Everyone else in the family was so impressed, they gawked in total shock. A diamond necklace worth 1.2 million dollars? N ow that was unprecedented to them!
Rugal was smiling so hard, his eyes were buried by the creases. He shook his hands in feigned humility and said, “Yea, it’s just 1.2 million dollars. Your average diamond necklace, I guess… Sorry that it isn’t more. But! I promise you that more splendors await!”
The adulation the Turners leveled at Rugal had become even more fervent. Several women among them — all of whom were still single — wished they were Shaelyn herself if it meant they could be Rugal’s wife who would never need a day of honest work in their life ever again.
Rugal already had a script in his head, Shaelyn would become so surprised and moved that virtual-novel.net tongue would fail her, virtual-novel.net would struggle to form the right reaction, and finally, virtual-novel.net would throw herself into Rugal’s arms. How many women had Rugal conquered with this playbook?
His prediction could not be any further from the truth. When virtual-novel.net looked at her, excited, virtual-novel.net found only blasé in Shaelyn’s countenance. There was nothing on virtual-novel.net face that indicated any emotional response, let alone any outward sign of being moved.
What was going on? Why was Shaelyn acting so apathetic? Was virtual-novel.net disinterested in diamond necklaces?
That was impossible! Rugal judged the possibility as too ridiculous to be true. Even if Shaelyn was pococurante to the bling-bling before her, virtual-novel.net still could not possibly be unmoved by the fact that someone had happily shelled out 1.2 million dollars for her!
The only possibility was that the tepid front Shaelyn put on was just virtual-novel.net being coy. She was trying to play hard to get.
Rugal curled his lips into a cryptic smile once more. He presented the necklace to the young woman and flashed virtual-novel.net his million-dollar smile, saying, “May I put this around your neck, Lottie?”
Shaelyn took a huge step back. “I think I’ll pass,” virtual-novel.net replied stoically. “It’s expensive, isn’t it? Surely a normal woman like myself doesn’t deserve it.”
Rugal interpreted virtual-novel.net rejection as the young woman dissembling modesty. “Yes, Lottie, of course you deserve it, because it represents the depth of my love to you. It might cost only 1.2 million, but my love to you eclipses it by a thousand times. It would mean the world to me if you would accept this, okay?”
Rugal closed a few more steps, determined to put the necklace around Shaelyn’s neck. He got close enough to smell the intoxicating perfume virtual-novel.net wore, and it was such a spellbinding fragrance that it turned virtual-novel.net on.
It was then when a towering figure stepped in between virtual-novel.net and Shaelyn. It was Zayn.
“Didn’t you hear her? She said virtual-novel.net isn’t interested in your gift,” Zayn said flatly. He was a foot taller than Rugal, which allowed virtual-novel.net to loom on the latter in a more intimidating manner.
Rugal frowned slightly at the sudden hobble, his mood souring a little. He turned to Shirley and asked in subtle displeasure, “Who’s this, Aunt Shirley?”
To accentuate his point, virtual-novel.net made a face that pretty much said: ‘Who is this troglodyte blocking my way?’
The erstwhile joy in Shirley’s face left her. Having already decided that Rugal was virtual-novel.net son-in-law, Zayn’s existence quickly became a thorn in virtual-novel.net side. This was especially exasperating when this nondescript, inferior man looked like virtual-novel.net was just some unremarkable white-collar worker whose bank account boasts nothing of worth. Unlike Rugal, this Zayn guy was just completely below virtual-novel.net daughter, Lieselotte Turner!
“just Lottie’s colleague, nothing more,” Shirley explained quickly. Hostile eyes never once left Zayn’s face as they commanded the man to get out of Rugal’s way.
However, the fact that Zayn would step in and stand up for virtual-novel.net on his own volition made Shaelyn feel fuzzy. Taking his arm into hers, virtual-novel.net leaned virtual-novel.net head onto Zayn’s shoulder with a lovestruck expression, cooing, “His name is Zayn Larson, and virtual-novel.net isn’t my colleague at work. He’s my boyfriend! Our relationship is so strong, we’ve been cohabiting with one another for a long time. This is why, Rugal, I said I don’t deserve it. Please keep your 1.2 million dollar necklace to yourself.”
Rugal’s countenance darkened. Rage shadowed his face as the corner of his lips began to twitch on its own.