.

Tanner had been treating the matter with indifference the entire time, so he didn't notice her glance at the door. But Fran did; nothing escaped him.

This first young lady of the Stone family was not someone to be taken lightly.

After she left, Fran stepped up.

"Sir, these are all Nicholas's information, including his life abroad. It's all here."

As he handed the papers over, he wondered if he should speak of what he saw. After all, Raelyn wasn't as simple as she looked.

But he left it be in the end. It was Mr. Deleon's personal affairs; he shouldn't big mouth.

As Tanner focused on the papers, he didn't see Fran's expressions.

Nicholas Abbott, the young master of the Abbott family; only child, six-foot in height, single... genius painter, studied in France; returned two days ago.

The information was extremely detailed; even his everyday life, bad habits, and past love life were written clearly.

From the information provided, this man had nothing dirty to his name at all. He did not smoke, drink, or do any dirty business, not even casual with his dating game. The Abbotts were a huge group in San Francisco as well, so he wouldn't be a bad choice for Eliza.

No wonder... he dared to try and steal her from him...

Plus, he couldn't even get Nicholas to back off with how intimidating he was when he took Eliza away from him.

Nicholas, the first rival he acknowledged, not in competency but love.

His resume was squeaky clean, but it couldn't be ruled out that the Abbotts had hidden some information. But it didn't matter to him; he just wanted to know who he was fighting against.

As he was looking through the information, Raelyn had alighted the Stone family's private car and sent out her text.

Eliza had stayed in the room for a while when Ms. Bell came up with a bowl of soup.

"The soup is still a little hot. Please be careful."

Eliza regained their strength after some rest, so holding a bowl and a spoon was still manageable.

The soup was a little hot, and she was not in the mood to eat, so she just took her time.

Aunt Bell stood by her side and kept an eye on her.

A text notification beep came.

Eliza's heart skipped a beat.

She had a bad feeling. The last time she received a text message, her sister sent a photo of Tanner, and her heart wrenched painfully.

If it was Raelyn again, she really wouldn't have any idea what to do.

The servants had placed her phone by the side of the bed, very close to her. But she didn't have to courage to check.

Aunt Bell didn't miss the conflicted expression on her face; Eliza's face blanched the moment the notification came. Naturally, she wouldn't say much at a time like this, only waiting quietly by the side. After a long while, Eliza put the bowl down and checked the message, looking like she had finally decided.

Sure enough, it was a message from her sister...

"Eliza, I went to Tanner's company today. I busied myself in the kitchen the whole morning, making him lunch. Tanner ate a lot. I'm so happy."

"I don't have anyone to share with, so I can only tell you. You hadn't replied to my last message. Are you starting to think that I'm annoying?"

The picture was a little dark, but she could still imagine Tanner was probably happy eating...

Right, she was just a stand-in. Now that the real deal had returned, it was only natural for her to leave.

"Aunt Bell, I don't have any appetite. I don't want to eat anymore. Thank you."

Seeing that her expression was instantly off, Ms. Bell knew she shouldn't stay any longer despite not knowing what had happened, cleaning up, and leaving.

Lost filled Eliza's eyes. She didn't know what to do. She was ashamed of stealing her sister's beloved. Though she was forced in the beginning, she... she realized she had fallen for him with time. Tanner... She could make nothing of his thoughts.

What should she do!

A lump in her throat; her sister was still waiting for her reply.

She typed away as she endured the heartache.

"I will never think that. It's just that I'm a little busy with my new job lately and forgot to reply."

"You and Tanner are a perfect match. He's lucky to have you. You two must stay sweet."

After pressing send, she realized her strength was all gone again.

Raelyn was still in the car when the message notification came.

Seeing it was from Eliza, her smile deepened.

Did your heart hurt, Eliza? Her heart hurt thousand-folds when she heard they were married! It was only the beginning; it would only get worse with time.

Eliza had nothing on her. The knowledge had been seared into her mind since little. Never had and never will.

Locking her phone, the view outside the window had become more beautiful to her.

100.

What lovely weather. Raelyn removed the band-aid on her finger, revealing smooth skin.☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐