Chapter 1978


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    ric locked eyes with Georgia, the weight of their shared history pressing down between them. He did not want Hertha caught in the crossfire of their feud.


    His face turned stormy, his gaze fierce and red-rimmed as he stared at Georgia. "So, what''s the big n, Georgia? Marrying me despite thinking I''m the bottom of the barrel. Seems like a raw deal to me. And since you''re so smitten with my cousin, well, he and Ms. Suttner haven''t tied the knot yet. You could still make a y for him!"


    Even in his anger, ric''s voice was steady, almost pleading for Georgia to back off.


    He was at his wit''s end with Georgia.


    As long as she left him alone, he was willing to swallow his pride.


    Hertha, standing beside ric, heard everything. Was he really pushing his cousin into the line of fire?


    Georgia was taken aback, struggling to process ric''s words.


    She had braced for a tempest, for ric tosh out with venomous words.


    Instead, he coolly suggested she chase after his cousin.


    Georgia was left speechless, all her prepared retorts suddenly irrelevant.


    "ric, you know full well your cousin and Ms. Suttner are engaged. Why would you suggest I go after him? What''s your angle?" Georgia demanded.


    "And I should ask you the same! You know my heart belongs to Hertha, yet you persist. Have you no pride?" ric''s tone grew harsher.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    He had once cared about maintaining a good rtionship between their families, but now, seen as nothing more than a leech in their eyes, what did he have to lose?


    "ric, I was engaged to you first!" Georgia cried, tears streaming down her face.


    "I never agreed to be with you. It was all our parents'' doing," ric rified the situation bluntly.


    "Why do you say you like her?" Georgia pointed at Hertha, her voice trembling.


    For the first time, ric openly admitted in front of both Hertha and Georgia that he liked Hertha.


    It was as if they were in a beauty contest, and ric, the judge, had chosen Hertha over Georgia without hesitation, dering Hertha the most beautiful and Georgia the runner-up.


    How could Georgia, pampered all her life, ept such a blow?


    Although Hertha''s focus was on the argument between ric and Georgia, hearing ric confess his feelings sparked her curiosity. She turned to look at ric, eager for his answer. Content belongs to


    ric said, "Liking someone doesn''t need a reason. Out of all the women I''ve dated, she''s the one I truly care about."


    He then pulled Hertha close, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, a possessive and intimate gesture.


    It was like publicly dering their rtionship in front of an audience.


    Georgia felt the impact of this


    disy, stumbling backward, tears flooding her face. Her earlier


    l


    attempts at seeming fragile, squeezing out sympathetic tears, couldn''tpare to the genuine heartbreak she felt now.


    Because these tears stemmed from genuine despair.


    ric''s words had never hurt her before, as she knew his rtionships with other women were just for show.


    But today, he openly admitted his true feelings for Hertha among all the women he''d been with.


    Against genuine affection, all other considerations seemed worthless.