Love’s Cunning Ruse

Chapter 245

Noblewood Retreat.

It’s Sunday today and Ivan had no classes. He was just chilling on the couch, watching TV. Sitting next to him was Julie, leaning on Kieran. The three of them made a pretty cozy picture, just lounging around and watching TV.

On the screen, Lionel said, “I’ve got a slip of paper here with a fan’s name on it. Let’s reveal who the lucky fan is together.”

Julie, tugging nervously at Kieran’s sleeve, said, “I’ve already told Daphne to lay low. She should be able to dodge this, right?” Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

Pausing, she asked, “But what if she can’t get away?”

Kieran responded, “Lionel is going after Daphne. If she manages to escape, that would be something.”

Julie sighed, “This is all your fault. You knew I had the speaker on, yet you let Lionel hear Daphne’s location!”

Kieran responded innocently, “I had no idea Daphne was trying to avoid Lionel.”

Left speechless by this, Julie tried to console herself, “It’s okay. Daphne is with her parents. She should be fine.”

On the video, Lionel had already revealed the name he drew. It’s ‘Daphne’.

He even made a joke, “What a coincidence, this fan’s name is the same as the woman who means the most to me.”

Julie turned to Kieran and asked, “What does ‘the woman who means the most’ mean to you guys?”

Kieran responded, “I can’t speak for others, but for me, the most important woman is the woman I love the most. No matter what happens, I want to be there for her right away. I want to be with her for a lifetime.”

Julie nodded and said, “You could write a book, ‘How to Pursue Your Partner’ or maybe just ‘The Secret to Winning Over Your Partner.”

Before Kieran could respond, he heard Ivan’s voice from the side, “Mom, is Dad saying that you’re the woman I care about the most? Because no matter what happens to you, I want to be there for you right away. I also want to be with you for a lifetime.”

Seeing his son’s innocent face, Kieran couldn’t help but be alert.

Upon hearing this, Julie immediately hugged her son and said, “Ivan, you’re also the person I care about the most.”

Feeling smug, Ivan asked, “What about Dad?”

Seeing Kieran’s expression, Ivan knew he had achieved his goal. He quickly pointed at the TV and said, “Oh no, Lionel is going straight to Daphne’s car!”

Julie turned to the TV. Lionel and the camera crew were walking towards the parking lot, reading out the license plate number as they go.

They stopped in front of a newly parked car, and several cameras were pointing at the car door.

The door opened, and all the passengers got out with shocked expressions. Lionel stood not far from the car door, an assistant holding an umbrella for him.

Daphne, holding her parents’ hands, barely stood up when she saw Lionel standing outside the car. Despite the car window between them, the man’s gaze seemed. to penetrate the glass.

She wrapped her scarf tighter around her head, gripping her parents’ sleeves tightly.

The driver’s voice rang out, “Last three passengers, please disembark.”

Only after making sure she’s bundled up tightly did Daphne finally muster the courage to get out of the car. Her head was almost tucked into her neck, but Lionel still called her out, “Daphne!”

On this side of the TV, Julie gripped Kieran’s sleeve, “Do you think Mr. Lionel has lost it? Didn’t he say he didn’t want to marry Daphne? Why is he making such a scene?”

“You know Lionel’s father Fabian Kemp, right?” Kieran asked.

Julie nodded. She’s already heard about Fabian from Elliot Sanches.

‘Lionel is the son of Fabian and his first wife Thelma. Fabian made his fortune through Thelma’s family. Before Thelma passed away, she signed a contract with Fabian, which is now in the hands of Lionel’s grandfather. The contract requires Fabian to transfer 90% of his assets to Lionel before he turns 55. Otherwise, all assets will be fully managed by Lionel’s grandfather, Pearce. Since Thelma, the signatory of the contract, has passed away, her heir is Lionel. If Lionel voluntarily gives up his inheritance, the contract can be voided. But if he doesn’t, then Fabian must hand over financial control to Lionel,” Kieran explained.

Julie seemed to understand a bit of it. She looked up at Kieran and said, “I looked up Fabian. There were reports that Thelma died of an illness, but it was rumored that she overdosed on her depression meds. So, if that’s true, did Fabian indirectly kill Thelma?”

“You could say that. His second wife, famous actress Madge, gave him a son named Raleigh Kemp. Raleigh was Fabian’s favorite son. After Madge passed away from breast cancer, Fabian married his third wife, socialite Sandrine. Sandrine’s son from a previous marriage, Chris, isn’t related to Fabian by blood, but he and Lionel are the best of friends…”

“The best of friends?” Julie was confused, “Didn’t Elliot say their relationship was the most tense?”

“Only when there’s equal status and ability can a love-hate relationship form, Kieran explained.

Julie finally got it. From the beginning, Elliot never intended to really let Daphne get away from Lignel because, after all, he and Lionel were best buddies. Julie, who took a moment to process, asked, “So you’re saying that Lionel wouldn’t marry Daphne, even though she’s carrying his kid, because of his complicated family situation? What I want to know is, if he wasn’t planning on marrying Daphne, why did he kick up such a fuss today?”

“Well, he didn’t want to marry Daphne because the fortune that Fabian currently has was blood-bought by Thelma, Kieran explained.

Julie nodded in understanding. “I see, so in Lionel’s mind, Daphne is important to him, but the fortune ranks higher. Isn’t that just like the saying. ‘I’d die for you, but if I had to choose between you and money, I’d pick the money? That fits Lionel perfectly!”

Kieran smiled helplessly. He pinched Julie’s face and said, “If Lionel really thought that way, he wouldn’t have sought out Daphne. Daphne isn’t the type to cling onto someone, right?”

After thinking for a moment, Julie agreed, “Yeah, Daphne never wanted Lionel to take responsibility in the first place. If Lionel said he didn’t want the baby, Daphne

would suffer in silence. She definitely wouldn’t bother him.”

“So…” Kieran paused before continuing, “Think about it, if Lionel really cared about Fabian’s fortune, why would he give up his noble status to become a hardworking actor?”

Julie thought about it and felt that Kieran made sense.

Kieran went on, “Instead of getting 90% of Fabian’s wealth, I believe Lionel would rather see Fabian penniless. If you were Fabian, would you rather pass on 90% of your wealth to Lionel before you turn 55 and live off the remaining 10% peacefully, or hand over everything to Pearce after you’re 55?”

“Definitely the 10%,” Julie answered without hesitation.

Kieran nodded, “But if Lionel doesn’t acknowledge the contract, then it can be voided, and Fabian can retain all of his wealth. Don’t you think Fabian would be looking forward to that?”

She took it humbly like a child and nodded, “Look forward to it.”

“And if you were Lionel, would you agree to void the contract?” Kieran asked again.

Julie shook her head decisively, “Of course not!”

It took a moment before Julie realized she was confused again.

“I still don’t understand,” she confessed, “What does this have to do with Lionel not wanting to marry Daphne?”

“Consider this,” Kieran started, “For all these years, Fabian has been trying to get Lionel to give up the contract. But he never did. Why do you think that is?”

“Because Fabian is no match for Lionel.”

“And why can’t he compete with Lionel?” Kieran mused. “Because Lionel doesn’t have any weaknesses. But now that Daphne is pregnant, wouldn’t Fabian use her if he knew? The Kemp family

could easily crush the Flores family like ants. The Flores family is no match for the powerful Kemp family, right?”

Kieran’s words seemed to enlighten Julie.

He pulled her into his arms and said, “When Lionel first found out about Daphne’s pregnancy, he was a bit panicked. He needed to take responsibility for Daphne, but he didn’t want to drag her into this mess. So he decided to send her overseas to give birth. But in order to do that, he first had to convince her parents. Marriage is the best way to do that. If they already had a marriage certificate before Daphne was safely abroad, that would be stirring up a hornet’s nest with Fabian. Lionel had already decided to give up Thelma’s contract, but he had to make sure Daphne was safe first before he could negotiate with Fabian. However, before he could arrange everything, Daphne was already out of his sight…