Chapter <b>429 </b>


    N responded to the message and transferred some money before putting her phone away and heading to the bathroom with her clothes.


    Meanwhile, Damon received a call from Spencer on his way home.


    “Mr. Sumner, a gossip ount just posted a photo of Ms. Austen and Mr. Preston kissing at a restaurant, iming she’s cheating on you with him. The Inte is blowing up with people saying you’ve been yed. Should we address it?” Spencer reported.


    Damon’s expression remained icy. “Ignore it. Let them handle it themselves.”


    He had already broken up with Reba. Whoever she was with now was none o


    concern<b>. </b>


    “Understood<b>,</b><b>” </b>Spencer <b>replied</b>.


    As soon as Damon hung up, his phone rang again.


    Seeing Reba’s name on the screen, he hesitated but eventually answered. “I assume you’ve made up your mind about what you want?”


    of his


    There was a brief silence on the other end before Reba’s voice, filled with a touch of desperation, came through. “Damon, I called to exin. The picture of me and Nathaniel kissing is fake, taken from a misleading angle by the paparazzi. We’re just friends.<b>” </b>


    Damon stopped the car, feeling a flicker of irritation. “Reba, we’ve already broken. up. Whoever you’re involved with is none of my business, and I don’t care.”


    “Damon, do you really… not feel anything for me anymore?” Reba’s voice trembled, revealing her disbelief at his apparent finality.


    “I’m in love with N now,” Damon stated firmly.


    “I understand… I won’t bother you again,” Reba replied, her voice breaking.


    Damon ended the call and set down his phone, his expression detached as he started the car once more.


    10


    Reba furiously threw her phone at the wall and copsed onto her bed in tears. The phone hit the wall with a loud crash before falling to the floor, its screen shattering into pieces.


    It was a long while before the screen lit up again, disying Nathaniel’s name. The ringtone echoed through the room.


    Reba, her eyes swollen from crying<b>, </b>got up to retrieve the phone. Taking a deep breath, she answered.


    “Reba, did you see the trending news online? I was in a meeting earlier,” Nathaniel


    I


    asked.


    “Yeah, I saw it,” Reba replied, her voice husky from crying and sounding dejected.


    <b>“</b>Should we take this opportunity to go public? Nathaniel proposed.


    Reba tightened her grip on the phone.


    After a few seconds of silence, she finally spoke. “I’m not ready for that. I just broke up with Damon. If we go public now, people will think I jumped straight into a new rtionship…”


    Nathaniel’s tone grew colder. “So what do you suggest we do?”


    “How about… we exin that the paparazzi took the photo from a misleading angle?


    Reba suggested.


    When Nathaniel didn’t respond, she frowned in frustration. “Nathaniel, why aren’t you saying anything? Don’t you agree?”


    Nathaniel let out a coldugh. “You think I should agree? When you first came back, you immediately got back together with Damon, even though he was still with N. You didn’t care what people said about you then. So why are you suddenly afraid of being criticized for moving on too quickly with me?” RêAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    His voice was sharp and cutting.


    Reba’s eyes shed with irritation. How could Nathanielpare himself to Damon?


    Despite her annoyance, she knew Nathaniel was the only one who could help her get rid of N.


    “Nathaniel, that’s not what I meant. It’s not that I want to upset you. I just want us to


    be on solid ground before we make things official…” she exined.