Billionaire Lost to His Surrogate In A Love Game novel Chapter 181

“She’s got a husband, a kid on the way, and a comfy life, how do you think she’s doing here? There isn’t much that Ophelia wants – a happy family consisting of a man who loves her and a healthy baby is all she needs. And now, they are exactly what she has. So please, get the hell away from her life,” said Madeleine.

Tassach felt a slight pang of hurt, but he wouldn’t admit defeat just yet. “But Zach is seeing another woman! How’s that a happy family for Ophelia? Are you even her best friend?”

“So,” retorted Madeleine, “as long as Zach doesn’t file for divorce, she will always be the young Mrs. Chambers.”

“How can you even say that?”

“What else am I supposed to say then?”

About four years ago, in order to pay off her debts, Ophelia had married Zachariah under a set of extremely stringent rules, which stipulated, among other things, that even if Zachariah cheated and got some other woman pregnant, Ophelia, still, would have no right to object, and could only swallow her pain.

“Now level with me, Madeleine. Did Ophelia sign some kind of a prenup before she married Zachariah?”

“Why do you have to such a smartass?” thought Madeleine.

“What prenup?” asked Madeleine, feigning ignorance.

“I don’t buy it for a second that you don’t know,” replied Tassach, “I’ve looked into it. Zachariah wouldn’t have married Ophelia if Cora Fletcher hadn’t run away from the altar. Since the Chambers are a prominent family, and since Zachariah doesn’t really fancy Ophelia at all, there must have been a prenup in their marriage. And you’ll know since you’re her best friend.”

“So what if I do know? Will it make a difference if I tell you?”

Staring into the sky, Tassach spoke, his voice deep. “I just really hope she’s doing well. I had to disappear for reasons I couldn’t control, but now, now I’m powerful enough to offer her protection, and so I’m thinking…”

“Then stop thinking,” Madeleine cut in bluntly, “because even if she does divorce Zach, she won’t choose to be with you.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because what could have been between the two of you ended more than four years ago, when she’d had feelings for you all that time and you never once confessed how you felt about her. And now, she’s married with children, so it’s over between you and her.”

Tassach froze. What did she just say? Did she really say that Ophelia had had feelings for him? Could that really have been true?

“Ophelia…liked me?” Tassach asked as he gulped, his voice hoarse.

Madeleine glanced at him with a weird look. “Is that really that much of a surprise?”

“Did she really use to like me, as in romantically?”

“Since college,” confirmed Madeleine with a nod. “Well, unrequited feelings, anyway. Shouldn’t a smart guy like you be able to tell if a woman is into you?”

Tassach was completely stupefied. Madeleine wouldn’t understand how much of a shock that piece of information was to him.

Madeleine waved a hand before his face. “Hey, are you okay?”

Taking her hand instantly, Tassach asked with a sharp stare, “Is she really into me?”

“No,” denied Madeleine, “I said that she used to be into you – but not anymore. You’re just a guy from the past to her now.”

But Tassach decided to interpret that as Ophelia still having feelings for him, and his heart and mind were alight with an infinite amount of hope. As long as he persisted, he could, and would, one day win over Ophelia.

Grabbing Madeleine’s hand tightly, Tassach asked expectantly, “There is a place for me in her heart, isn’t there?”

Madeleine stared at him as if he were a lunatic. “Didn’t you hear what I just said? Ophelia is happy with her current life, and you’re a guy from her past. Get it?”

“Nope,” answered Tassach stubbornly, “she has feelings for me, I’m sure.”

Madeleine felt helpless.

“Alright, then let me spell it out for you one more time: you are in her past. Wanna know why? Well, ask your parents what they did to Ophelia. And if you know exactly what it was they did, you wouldn’t be able to look her in the eyes, either.”

Tassach was flummoxed. What did she mean? And why would she bring up his parents?

As he was thinking to himself, Madeleine shook off his hand and took flight with her trash bag.

Unsure what to make of the whole situation, Tassach walked back to his car, opened the door and walked in.

When she got away from Tassach, Madeleine threw the bag into the trash can, and fished out her phone to send a text to Ophelia, which read: “Dearie, Tassach Conduibh came to see me today, and I let it slip that you used to like him. I’m afraid this ornery dude will interpret it as you still having feelings for him, so I’m giving you a heads up.”

A short while after the text was sent, she received a call.

Picking up, Madeleine greeted, “Hello, dearie.”

“Tassach came to see you today?”

“Yup. I was surprised to see him too,” answered Madeleine, “and he asked me about your married life with Zach and such. I think he’s still into you, so watch out.”

“We’re just friends,” said Ophelia, “don’t worry, Maddy, I’ll know how to handle him.”

“That’s good to know. Still, try not to be bothered by the little things like this and focus on your health, what with you being pregnant and all that.”

“Message received. Have a good night, bye.”

After she hung up, Ophelia was still fondling her phone, her mind cluttered with various thoughts.

“Who were you speaking to?” asked Zachariah as he came out of the bathroom, towel-drying his hair.