Estelle sounded surprised. “Lambert? Where is he?"

"With me. I saw him following you, and he didn't look like a good guy, so I had my men bring him here,” Manley said warmly. “Is he bothering you? Don't worry, if you don't want to see him, I'll send him packing right now."

Estelle was speechless. "Send me your address. I'm on my way. And don't touch him until I get there."

"Deal!" Manley agreed readily, adding, "Drive safe, don't rush. I promise I'll wait for you to pass judgment."

Estelle chuckled and hung up.

The thought of seeing Estelle soon sent a thrill through Manley, and he immediately texted her the address.

Lambert raised an eyebrow. "Now you know I'm Estelle's friend, right? So untie me already!"

Manley had disliked him from the moment he claimed to be Estelle's ex. "Estelle isn't here yet," he sneered. "What's the rush? Just sit tight."

Though his arms were tied behind his back, Lambert's legs were free. He walked over to the sofa and sat down, ignoring Manley's glare as he waited for Estelle.

Manley eyed him up and down. “How do you and Estelle know each other?”

Even tied up, Lambert's handsome face retained its proud, aristocratic air. He blinked dismissively. "Why should I tell you?"

"Because I have the power to throw you somewhere you'll never see her again before she arrives," Manley retorted with a cold smile.

Lambert knew Manley was capable of it. He pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek and reluctantly began, “We've known each other for years."

"How many years? Longer than me?"

“Definitely longer than you," Lambert said, giving a brief account of how he met Estelle. “She even gave me a gun back then," he added proudly.

"Going onto a battlefield when you can't even protect yourself? What's there to brag about?" Manley scoffed. "I thought you were some ride-or-die friend. Turns out you were just a dead weight dragging my Estelle down."

Lambert's face paled with anger. Deciding not to argue further, he closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the sofa.

"Prepare some more desserts," Manley instructed a servant. "And have juice and iced tea ready." The servant bowed and left.

Lambert's eyes snapped open. "You're one of Estelle's admirers, aren't you?"

Leaning back, Manley said, "I'm different from you. Estelle admires me too. Our feelings are mutual."

Lambert smirked. "I know she's marrying Alvis."

"Alvis?" Manley's eyes darted. "You mean Jonathan?"

Lambert didn't answer.

"She's only marrying Jonathan because she was forced to!" Manley said, his face a mask of sorrow. "Let me tell you the truth. The person Estelle truly loves is me She couldn't bear to see me and Jonathan fight to the death over her, so she reluctantly agreed to marry him."

Lambert stared at him suspiciously.

Manley maintained a mysterious expression, lighting a cigarette and saying no

more.

Half an hour later, a servant announced, “Young Master, Ms. Macclain is here.”

Lambert's head whipped around.

Manley was already on his feet, striding quickly to meet Estelle. The moment he saw her, he threw

arms around her in a big hug

"Estelle, I missed you like crazy!"

Lambert's eyes widened. He knew Stella disliked physical contact; even when they

were pretending to be lovers, she had always kept her distance.

Could what Manley said be true? Was Stella being forced to marry Alvis, while the man she truly loved was this one standing before

Or maybe... maybe she was

manying into the Mystorm?

OV

Federation to secure an alliance for Gab, for the sake of Tripe's political stability.

A torrent of thoughts rushed through Lambert's mind, each one more alarming than

the last. His heart ached for Stella, twisting with a sharp, painful pang.

Estelle pushed Manley away gently. "When did you get back? Why didn't you tell me?"

"A few days ago,” Manley said, his face lit up with a brilliant smile, his seductive

eyes sparkling as he looked at her. "I wanted to surprise you."

Estelle raised an eyebrow. "And Lambert was your surprise?"

"Of course not. What kind of surprise is he?"