Reba was clueless about what was going on. As they neared the hall, she shot Stephen a sidelong nce and asked, “You said you had something to talk to me about. What’s up?”
“This isn’t the right ce for that. Let’s step outside in a bit,” Stephen said as he walked slowly toward the exit, his gaze lingering on Jane. “Want to go say hi to your coworkers while you’re here?”
Reba nodded, said, “I’ll go over now,” and headed toward her colleagues,
When Jane spotted her, she pulled out her phone and sent a text to a number with no name saved: [Reba and Stephen have left the private room. Everything’s fine.]
“Hi, Jane,” Reba said, hurrying over. “I still have some things to take care of. Can I leave early?”
“Aren’t you going to wait until they announce the results?” Lisa asked, stealing a nce at Stephen before quickly averting her eyes. “You and your team have a real shot at winning.
“And if you do, you’ll have to go up on stage to ept your award.”
Reba paused. She’d been so caught up dealing with everyone tonight that she’d almost forgotten about the celebration itself.
“Why not stay a little longer?” Jane told her, recalling what Jeffrey had asked her to do.
“I’ll head out for a bit,” Reba said casually. “Just ten or twenty minutes.”
Jane considered for a moment, then nodded. “Sure.”
Reba turned and walked off.
Everyone couldn’t help but whisper among themselves, dying to know who Reba really was.
Stephen and Jeffrey were absolute titans at the peak of the business world; seeing them up close was next to impossible, and even online, photos of them were practically unicorns.
If someone hadn’t overheard Jason greeting Stephen, half of them wouldn’t have even realized he was the legendary heir of the Hanson family everyone gossiped about.
“What’s Reba’s story, anyway?” Lisa muttered, her eyes glued to their backs, sneaking extra looks at Stephen’s tall and cool figure. “She’s clearly super familiar with both Mr. Hanson and Stephen.”
Jane just kept silent.
After tonight, no matter how low–key Reba tried to act, everyone would inevitably end up wondering who she really was.
Yannie had called Reba out on stage as a friend, Jason had personally invited Reba to dine in a private room, and Reba clearly had a close rtionship with Stephen.
Chapter fot
This wasn’t something encountering each other in an art show could exin away.
Reba knew that, too, but none of it was really something she could do anything about.
‘So be it. Let the chips fall where they may, she wondered.
“We’ve still got morepany eventsing up, so if you’ve got something to say, let’s just talk here.” Reba said, stepping into the massive garden outside the hotel.
She made sure no one else was around before ncing at Stephen, ‘So, what’s the deal?”
“It’s nothing serious,” Stephen replied, his voice low and soothing. “I just wanted to know, what’s your n with Jeffrey?”
This time, Reba didn’t shoot him down with a blunt. “That’s between me and him.” Instead, she kept her answer to herself, leaving the topic hanging.
Noticing her guarded and distant tone, Stephen didn’t push or get annoyed. He just asked gently, “Do you remember what I told youst time we saw each other?”
Reba looked up at him, eyes lifting slightly. Jeffrey’s childhood?” she wondered to herself.
“The current way Jeffrey is mostly because of his childhood,” Stephen said, sounding a little resigned. “He really wasn’t happy until you came along.”
Reba stayed silent.
Even though Stephen had spoken up for her back in the private room and always treated her with kindness, Reba still couldn’t fully trust him.
During their five years of marriage, Jeffrey had told her again and again to watch out for Stephen.
If Stephen were just some random guy, Jeffrey wouldn’t have kept warning her like this.
“If you can, I really hope you two can sit down and have a real conversation,” Stephen added.
Reba wasn’t one for subtle games, and since no one else was around, she spoke her mind. “You and Jeffrey have a rivalry going on.”
‘Put simply, his showing this kind of concern is just odd, Reba thought.
“We are rivals, but we’re brothers,” Stephen said, his lips barely parting as he spoke.
Under the streetlights, he looked more concerned than before. “It’s only natural for an older brother to worry about his younger brother.”
Reba wasn’t buying it.
“If you’d ever seen the way he used to be, you’d get why I’m here talking to you,” Stephen said, his voice tangled with emotion. “Honestly, his whole life’s been hell.”
Reba raised an eyebrow. “So you really came here just to say all that?”
Stephen gave a quiet nod. “Yeah, that’s it.”
He pulled out his phone, scrolled for a moment, then found a photo and handed it over.
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He said, “If this doesn’t move you, just pretend I never said anything, and from now on I’ll keep out of whatever happens between you two.”
Reba took the phone, and the impact hit her harder than she expected when she saw the photo.
In the photo, Jeffrey looked about sixteen or seventeen, wearing a white shirt stained with blood.
His hair was messy, hanging down over his eyes as he sat slumped on the ground; he just looked totally wrecked, and those eyes were hollow,pletely dead inside.
In that instant, Reba felt a sharp stab in her heart.
“He-” Reba started, but the word caught in her throat.
Jeffrey was never one to show weakness around her. In all five years of their marriage, he’d never tried to get her sympathy, never let his guard down, and never asked for pity.
Whenever he acted up, it was just yful messing around to make herugh, never anything real.
“This was him, not even seventeen yet,” Stephen said softly as he took his phone back. His tone was still gentle but held back, “I can’t go into details. That’s something only he can share.”
Reba pressed her pale lips together, feeling a dull ache inside.
She’d asked him about his past a few times before, but he always brushed her off with just a couple of vague sentences, never really letting her in.
“Jeffrey’s pretty clueless when ites to rtionships. I just want you to talk to him,” Stephen said, his tone even and unhurried.
“Sure, we’re rivals in business and fight our battles, but when ites to his private life, I just hope it turns out good for him, something warm, something real,” he added.
Reba steadied herself and replied, “Maybe you should be saying this to Andrea instead.”
Stephen said inly, “He cares more about you than he does about Andrea.”
Reba paused, raising an eyebrow questioningly. She honestly couldn’t figure out why he’d bring that up.
“To check, I did a little experiment tonight,” Stephen said, phone still in hand, his usual calm back on his face. “And turns out, I was spot on.”
Reba was about to ask what kind of experiment he was talking about, confusion flickering across her face.
But Stephen jumped in before she could, “He should be here any minute now.”
‘Arrived?‘ Reba wondered, uncertainty flickering in her mind.
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Before she could say anything, the roar of a motorcycle approached from a distance. A seriously cool bike came to a stop not far from them, and a broad–shouldered, athletic guy climbed off.
In one smooth motion, he pulled off his helmet, revealing a drop–dead gorgeous face that could make anyone forget to breathe.
When Reba realized who it was, she froze. ‘Jeffrey? Why is he here?‘ she thought, barely able to process the sight.
Stephen deliberately closed the gap between them, lowering his voice, “Want to talk to him?”
But Reba’s full attention was locked on Jeffrey; she didn’t even register Stephen’s move. Without missing a beat, she brushed him off, “Nothing to talk about.”
“Alright, let’s head back inside then,” Stephen said, his voice steady and normal. “You’ve got more eventsing up soon, and I don’t want to keep you.”
Reba instinctively refused.
She could bet that if she passed by Jeffrey while walking with Stephen, she’d be the unlucky one who’d catch
all the heat.
Just to keep things drama–free and for her safety, splitting up was definitely the smarter move.
But it was already toote to split up.
The moment Stephen said those words, Jeffrey nced over, his eyesnding on just how close Reba and Stephen looked together, the sight instantly tightening the air around them.
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