THE DISABLED HEIRESS, MY EX-HUSBAND WOULD PAY DEARLY.-Chapter 298

But Clinton wasn’t done, he leaned a little to the side, glancing toward Oliver who had been quiet the whole time, his posture protective, hands in his pockets but alert. Then Clinton pointed and raised his brows playfully.

"That reminds me..." he said with a smirk, turning back to Cora. "So, who is he, by the way?" He gestured toward Oliver again. "Don’t tell me you now move around with such a fine-looking bodyguard. He doesn’t look like the average employee... or are you hiding something from us, Cora?"

He laughed lightly as if what he said was a harmless joke. But the look in Cora’s eyes sharpened, and though she didn’t speak yet, her stare was enough to signal that his words had crossed a line.

At that moment, seeing the look on Cora’s father’s face, Clinton didn’t even bother to check himself or read the atmosphere. He went on confidently, his tone half‑mocking as he repeated, "Well, who is he?"

The question made everyone’s attention shift toward Oliver. Even Cora froze a little. The sudden silence around them was heavy enough that anymore could hear the faint hum of the air conditioner nearby.

Cora’s father narrowed his eyes slightly, studying Oliver from head to toe. His tone came out calm but sharp, the kind that carried quiet authority. "If he’s a bodyguard," he said slowly, "then he must be professional. But not professional enough to stand there without greeting or showing respect to the family that’s feeding him. For that alone, he’s not qualified to even call himself a bodyguard."

The words stung, cutting through the air like a whip. Cora’s lips parted slightly as if to defend Oliver, but before she could utter a word, Oliver took a slow, deliberate step forward. His expression was calm too calm and the faint smile on his face sent a strange chill through the moment.

"Well," Oliver said, his voice steady, almost polite, "I’m not Cora’s bodyguard." He paused, his eyes locking with Cora’s father’s. "I’m Cora’s boyfriend."

Immediately the entire place went still. Even Cora’s breath caught in her throat by the boldness.

For a second, it felt like time had stopped no one blinked, no one moved. Then Clinton suddenly burst out, his jaw nearly dropping. "Wait—what?!" he exclaimed, pointing at Oliver as if he had just heard something unbelievable. "Did I hear that right? Are you saying you’re Cora’s boyfriend?" His voice rose in disbelief. "How? When? Since when did that even happen?"

Immediately, Festus stepped forward with a slightly uneasy smile and chimed in to support his brother, "Well... that’s exactly how it happened. Your father—my brother—was just talking about you, Cora. The whole family had gathered earlier this week, and we were all discussing you. He said it was time we started making plans, that you were getting older and needed someone suitable. A capable young man from a good family."

He chuckled nervously, trying to lighten the tension in the air, but Cora didn’t smile. Not even a twitch.

However Festus continued, "So we were all just giving suggestions, thinking of the best families we know—families that match your background, your class, your ambition. Your dad even said he already had some names on a list. He was planning to reach out to them soon... talk with them, see their visions, their values... you know, something proper, something responsible."

Cora’s chest tightened with each word, she couldn’t believe her father was planning her future behind her back?

Festus tried to finish with a harmless tone, "...But then, today, we hear that this boy... this young man beside you is your boyfriend? We were not expecting that at all. It just caught all of us off guard."

Silence followed for a second, the kind that feels heavy and loud.

Cora’s eyes slowly shifted from Festus back to her father. Her expression had completely changed. There was no smile, no hint of politeness—just shock. Then her brows pulled together, and her jaw tightened.

"So... no one thought it was important to tell me?" she asked, her voice calm, but her tone biting. "You all sat somewhere, thinking of my life, planning it... arranging things for me like I’m some business deal—and I wasn’t even invited into the conversation?"

Her father didn’t say anything yet.

She took a step forward, facing him directly now. "Was that why you came back?" Her voice rose slightly, eyes burning with the anger she had been trying to hold in since the moment they arrived. "Is that it? You didn’t come to see me. You didn’t come because you missed me. You came... because you wanted to pick a man for me?"

At that moment, upon hearing what Cora just said, her father let out a long sigh, then gently shook his head with a look of tired disappointment. His voice was firm but calm as he replied, "No, Cora. That’s not the reason I came back. I didn’t come here just to find a man for you, so let’s put a stop to this line of talk." He then looked briefly at his brother Festus and continued, "Yes, I won’t lie—we discussed something like that. But not in the way you’re hearing it now. It wasn’t supposed to be a family campaign. It wasn’t this serious."

His voice grew a little more assertive. "Even if such a conversation came up, it wasn’t supposed to be a council of elders debating your future like you weren’t even present. That’s not right. And frankly, it’s extremely disrespectful to be having this conversation in front of the man you just introduced as your boyfriend."

Cora’s father turned to look at Oliver briefly his gaze not cold, but definitely evaluating. There was a thick pause in the air. Festus narrowed his eyes and folded his arms, while Clinton’s lips curved slightly into a smug smirk, but neither said a word.

Oliver, who had been silently observing, took a slight step forward. His posture was calm, respectful, but not timid. He looked directly at Cora’s father and spoke with clarity and sincerity. "Sir, I’ve heard so much about you. Even before meeting you, I held a lot of respect for the kind of man you are."

He then slowly reached and brought out a small, elegant wooden box, polished and secured with a fine ribbon. "That’s why I took it upon myself to prepare a little something. It’s nothing too grand, but I wanted to personally welcome you back and show my respect."

With both hands, Oliver extended the box toward Cora’s father. "This is a welcome back gift for you, sir."