Chapter 345
Chapter 346
When she got in the car, the white sedan pulled out of the parking lot, and only then did Jesse get ready to leave.
He’d barely started the engine when someone knocked on his door.
Rolling down the window, Jesse glanced at Rex. “Is work at the hospital really so easygoing? Off duty already at this hour p>
Rex bit back the urge to just turn around and walk away. He knew his family had reluctantly agreed to his medical career, but they were never fully on board. Still, loyalty to his brother won out, so he put on a wry smile and said, “Big brother, did you just have dinner with little Elissa p>
He already knew the answer–just making conversation.
Jesse tapped his fingers lightly against the steering wheel. “Didn’t you and Rowan spend half the evening watching from upstairs p>
Elissa had been too absorbed in those documents to notice, but Jesse had caught on right away.
Rex’s brow twitched, but he didn’t bother denying it. Instead, he shot back, “So what did little Elissa talk to you about p>
Jesse just threw the question back at him. “Who sent you here to gossip p>
He’d seen right through Rex and Rowan’s little scheme.
Rex didn’t even bother to look guilty. He leaned against the car beside Jesse’s and, without hesitation, sold Rowan out. “Who else p>
“We just talked about the project,” Jesse replied easily, keeping Elissa’s privacy intact. Then he added, “You haven’t been in touch with that girl from the Foster family, right? Our eldest sister will be in Vistapeak City for a couple of days. Don’t do anything stupid p>
Rex’s scalp prickled. “Got it p>
Nobody in the Wilkinson family–not just him–dared cross their eldest sister. From their grandparents down to the youngest grandchild, even the turtles in the garden pond, everyone listened to her without question.
Jesse started the engine and was about to pull away when Rex, for some reason, blurted out, “Bro, do you think if I weren’t a Wilkinson, I could actually marry her p>
Jesse’s brows drew together. “ So what–you’d give up your family for a girl? Rex, maybe you should hand in your resignation at the hospital. A doctor who’s lost his mind is a danger to his patients p>
He paused, then said coldly, “Clear your head. I’ll pretend I never heard that p>
Honestly, anyone hearing that would think Rex had lost his grip.
Jesse’s car roared off, leaving Rex in a cloud of exhaust.
He stood there for a moment, letting the sting of reality sink in.
Everything he had came from his family. They’d always indulged him–his sister a politician, his
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Chapter 346
brother a businessman, both shouldering the family’s burdens so he could bask in their legacy and follow his own path.
His grandparents and parents, especially since he was the youngest after Vera, adored him. If they’d heard what he just said, it would have broken their hearts.
A gentle early–summer breeze drifted by. Rex stood in the soft darkness, lost in thought for just a heartbeat before he straightened, his usual noble composure returning. Hands in his pockets, he wandered into the restaurant.
Back at Vistapeak Gardens, Elissa parked in the underground garage and cut the engine, but she couldn’t bring herself to get out.
The folder on the passenger seat–those confirmed documents–felt like a boulder pressing down on her chest. Even breathing seemed hard.
Whatever sliver of hope she’d been holding onto was gone now. She had no idea how she’d face Rowan after this.
And for now, she couldn’t even begin to figure out how she was supposed to answer to her parents‘ memory, confronted with a family as powerful as the Murphys.
Her thoughts were scattered and heavy when, suddenly, the passenger door opened.
Elissa turned her head, startled. “What are you doing here p>
“I just got back,” came the reply. “Saw your headlights were still on p>
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