Flash Marriage: Shrewd Wife, Devious Husband
Chapter 75: The Twist

Chapter 75: The Twist

By the looks of it, it appeared that Gloria would talk for some time, so Tony got comfortable. He loosened his tie and took a sip of water.

Gloria took a good look at Tony as he sipped water from the glass. Good hairline, piercing blue eyes, strong jawline, prominent Adam’s apple, chest hair, long fingers...

Damn! No wonder Marcella fell for him. He is the best!

She cleared her throat. She cannot be caught ogling her friend’s husband no matter how handsome he looked. She’s here to accost him.

"Marcella talked about her circumstances to me... to some extent," she started. She had forgotten half of what she wanted to talk about already.

"She talked to you about it? What did she say?" Tony leaned forward out of expectation. If so, can she tell him what bothers Marcella? He wanted to clear the misgiving she had toward him.

Gloria blinked.

Why does he seem so eager to be here? Am I smiling too much?

Gloria forced herself to press her lips and stare menacingly. She could do it so easily in front of her husband but in front of Tony, she found it hard.

His smile is something! No wonder Marcella is trapped.

Seeing Gloria glare at him, Tony leaned back on the seat and covered his mouth. He was too happy to hear Marcella’s thoughts he was smiling without knowing.

"She told me who her father is and...the circumstances that led to your wedding," Gloria said.

Tony nodded.

"She also told me about her long-lasting, odd relationship between you two and... She... You broke her heart, Mr. Crawford!" Gloria raised her voice.

"Me?" Tony gulped. Others in the coffee shop were looking at them weirdly.

Gloria noticed that too and she calmed herself down.

"It’s good for a man to be ambitious but why would you have to marry her? She would have given you what you wanted without that drastic step. You could have let her marry someone who would love her for~"

"Aren’t you being too presumptuous commenting about my marriage, Mrs. Butler?" Tony spoke in a stern tone.

He didn’t like it when others assumed that he was incapable of love. What right does anyone have to comment on his love?

"Why is it hard to believe that I can love?" Tony continued.

Gloria pressed her lips. Her hands were folded over her thighs and her back was straight as she observed him closely. He was offended.

"The Marcella I know is not known for being open about her feelings, Mr. Crawford. I barely knew anything about her in the three years I’ve known her. But the past week... I’ve never seen her so...sad."

"Sad?" Tony raised his brows. "She seemed fine at home...Does she have troubles at the workplace?"

"Troubles?" Gloria smirked. "Cindy does not have the power to~"

"Cindy? Cindy Thompson?" Tony asked.

"You know her?"

"...Yes," Tony said after a short silence.

"Is she your ex?" Gloria asked seeing Tony’s expression. "No wonder... Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned..."

Tony didn’t answer her. Marcella didn’t tell him about anything. He thought Cindy took his warning to heart. He fisted his hands. She cannot be allowed to live comfortably after this.

"She often times talks about outdated stuff..." Gloria took a sip of the coffee. "Her mother was very traditional, I figure?"

Tony nodded.

"If you don’t crown him, pick him up, and value him, who else will? Build your man up; he fights hidden battles. Don’t become another fight he has to try to win."

"Okay... It appears like a good quote..." Tony said. Men do want peace and appreciation from their women.

"This was one of the pieces of advice her mother gave them sisters. She thinks she needs to uphold the standard her mother set. She strives hard to become her mother. She admires the marriage her parents had. But... It makes sense only if she married a man like her father, right?" Gloria smiled.

She might not be a lady at all times. But she can insult someone with a smile. She learned it from Marcella.

"Again..." Tony shook his head.

She’s made her friend believe that he does not love her.

"You refused to kiss her, yes?" Gloria questioned Tony seeing the wry smile on his face. How come he has the audacity to get offended?

"You disappeared from her life after. And you reappear just when she needed a man. That fool... she loved you so much, she... She said she was in a lavender haze, Mr. Crawford, that is, from the moment you said ’yes’ to the moment she learned why you married her. Do you..." Gloria placed her hand on her chest as a mump formed in her throat.

"How hurt she was..." Gloria’s eyes misted. "You hurt her deeply, Mr. Crawford."

Tony bowed his head.

No one is going to believe him, are they? For them, he’s just this opportunistic b*stard who is trying to use her for her connections.

"I don’t need her for her connections, Mrs. Butler. I just..." Tony looked at Gloria. He touched his back unconsciously. "She’s the only woman I... I went through hell to get engaged with her but she ran~"

"Engaged?" Gloria screamed out loud. "You were engaged with her? You mean her father arranged for..." Gloria covered her mouth with her hands and her eyes went wide.

Marcella told her that her father arranged her marriage with the guy she told her father that she slept with him. But if Tony says he was engaged to her, then that means, he was the guy Marcella met with that night?

What kind of twist is that?

Tony took a deep breath. "Yes, I was. Did she talk about that night?" he asked.

"Yes, she talked about the guy who tried to take advantage of...Oh, hell! Why didn’t you tell her? Oh, for f*ck’s~" Gloria covered her mouth once more. She didn’t want to curse in a public place.

Tony bowed his head. "That’s why I cannot talk to her about that night."

He tapped on the table.

The night of the party...