Certainly, what must be refused · 03. November 2025

CWMBR 79

Chapter 79

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Sponsored by Elisa. Thank you ❤️ (3/8)

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With nerves on edge, Donna pulled her face-covering scarf tighter. Meeting someone while constantly watching her surroundings was unfamiliar territory for her. In fact, Donna believed fame itself was the measure of popularity. The more famous you were, the more attention you naturally drew, didn't it? She was always prepared to be the talk of the town.

But the person she was meeting today was someone she couldn't simply push her will upon.

Arriving at the residence with a displeased expression, Donna pounded fiercely on the door.

Bang bang!

Her irritation mingled with the force of her knocking.

Bang bang bang!

Ignoring the bell right beside it, Donna deliberately knocked on the door again. She knew pressing the bell would be useless.

The person she came to meet today was someone who cut off contact without warning whenever their interest waned. If she politely pressed the bell, they'd pretend not to be home and ignore her. She had to make a scene loud enough to draw attention from the entire neighborhood.

Typical artist—fussy and sensitive.

Just as Donna cursed inwardly and raised her fist again, the door clicked open and her opponent appeared from inside. It was Finn, dressed in a comfortable robe, as if he'd just finished showering. Though it was far too private an appearance for others to see, Donna wasn't the least bit surprised. Of course, Finn didn't seem particularly embarrassed either.

"Why is it so hard to see your face, honey?"

Donna quickly slipped through the open doorway. Perhaps not wanting to argue at the door, Finn made no effort to stop her.

"You should've contacted me if you came to Glynford."

"I thought I told you not to come looking for me."

Finn crossed his arms and leaned against the closed door.

" As if I'm not already struggling enough, and now you have to be so cold?"

Donna retorted in a half-whining tone, then tossed her coat onto the sofa. Finn stared at her blankly before asking in a soft voice.

"What business do we have left between us, Donna?"

"How can you say that? It hurts."

Finn straightened up, smiling faintly. He approached Donna slowly, his hand brushing her cheek with feigned gentleness. Just as Donna was about to smile back at the ticklish touch, his hand suddenly clamped down roughly on her cheek and jaw.

"I'll be the one to feel hurt. Was it so hard to just take care of yourself?"

"Ugh!"

"Did you actually go to Ain Wise with that photo?"

The harder his fingers pressed, the tighter the skin was squeezed. With tears welling up from the stinging pain in her cheek and jaw, Donna grabbed Finn's wrists with both hands and finally wrenched them free.

"Let go of me!"

Shaking his hand off as if tossing it aside, Donna touched her face and glared at Finn.

"What if you bruise me?"

"It's just a face that won't be on stage anyway. What's a little bruising?"

Finn replied nonchalantly, strolling over to the sofa. A book lay open on the table, as if he'd been reading it since earlier. Sitting down as if nothing had happened, he leisurely turned the pages. Donna glared at him fiercely.

"When I first told you I was being threatened, you could have stepped in then. Then I wouldn't have gone looking for that man myself!"

"Ha, that's exactly why you'll never be a celebrity. You shouldn't react to things like that. You got all worked up and overreacted, and that's why things turned out like this."

"If I hadn't overreacted, you would have abandoned me too! Am I wrong?"

Finn glanced up at Donna. His eyes were icy cold, in stark contrast to the faint smile playing on his lips.

"So, did you manage to get Ain Wise's attention like you wanted? It doesn't look that way to me."

"Ha, can't you see? That man is filing for an annulment."

"Ah, an annulment. Is that good for you?"

Finn tilted his head. At that reaction, Donna bit her lip hard.

"We'll see if you can say that after I become Mrs. Wise."

"Are you serious? You want to become Donna Wise? Do you really think that photo will make you that?"

Finn burst out laughing as if amused.

"Seems you think Ain Wise is a complete idiot. He should know this too."

Shaking his head and clicking his tongue, Finn leaned back a little more comfortably. Donna glared at him with a look of annoyance.

It was Finn she'd contacted first when she was being blackmailed. Naturally, she had to reach out to someone who was immediately available, rather than a man who didn't even reply to her letters. And when Finn heard that she was being blackmailed by a photographer, he had just one thing to say. Just ignore it.

Ignore it? If she could ignore it, she would have done so long ago. She contacted him precisely because she couldn't ignore it!

"That's why I wish you'd helped me..."

"Donna, do you really think I don't know?"

The smile that had lingered on Finn's lips gradually faded.

"You deliberately let that bastard take the photos."

Donna, who had been about to ask what he meant, faltered.

Finn, having completely wiped the smile from his lips, stared intently at Donna before closing the open book and pushing it aside. Then, looking at her with contempt, he said.

"No."

"You tried to frame me and make it a big scandal, but it got buried because of the Ain Wise and Bridget Pennington scandal."

Donna's eyes widened in shock.

"What nonsense are you spouting, honey? I was blackmailed, I tell you!"

"Donna. You look best when you just shut up and stay quiet. So drop that ridiculous nonsense."

Finn warned in a voice devoid of humor. Donna lost her smile, her face pale as she averted her gaze. A sudden assumption flashed through her mind, but she wisely refrained from voicing it.

Seeing Donna's deflated spirit, Finn's mood seemed to lift slightly, and a smile returned to his face.

"So, you've come all this way to declare your bold ambition to become Donna Wise?"

Donna clenched her teeth. Her mind raced, and she quickly found a suitable topic to bring up.

"My boss is threatening to send Bridget to a mental hospital. Bridget said she'd sell off the Grand Theater and the mansion because of the marriage annulment lawsuit."

"Oh dear."

"He says he's taking Bridget this time. I came to warn you because if you wait any longer, she'll really be dragged off to the asylum."

Asylum was a euphemism; it was closer to a detention center. A place where people admitted became the patients, rather than where actual patients were treated.

Donna knew how much effort Ronan had put into legally owning the Grand Theater. He absolutely wouldn't want all that effort to go to waste. Why didn't Bridget just hand the theater over to her uncle early on? Why hold onto it pointlessly and risk a bad outcome? Donna truly couldn't stand Bridget.

It had been that way from the start. From the very first day she saw Bridget.

She wanted to scratch that carefree, innocent smile right off her face.

"You came all this way just to tell me that?"

Finn asked back, puzzled, as if the information didn't seem worth the dramatic visit. Donna nodded calmly at him.

"Bridget's gone nuts, threatening to fire me. I can't stand looking at her either, so I want to get rid of her. I'm just giving you a heads-up out of old loyalty. You 'need' her, right?"

Finn chuckled at Donna's words.

"Sorry, but her marriage is still intact, and until then, I can't force her either. I imagine your 'boss' feels the same way."

"Then... I guess there's nothing to be done. I'll just hope he can make a move as soon as possible."

Donna retorted coyly and stood up. Picking up her coat, she carefully avoided looking rushed, preparing to leave with an air of aloofness. She wrapped her scarf, lifted her chin, and gave a nod. Fortunately, Finn seemed to find nothing particularly odd about Donna and let her go without a fuss. Donna cautiously exited his lodgings.

Wondering if he might be watching her from a window, she maintained a leisurely pace until the building disappeared from view. Only when she finally turned the corner did she take a deep breath. Her heart was pounding wildly. Biting her trembling lips, Donna looked back.

"Oh my god………………."

Truthfully, Donna had come to see Finn today because of the photo. The photo she had given to Ain. Since the royal investigators were bringing up that photo and Finn was acting so evasive, she intended to pressure him into cooperating more fully. Along with telling him to give up, since he was already caught up in it whether he wanted to or not.

But she breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn't brought that up right now.

"You deliberately had that man take the photo, didn't you?"

It was a deal between the photographer and Donna alone. A secret that would have remained hidden if the photographer hadn't changed his mind upon discovering Ain’s true identity. How could that man possibly know? Donna moistened her parched lips with her tongue.