Noticing Jeffrey’s irritation, Stanley lowered his voice. “Stop it. Don’t you see he’s upset?”
“He needs my help, so he won’t do anything to me,” Riley said calmly.
Stanley fell silent.
Jeffrey nced at Riley, suppressing the mixed feelings stirring inside him.
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After dinner, Riley, bored, couldn’t resist gossiping. “Why did he divorce Reba? Didn’t he love her like crazy? I thought they’d be together until the end of their lives.”
“You’re far too optimistic about marriage,” Stanley muttered, his lips twitching.
“It doesn’t matter,” Riley saidzily, leaning back in her chair and tilting her chin toward Jeffrey. “I just want to know what really happened between them.”
“Why don’t you just Google it?” Stanley regretted joining the conversation. He found that even after all these years, Riley was still annoying. “Why do you have to make him angry?”
“I can’t,” Riley replied with a straight face.
Stanley was stunned and instinctively looked at Jeffrey, assuming he had set some strange rule for Riley.
“Myptop doesn’t like him,” Riley said, taking herptop from her bag and caressing it like a treasured object. “Searching for news about him online would crash it.”
Stanley tried to leave. He really didn’t want to be with these two weirdos. “I just remembered I have something to take care of at home. I’ll leave you alone.”
He rose to walk away, only to feel a tug on his clothes. He turned and saw Jeffrey holding onto his jacket.
He looked up and saw Jeffrey’sposed expression. Having no other choice, he said, “Whatever. I haven’t seen Riley in ages. I guess I’ll stay a bit longer.”
Riley nced at both of them, her eyes brimming with disdain.
Hours went by, and Reba was still in Amelia’s ward. With nothing to do, Riley flopped onto the couch and fell asleep.
Stanley looked at how she was sprawled out. “Seriously? Does she think she’s at home?”
Jeffrey shot him a sharp nce.
Stanley raised an eyebrow. “What?”
Jeffrey said casually, “No need to be <b>so </b>surprised. She’s been this upfront since she was a kid.”
Stanley paused, then nodded in agreement.
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Just then, a message from Timothy popped up. [Ms. Jensen has left her mother’s ward and is heading to Mr. Stephen Hanson’s ward.]
Jeffrey put down his phone and kicked Riley’s foot. “Get up. Time to work.”
Reba had no idea her phone was about to be tapped. She climbed the stairs with a swirl of emotions, pausing at the door before entering the room.
In the room, besides Stephen, stood a young girl Reba had seen before at the Hanson residence<i>. </i>It was his younger cousin, Nicole Hanson.
Nicole looked at her with disdain. “What are you doing here, bitch? Aren’t you married to Jeffrey? How dare youe here trying to seduce Stephen? You’re shameless.”
Stephen barked, “Stop, Nicole.”
Nicole snorted. Spoiled by her family, she had always disliked Reba. “I’m just telling the truth. If it weren’t for her, you wouldn’t be hurt.”
Stephen said, growing increasingly impatient, “I saved her of my own ord. This has nothing to do with her. If you keep up this nonsense, get out.”
“Why?” Nicole snapped, her anger simmering. She couldn’t understand why Stephen was so protective of
Reba.
She thought, ‘Reba is merely a girl from a fallen family. Why are you always protecting her? And why does Stephen keep taking her side? Come on, Jeffrey usually doesn’t talk much to anyone, not even us.‘
“Take her out,” Stephen said to the bodyguards seriously, leaving no room for debate. “And don’t let her in again without my permission.”
“Got it,” the bodyguards led Nicole away.
Nicole tried to resist but failed and ended up taking her anger out on Reba. Soon, the room finally settled
into silence.
Stephen murmured, looking apologetic, “Sorry about that. She’s been spoiled since she was a child. I’ll talk to herter,”
“It’s fine,” Reba said, not bothered at all.
She had met Nicole the year she married Jeffrey. That time, Jeffrey had scolded Nicole harshly, and since then, Nicole had only dared a grunt around her. In the past five years, their encounters had been painfully
few.
<b>“</b><b>Are </b>
you
here just to visit me, or have you changed your mind after hearing my requestst time?” Stephen asked as his expression softened.
Reba looked at him. “I came to see you, and I also want to have an honest talk.”
Stephen raised an eyebrow, slightly confused. “Talk about what?”
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Reba said straight out, “I’m not like you, or Jeffrey, or any of your friends. I don’t like people beating around the bush.”
Before Stephen could respond, Reba continued, “I’m sure you have other motives, and you don’t care for Jeffrey as much as you show.”
“Is this how you see me? You don’t trust me at all, do you?” Stephen asked calmly.
Reba answered decisively, “No, I don’t.”
Stephen suddenly found himself at a loss. He could handle schemes and intrigue in business, but he didn’t know how to deal with her.
Facing someone this straightforward and sincere for the first time, he felt a bit flustered, as if all the things he had worked hard to hide were suddenly exposed.
Reba didn’t want to repeat herself because it would make her less confident. “I don’t believe you can be this good to Jeffrey. By dragging me into this, you’re making me part of your plot against him.”
Stephen began, attempting to mislead her. “I only saved you because-”
“I’m not saying this again,” Reba said seriously. “If this conversation doesn’t meet my expectations, I’ll forget everything that happened that night, as if it never urred.”
Stephen’s n suddenly became useless.
He saw her insistence on the truth and sharp logic. He realized that if he couldn’t give her a convincing reason, she would really treat everything as if it never happened. By then, he would never have another chance to manipte her.
For the first time, he understood she was not so easily fooled.
“Of course<i>, </i>you don’t have to answer me right away,” Reba said, giving him time to think. “We can talk once you’ve made up your mind.”
Stephen noticed her determined look without saying a word. His usual methods weren’t working, and suddenly, he thought maybe it was time to just be upfront with her.
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