Chapter 344
Chapter 345
She was like a little tyrant.
But Rowan always fell for her tricks. Just as he was about to get annoyed, she’d look up at him, eyes wide and pitiful, and say, “Rowan, you’re all I have left. If you smoke yourself to death, what am I supposed to do p>
“Or maybe you should smoke even more. I’ll just breathe in all your secondhand smoke, and we can die together p>
A few words, and Rowan was rendered speechless every single time.
What else could he do?
He could only give in to her.
Later, when she insisted on marrying Frank, Rowan didn’t just start chain– smoking; he picked up a real habit, one he couldn’t kick no matter how hard he tried. Maybe he figured there just wasn’t any point in quitting anymore.
It was only over the past few months that he’d started trying to quit, almost by instinct.
Rex watched him, looking thoroughly unimpressed, and couldn’t help but tease, “Seriously, you two aren’t even officially together and you’re already acting like this, treating her like she’s made of glass. What’s going to happen if you actually get married p>
Rowan’s gaze dropped, lazy and half–lidded as he glanced down the stairs, sarcasm lacing his words. “That’d require her actually wanting to marry me p>
God knows what nonsense Frank’s been feeding her this time.
Rex picked up on something in his tone. “You guys have a fight p>
Rowan replied, “No fight p>
Just silence.
Complete, one–sided silence.
He was the one getting frozen out.
Rex could read the irritation written all over his face and laughed. “She’s ignoring you, huh? Listen, with girls like that, you have to coax them. If you keep acting all high and mighty, who’s going to bother with you p>
Rowan let out a cold laugh. “Is that so? Has Tanya Foster ever bothered with you p>
Taking stabs at each other’s sore spots was never fun.
Rex choked for a second. “She’s different p>
A lot of women, what they want in a relationship is someone who can make them feel good, emotionally.
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Chapter 345
Not Tanya Foster. She only cares about the end result. If it’s not what she wants, it doesn’t matter how many tricks you pull–it’s useless.
For once, Rowan felt a rare sense of camaraderie. “Your family still hasn’t come around p>
Rex flicked some ash from his cigarette. “Mainly my dad and my older sister p>
He could understand where they were coming from.
His sister had been honest: it wasn’t about Tanya herself, or even her background, but about her family.
Tanya’s younger brother was a disaster–spoiled rotten, addicted to every vice imaginable.
If Rex married Tanya, that brother would become his problem–a ticking time bomb just waiting to blow the Wilkinson family sky–high.
Rowan understood how serious that was. Old Mr. Wilkinson had a military career, and the eldest Wilkinson daughter was in politics. If Rex got mixed up with someone like that, it could ruin everything the family had built.
His own happiness with the girl he liked seemed almost trivial compared to the family’s reputation.
Rowan offered Rex another cigarette and said, half–joking, “Smoke up, maybe if you die early, you’ll get another shot at marrying her in your next life p>
Rex shot him a look, half–offended, half–amused. “…Seriously p>
“No thanks. Not interested in men,” Rowan tossed back, grinning as he headed back inside.
Elissa and Jesse finished their meal, and by the time they stepped out of the restaurant, the sky was already dark.
“Mr. Jesse, I’m sorry for all the trouble,” Elissa said, thanking him before bidding goodbye. “I’ll head back now p>
While Jesse was helping her look up some information, he’d learned a bit about her–her background was rough, to say the least.
Her parents had died when she was five, and not long after, she’d ended up with the Murphy family.
Watching her slender figure walk away toward her car, Jesse–who normally kept to himself–found himself calling out, “If you ever need help with anything, just ask p>
Elissa turned back and gave him a small, grateful smile. “I will p>
Chapter 346