After Betrayal - I Married a Handsome Tycoon-Chapter 69: He’s So ’Tea

The moment Moira Sloan finished speaking, the car fell utterly silent.

Connor Quinn turned to look at her, his eyes dark and inscrutable, betraying no emotion.

But those eyes, so devoid of any emotional ripple, made Moira Sloan’s heart inexplicably tighten.

After a long moment, Moira feigned a casual air, looking down to pick at the diamonds on her nails. "Fine, forget it," she said lightly.

On the way back to Everwood County, Moira Sloan huddled in the passenger seat, not saying a word.

An inexplicable frustration churned within her.

When they passed a service area, Connor Quinn got out to smoke, and she stayed in the car and called Flora Rhodes.

When the call connected, Flora’s voice was full of reluctance. "You’re not staying a couple more days?"

Moira Sloan twirled a strand of hair around her finger, her voice languid. "No, I’ve got things to take care of at the shop."

’What business could a lacquerware shop in a small county town possibly have? It was just an excuse.’

Flora Rhodes saw through the lie but didn’t call her out on it, murmuring quietly instead, "I heard you went out for coffee with Cassie Blanchett alone today?"

Moira replied nonchalantly, "Mhm, I even complimented her on how pretty she is."

As Moira spoke, her gaze drifted out the window. Connor Quinn was standing with his back to her, his posture straight and tall. Broad shoulders, a narrow back, and his ass... hmm, nice and firm, and powerful...

The word "powerful" made certain events from last night flood her mind. Moira’s eyes narrowed. She had found an outlet for her frustration.

’That damn dog of a man. He schemed against me.’

When Connor Quinn got back in the car, Moira’s expression had already changed.

Not only had her expression changed, but that cold, proud aura that seemed to emanate from her very bones had also returned.

Connor Quinn shot her a glance as he leaned in to get into the car.

After they had driven a little way, Moira spoke in a snide, passive-aggressive tone. "Connor Quinn, how did I never realize you were so manipulative?"

Connor Quinn didn’t speak.

Moira scoffed and continued, "Was the water downstairs good?"

Connor Quinn’s Adam’s apple bobbed, but he remained silent.

Moira was still wearing the same qipao from yesterday, only without the shawl, making her even more eye-catching than before.

Moira had lobbed two sarcastic remarks at him, but Connor Quinn hadn’t taken the bait.

Finally, Moira leaned back in her seat, crossed her legs, and said with a smirk, "Connor Quinn, does it give you a special sense of accomplishment to show off to your cousin that you slept with his ex-girlfriend?"

Connor Quinn’s eyes darkened. "You were the one who seduced me last night," he said in a low voice.

The smirk on Moira’s face froze slightly.

’Shit. I forgot about that part.’

Connor Quinn added, "I rejected you last night. You were the one kissing and hugging me. When I didn’t respond, you started acting cute."

Moira’s heart stuttered, and she wished she could turn back time to two minutes ago.

After a long pause, Moira said through gritted teeth, "What I did last night was a drunken mistake."

Connor Quinn countered, "I was forced against my will."

Moira was speechless.

’Such a perfect "forced against my will." Anyone who didn’t know better would think she’d forced herself on him.’

The ’debate’ was over before it began; Moira had been defeated before she’d even really started fighting.

For the rest of the drive, Moira didn’t say another word. She stewed in silent anger, her resolve to dump Connor Quinn as soon as she got back hardening.

It was already afternoon by the time they got back to Everwood County.

Connor Quinn went to his tattoo shop, while Moira went home.

She had just walked in the door and was about to take a shower and change when a call came in from Shauna Duane.

Moira glanced at her phone screen and pressed ’answer’ with a slender finger.

The call connected, and just as Moira was about to speak, she heard Shauna Duane’s tear-choked voice. "Moira Sloan, he really does have another woman! Quin—Connor Quinn... he, he has another woman..."

Moira raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Shauna cried, "He just got back, and he came back with a woman! I saw it all! His neck is covered in hickeys..."

Shauna was sobbing as she spoke; you could tell she was truly devastated.

Moira pressed her lips together, leaned her slender waist against the wall, and pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingertips. Words of comfort were on the tip of her tongue, but then she thought of something and changed her tack. "You can’t force things when it comes to love."

’I can’t comfort her. This girl’s romantic resilience is as tenacious as a cockroach’s. If you dare to offer a single word of comfort, she’ll dare to be filled with hope for the "future".’

Shauna sobbed through the phone for a good seven or eight minutes before she managed to say between hiccups, "I’m going to ask him. No, I have to go find him and get a straight answer."

With that, she hung up without waiting to hear what else Moira might say.

Hearing the silence on the other end of the line, Moira frowned, troubled.

’Why won’t this girl just give up until she’s smashed her head against a brick wall?’

’What’s so great about that dog of a man, Connor Quinn, anyway?’

As she was mulling this over, the phone in her hand suddenly rang again. Moira glanced down, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the two words on the screen: Connor Quinn.

’Shauna said she was going to find Connor. Why would he be calling me at a time like this?’

After a moment of hesitation, she took a shallow breath and answered the call.

The call connected, but Moira didn’t dare make a sound. She felt like a thief, with the distinct awareness of someone caught in the act of having an affair.

A second later, Connor Quinn’s low, deep voice came through the phone. "Didn’t I remind you not to bite my neck? Why don’t you ever listen?"

Moira: "..."

Moira said nothing, and Connor didn’t seem to be in a hurry. He added meaningfully, "I thought they were all on my body. It wasn’t until I got to the shop today and those little punks started laughing at me that I realized there were quite a few on my neck, too."

Moira: "..."