Who's Crying Now, Ex-Husband?

Chapter 569

Sophia arched an eyebrow. "You're awfully sure of yourself."

"Of course I am."

"I may not know why you're making a scene here, but since you're working with Lysander, you must know why he hasn't shown up-even more, you must understand what this engagement party means to him. I can guarantee it: Lysander would never dare to sabotage this event. In fact, he needs to make sure everything goes off without a hitch."

Mila was absolutely certain.

After her last, fruitless attempt to confront Lysander, she'd spent a lot of time thinking-putting herself in his shoes, weighing her value to him, trying to guess how he'd use her.

She'd figured it out.

That's exactly why she chose this moment for the engagement party.

She was sure nothing would go wrong.

Cossio was the lynchpin.

If this engagement party failed, if Cossio-ever suspicious and still lurking in the shadows—sensed trouble and retreated back to Italy, Lysander's plan to hunt him down would be ruined, or at least thrown hopelessly off course.

If they wanted Cossio to let his guard down and walk right into their carefully laid trap, then this party had to go off perfectly-smooth, safe, utterly convincing.

It was a lesson she'd pieced together after that whole mess at the English manor. Mila had always wondered: knowing how ruthless Lysander could be, why did he simply threaten her-so half-heartedly when he learned she'd taken Forrest to meet Jade Sutherland in England? Why not go on the attack, like he usually would? There was only one answer: he didn't dare make a move that would scare off Cossio.

And sure enough, right after she'd returned from England, Leonard had warned her to be careful-told her Cossio would be arriving soon.

It all lined up.

It was obvious, really.

help Lysander deceive Cossio, now every move she made was a test-Cossio's way of probing whether Lysander still had any

was a reference

the other into complacency, the other to sniff out any hidden agendas. Without even realizing it, she'd become a weathervane

lot

ground her teeth

for once. This engagement party was her gambit: so long as she and Forrest went through with it, Cossio would finally let down

risk ruining the party. If he tried anything, Cossio would smell a rat. If he didn't, things would

had always been ruthlessly

he'd make the right

beyond getting engaged to Forrest, she would use this party to publicly sever ties with the Montgomery family-make a clean break, step out of the battlefield between the Montgomerys and Cossio,

go live

the perfect

Not that she had

much of a

the Montgomery

else

into

her

Julian Pembroke two children to lure her back to the

couldn't trust the Montgomerys

with Cossio to watch out for as well, this was her only way

well use the chaos to

too busy with each other to care about her, she'd stay out of it and be safe. All she needed

novelet