Called Off the Wedding, Left Him Bankrupt novel Chapter 124

"I haven't really decided yet."

Cynthia crossed her arms. "Well, could you hurry up and make up your mind?"

Dominic arched a brow, taking in her impatient expression. He spoke with infuriating calm.

"How about this—why don't you go home and talk it over with your sister? Maybe she should start by paying back what she owes the Holloway family."

Cynthia's heart skipped a beat. Piecing together what Dominic had said earlier, she ventured cautiously,

"So... what the Tremaines owe the Holloway family—is it money?"

Dominic didn't answer.

She took his silence as agreement, her tone awkward but earnest.

"Mr. Holloway, you know full well what shape Tremaine Holdings is in. We're at the end of our rope here. If you push us now, there's really no way out for the Tremaines."

"But please believe me—we'll pay back every penny. If you're willing to help, once Tremaine Holdings pulls through, we won't run from our debts. But if the company goes under, well... whatever's owed to the Holloways will vanish with it."

Her clever eyes flickered with calculation, a sly edge to her look.

Dominic's lips curled into a faint smile. He leaned in, his striking features dangerously close.

Cynthia's breath caught. It was hard not to get flustered when someone that devastatingly handsome was mere inches away.

Dominic reached out, gently pinching her chin as he studied her face. He let out a low, amused chuckle.

"Funny, I don't see the words 'honest and trustworthy' written anywhere on your face."

Cynthia's breath hitched.

Dominic let go, his tone turning cold.

"The last agreement we made, Miss Tremaine, you flipped the table and walked away. Now you say you'll pay me back—I'm sorry, but I find that hard to believe."

His meaning was clear: he thought she was anything but reliable.

Cynthia pressed her lips together, trying to stay composed.

"Mr. Holloway, that was a completely different situation."

Feelings and money—how could those even be compared?

Not to mention, back then, she was never really the bride he wanted in the first place.

Dominic glanced at her, a hint of laughter in his voice, though it was tinged with something else—something almost annoyed.

"Back in the city for five minutes and already looking for shortcuts?"

No one understood how things worked in the capital better than Dominic. And when it came to the Tremaines' predicament, no one but him could really help.

Cynthia had known that the moment she decided to return to the city. If she could attach herself to Dominic Holloway, maybe—just maybe—Tremaine Holdings could survive.

She gave him a candid nod.

"If there's a shortcut, why wouldn't I take it?"

Dominic seemed genuinely amused, a faint smile tugging at his lips—though his words cut just as sharply.

"From what I hear, you've never shied away from hardship."

Cynthia: "..."

So he just wasn't going to let her live that down, was he?

All she'd done was refuse a loveless engagement. Maybe it bruised his ego, maybe it embarrassed him, but did he really have to hold a grudge all these years?