Heiress's High Society Comeback

Chapter 1693:

They had stepped into the Astley family’s estate prepared for anything—whether welcor war. Though, it

seemed fortune had tipped slightly in their favor.

The Astley family didn’t approve of this marriage, and their cold shoulder cas no surprise.

If the Ford family wanted reconciliation, being humble was their only recourse, but whether the Astleys would

offer clemency was another matter entirely.

Thankfully, Franco’s plan worked.

Jules had endured his share of turbulence, but at least his suffering wasn’t for nothing.

As Franco and Corrine spoke quietly by the marble archway, her eyes drifted beyond him, catching a glimpse of

someone.

Her brows drew together.

Was that... Leif?

Noticing the shift in her expression, Franco instinctively turned to follow her line of sight—but the space beyond

was empty.

Was his intuition wrong?

No—it couldn't have been.

Before he could question it further, Corrine glanced back at him. “Franco, | need to take care of something.

Please excuse me.” She didn’t wait for a reply.

She slipped away, weaving through the crowd, her eyes never leaving the figure at the far end of the hall. But

after a few steps, a waitress collided with her, sloshing red wine across her dress in a careless sweep.

“Oh—I'm terribly sorry, Miss,” the waitress blurted, fumbling for a cloth and dabbing uselessly at the stain. It only

made it worse. “Please, letescort you to get changed. It's entirely my fault.”

Corrine’s reflex was to wave her off—her mind still locked on Leif—but her gaze dropped to the cloth in her hand.

Something about it made her curious.

She changed her mind. “Thank you.”

“No trouble at all, Miss Holland. Please, this way,” the waitress said, her demeanor suddenly more composed and

respectful.

She followed without a word. Once changed, she stepped out of the dressing room to find the swaitress

waiting patiently at the door.

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“Miss Holland, someone is waiting for you at the gazebo in the garden.”

She nodded once. “Thank you.”

Back inside the banquet hall, a chill crawled beneath Franco's collar. Something wasn’t right.

The report from his subordinate only sharpened his focus. With his cigarette poised between his fingers, he

frowned and made a call. “What do you really know about Corrine’s background?”

“Why do you ask?” Nate's voice cthrough the line—cool, emotionless. One could never know what mood he

was in.

Franco moved to a private balcony, his gaze drifting to the garden below. Through the glass, he spotted Corrine

in the gazebo—speaking with none other than Leif.

“Do you know she has ties to Leif Mendoza?”

“I know,” Nate replied simply.

“You already knew?” Franco echoed, unsettled now. “That doesn’t strike you as odd? Corrine’s lived her entire

life in Lyhaton. Leif disappeared off the radar years ago. They shouldn't even know each other.”

Ever since Leif turned his back on the arranged marriage and disappeared without a word, the Mendoza family

had steadily withdrawn from the public eye, their once-prominent presence fading into obscurity.

Rumors swirled that George, Leif’s grandfather, had cto terms with the absence of a capable heir and chose

to step back quietly, steering the family out of the limelight to avoid stirring jealousy or misfortune. But now,

with Leif’s sudden and very public return, those theories were upended.

His reappearance stirred fresh questions—was this a signal that he’d embraced the weight of the Mendoza

legacy after all?

In the years that followed their quiet retreat, the Mendoza family’s standing in Nelting had crumbled. They clung

to relevance only through the lingering respect people still held for George.

Franco, however, couldn't make sense of Corrine’s connection to Leif. By all logic, their worlds never should have

intersected. They existed on entirely separate tracks.

Right then, Nate's voice snapped through the phone. “What is she—"

Jolted from his thoughts, Franco looked toward the distant gazebo. Corrine and Leif had already risen to leave,

though the air between them didn’t carry the weight of goodbye. After a pause, Franco ventured, “Probably

taking a stroll by the lake?”

“Keep an eye on her for me,” Nate said, his voice low and resonant.

Franco, oblivious to the deeper tone behind the request, responded casually, “Relax. Nothing's going to happen

under my watch.”

A soft chuckle filtered through the line before Nate abruptly ended the call.

The moment the dial tone echoed in his ear, Franco mumbled, “What's that attitude?”

What had that laugh meant?

It felt like a quiet dismissal, as if Nate didn’t take him seriously.

He slid his phone into his pocket and kept his gaze fixed on the pair growing smaller in the distance, eyes

clouded with unreadable emotion. Word of Leif’s return had already made the rounds, but this was his first time

stepping into the public eye.

And the first person he was seen with—Corrine? Walking by the lake as if nothing had changed?

Something about the whole scene didn't sit right.

Franco lingered there, lost in thought, until they vanished from view. Then he turned on his heel and made his

way downstairs.

The crescent-shaped lake lay still, bordered by rows of trees whose branches swayed lazily in the breeze.

Corrine and Leif wandered along the lakeside at an unhurried pace. Each tsbranches draped into her

path, Leif instinctively lifted them aside, clearing the way.

She stole a glance at him, curiosity bright in her eyes.

He wore a black suit layered over a crisp white shirt, the top buttons undone to reveal just a hint of collarbone

and the defined dip of his Adam's apple.

His hair was neatly styled, exposing sharp, narrow eyes set beneath pronounced brow bones. His features, all

hard lines and clean symmetry, carried a striking, almost severe kind of beauty.

Where Nate's presence was cool and composed, Leif’s held a chill that warned others to keep their distance.

Lifting his eyes to meet hers, he

“ ) ”

asked, “Haven't seen Yonsei)

His voice, refled oUbiAn rich, with

ahridercurrent of charm that stirred

like bubbles in a fine sparkling wine.

Corrine gave a small shake of her head. “This is the first tI've seen you dressed up.”

In her memory, he was always clad in a lab coat, his hair kept short for efficiency’s sake.

The contrast couldn't have been more vivid.

Back then, her entry into the Red

Florganization had felt like heer

chance, a fleeting detdut, Butt had

thrmed. IN something unforgettable,

coloring her life in shades she never

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Though those days belonged to the past, they clung to her memory as vividly as if they'd happened just

yesterday.

« . . » a

If you like looking, then look,” Leif

said, plucking a stray leaf from be

hair with a touch. 30/{ight itbarely

bRIdhedh? scalp. His gaze, soft and

: : “

indulgent, lingered. “Look as long as

" .

you want.” The content is on

novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!