Ex Cried as I Wed a Tycoon

Effie had barely been home a few minutes when her phone started buzzing-a message alert. At first, just a couple of notifications, but soon her screen was

lighting up nonstop.

Lyman was about to hop in the shower when he suddenly paused, turning stiffly toward Effie. "Is Mitchell bothering you again?" he asked, his tone wary.

Effie shook her head. "No. I blocked every number he has ages ago."

She hesitated, then added, "It's Nita. She's ranting about Vinson Elliott, calling him crazy."

Lyman laughed. "Maybe he forgot to take his meds before leaving the house today."

Effie blinked, thrown by the comment. "Wait, he's sick?"

Lyman grinned. "Not really. He's just a bit neurotic, so we always joke about it— especially Randell. He loves teasing Vinson about missing his medication."

"I see," Effie replied absently, her fingers flying over the screen as she typed, probably trying to cheer Nita up. With that, Lyman headed to the bathroom.

When he came out, toweling off, Effie was still on her phone, but now there was a beautiful nightgown laid out on the bed-white lace, delicate and... rather minimal. Just looking at it, Lyman could easily picture how stunning Effie would look wearing it; his pulse quickened at the thought.

"New?" he asked, his voice a little rough.

Effie turned to him, noticing a different look in his eyes. She swallowed nervously. "Yeah. It's from Nita-she said it's a wedding gift."

Apparently, Nita had slipped it to Effie earlier when Lyman and Vinson weren't paying attention. The moment Nita saw the nightgown, she thought of Effie, certain this was made for her and her alone.

Effie had dug it out of her bag just moments ago, feeling awkward as she tossed it

on the bed-only for Lyman to walk out and catch her in the act.

"So... do you like it?" she asked, her voice tense.

"It's... nice," Lyman replied, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Effie picked up the nightgown, and Lyman's gaze tracked every movement of her hands, his eyes burning with intensity.

With a quick flick, she tossed the nightgown at him. "If you like it so much, you can wear it for a couplenoveldrama

of days," she teased, then darted out of the room, mortified.

Lyman stared at the nightgown now lying at his feet. He picked it up, shaking his head in disbelief and amusement.

Did she really think he could wear this?

Later, when Effie came out of the shower, she absolutely refused to put on the nightgown. Thankfully, Lyman didn't push it, and she breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

***

Elsewhere, Suzan had also slipped into something alluring for the night, though she covered it with a whitez robe for now. Vera had insisted that leaving a little to the imagination was more exciting-a flash of lace here, a glimpse of skin there. Suzan tucked away all of Vera's advice.

It helped that Suzan was Vera's

daughter she had inherited that et

natural, effortless allure. Every move she made, no matter how subtle, seemed to drip with sensuality.

Mitchell was working in his study when he heard a knock at the door. Annoyance

flickered across his face, but he forced himself to sound patient. "Come in."

Suzan entered, her rounded belly leading the way. Even pregnant, she took impeccable care of herself; except for her baby bump, her figure was still slender and graceful.

"Mitchell..." she purred, her voice soft and inviting.