Love’s Cunning Ruse

Chapter 288

“Whose mom?” Daphne quickened her pace, reaching the table.

Lionel helped her pull out a chair, his firm grip on her shoulders gently guiding her to sit, “Our mom, Mrs. Flores.”

“My mom gave you the keys to my apartment? Really, Lord Lion, you trying to fool me? Did you…” Daphne was about to suggest that he might have made a copy of her key the last time she left it at his place.

But as her gaze met Lionel’s enchanting hazel eyes, Daphne suddenly lost her nerve. The words that were on the tip of her tongue turned into something else.

“Did you see that I left the door unlocked last night and decided to come in?”

Lionel pulled out a key and waved it in front of her. “I had no idea you had a habit of leaving your door unlocked at night. Or did you do it on purpose, hoping I’d come over?”

“Lord Lion… Do you think this is some sort of morning sitcom?” Daphne rolled her eyes at him.

“Hmm?” Lionel’s tone rose slightly.

Daphne immediately took a spoonful of yogurt bowl and put it in her mouth, then exaggeratedly gave a thumbs up. “Delicious!”

“Took quite a while to make,” he replied casually.

“Did you make it yourself?” She looked at the yogurt in front of her with a hint of surprise. It tasted great and looked like something you’d get at a fancy place, not something Lionel would make.

Yet he affirmed with one simple words, “Duh.”

“Lord Lion, let me see your hands.” Daphne reached out to Lionel.

He extended his hand, and Daphne put down her spoon and opened his palm. It was soft and smooth, evidently well taken care of.

Daphne scoffed lightly, “Look at these hands, they haven’t seen a day’s hard work. I don’t believe for a second you made this. There’s no shame in not being able to cook, I can’t cook either!”

Lionel lightly tapped Daphne’s head, “Is not being able to cook something to be proud of?”

Daphne thought for a moment, it was quite embarrassing. But…

“Actually, I can’t do laundry or clean either. Either my mom comes over to clean my apartment, or I hire a maid. My dad adores me, he’s always spoiled me,” Daphne confessed.

Lionel chuckled, amused by her candidness.

Her genuineness, devoid of any pretense, was endearing. Many people would exaggerate their skills to maintain a perfect image, only to make a fool of themselves. But Daphne, perhaps because she didn’t expect anything serious to come out of their relationship, was simply being herself.

Maybe his silence lasted too long, as even the thick-skinned Daphne started to feel embarrassed. She touched her nose and said, “Seems like there’s not much to be proud of.” Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

“You can be proud.” The man sitting across from her suddenly spoke, surprising Daphne.

“What?”

“You can be proud.” He said, “As Mrs. Lionel, not knowing how to cook, clean, or do laundry, you can be proud. It’s something to be proud of.”

Daphne’s heart was racing uncontrollably, even covering it with her hands didn’t help.

The handsome man who made her breakfast, his face stunningly beautiful, was whispering sweet nothings that made her heart flutter. She took a deep breath, barely managing to calm herself down. Then, pretending as if nothing had happened, she gave him a sweet smile, “Lord Lion, you sure know how to charm a lady… I’m smitten.”

She quickly changed the subject, “Did you really get the keys from my mom? How did you manage that?”

She found it hard to believe.

After all, the people who vehemently opposed her marrying into a wealthy family, who were against her marrying Lionel, were Mrs. Flores and Alaric!

It was hard to believe that in just over a month, her parents would do a complete 180 and even give Lionel the keys to her apartment! She was curious to know how Lionel managed this!!

Lionel said, “I threatened your parents.”

“What?” Daphne’s jaw dropped. So the secret weapon was a threat?

She looked at Lionel, furrowing her brows, “How did you threaten them?”

“I told them that whether they agreed or not, I was going to marry Daphne. If they disagreed, I would simply kidnap her. Neither their wealth nor their manpower could stop me.” he said.

This scared Daphne, causing her to instinctively retract her neck and look at Lionel with caution.

Her smiling face looked worse than if she were crying, “Lord Lion, you’re joking, right? You didn’t actually say that to my parents, did you?”

“I did, word for word.”

Daphne grabbed Lionel’s arm, “And they still gave you the keys? And my dad… he didn’t beat you up?”

Daphne studied Lionel from head to toe, “Are you injured anywhere? Did you hit your head? Why would you say such nonsense!”

“Your dad didn’t lay a finger on me because I had backup,” he said.

Daphne was thinking, Lionel must have taken a gang to stir up trouble. And he must have brought experts with him, otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to come back unscathed after saying such things to her parents.

In fact, everything Lionel said was true. He did indeed bring someone with him when he went to the Flores family. But it wasn’t a gang like Daphne imagined, it was

a well-known lawyer named Tandy. And he did repeat his threats word for word in front of Daphne.

The only difference was that at the time, Daphne’s parents sat on the sofa, scrutinizing him with their piercing gaze.

Daphne’s father was the first to speak, his voice firm, addressing Lionel directly, “Stay away from us, Lionel. And don’t worry about the child Daphne’s carrying. She made up her mind to have it, and we, the Flores family, have never feared rumors or idle talk. We raised Daphne just fine, and we can certainly handle one more. We have no desire to climb social ladders of live like the idle rich.”

Edda, Daphne’s mother, spoke more gently, but her words remained firm. “I’ve heard Daphne’s side of the story. There was never a plan for a.child, or even a relationship between you…”

Lionel stepped forward, his voice earnest,

want to marry Daphne. It’s the most significant decision I’ve made in my life so far. This isn’t a joke.”

“Marry her? What is this nonsense about marriage? Even a marriage based on love isn’t guaranteed to last, let alone one without love!” Daphne’s father didn’t mince his words.

Lionel stood his ground, his gaze steady on Daphne’s parents. “Whether you agree or not, I’m going to marry her. If you don’t agree, I could elope with her right now. Neither of you could stop me. When I want something, I get it.”

He paused, then his tone softened, “But I know the consequences of such actions. I truly love her, and I want to be responsible for her, and our child. I want to be there for every day of her future. That’s why I’m here, asking for your blessing. Daphne respects you both, and if you disapprove of our marriage, she’ll hide behind you forever, never facing her true feelings or making her own choices.”

“If you truly love her and want to protect her, that’s one thing. But if this marriage is just about the child…” Daphne’s father interrupted Lionel, then paused before continuing, “There is a saying, ‘A man will die for money, a bird will die for food! Your father’s media empire is worth billions, not a few measly millions. Who’s to say you won’t turn against Daphne when the inheritance comes into play? Who will ensure her safety? Will you choose your wife and child, or your vast fortune?”

Edda, who had always liked Lionel, fell silent at this.

“I choose the fortune,” Lionel said calmly.

His answer was expected. Most people would probably make the same choice. But it was still disappointing to hear.

What they didn’t expect was Lionel’s next sentence, “I choose the fortune, but I’m willing to put everything I have under my wife’s name, under Daphne’s name.”

He gestured towards the man he’d brought with him, “This is Mr. Tandy.”

Tandy presented a prenuptial agreement to Daphne’s parents, “It states that if Ms. Daphne and Mr. Lionel marry, all of Mr. Lionel’s assets will belong to Ms. Daphne. Once she signs it, we can have it notarized.”

Daphne’s parents thought, ‘This boy must be crazy!’

Lionel looked at Daphne, smiled, and said, “I told my parents I’d bring you home for dinner tonight. And… I have a surprise for you.”

Daphne grinned awkwardly, “A surprise? I have a bad feeling about this…”

She reached for her phone, “I should probably check in with Julie…”