Rural Belle & Three Heirs by Harper Hall

Chapter 31 You Just Dislike Me

As soon as Chloe finished speaking, Grant's hand shot to her face, attempting to yank off the mole he assumed was fake. Unfortuantely, Chloe had used extra adhesive that morning, and under the relentless sun, it had formed a tenacious

bond. His tugging only resulted in hurting her skin, making his intentions painfully clear.

The sting snapped her back to the present. She shoved Grant's hand away, jumped up, and, with dramatic flair, covered her face. "Grantie, why are you pulling at my face?" she accused, her voice a mix of indignation and desperation. Grant's confidence faltered, unable to comprehend why the mole wouldn't come off. He had been certain he saw it out of place that night.

"What's up with that mole?" he asked, bewildered.

Chloe's expression tightened, her hand instinctively covering the mole. After confirming it was still in place, she composed herself. "This mole has been on my face forever. What's the deal, Grantie? You got an issue with my mole?" she challenged, her voice steadying.

Grant hesitated before speaking, replaying the scene in his mind. "But at the welcome party the other night, I could've sworn I saw your mole out of place, like it was fake."

Hearing Grant say this, Chloe quickly adjusted her expression. She tilted her face slightly, making it seem as if the mole had shifted toward her nose.

this?" Chloe asked, her voice laden with

been convinced he saw her mole looking like it was about to fall off. But now, as he thought back, doubt gnawed at him. Had the poor visibility tricked him, or had the alcohol clouded his perception? Either way,

Grandpa and Louis insisted I come; it was not my intention to embarrass myself. This morning, Liam said he'd found a dermatologist to remove it, and now you're trying to pull

a surge of panic through Grant. Chloe's presence in their home was Nicholas's brainchild. The fact that she had to choose from among the three brothers was Louis's decree. If Louis found out they had scared Chloe away, his wrath would be a force to

to soothe her, he stammered, "I'm sorry, Chloe. I didn't mean to upset you.

just think I'm ugly, right?" Chloe interrupted,

was just

to be with any one of you." Chloe

completely out of

crossed his mind: even God couldn't handle a woman in tears. Logic often abandoned the room when women cried, and Chloe, despite her age,

wasn't like Michael, who often mingled with women, acting in movies and appearing

friends to help him come up with