64
“Yeah.” Jack said, shing his little canines in a grin. “Grandpa said, since it’s your first time at a party here in Honn, everyone needs to know you’re the Quinn family’s precious girl.”
Reba thought,…
Jack nced back. “The bodyguards behind us are from Uncle David.”
Jessica and Reba turned around and realized that, without them noticing, the Guzman family’s bodyguards and the Quinn family’s bodyguards had lined up on both sides, surrounding them.
“Cousin Reba, after you,” Jack said, reaching for the car door still smiling. “Grandpa’s waiting for you up
ahead.”
But then, just a secondter, Jack’s smile froze awkwardly.
He paused, looking a bit caught off guard.
‘Why won’t this door budge?‘ he thought to himself.
“Hey, don’t go stealing my job,” Mark said, hopping out of the car right on cue and opening the door for Reba. “I’m Miss Reba’s personal bodyguard–opening doors for her is literally my job.”
Jack let go of the doorhandle and just quirked an eyebrow.
Mark held his hand above the doorframe, looking every bit the gentleman. “Miss Reba, after you.”
Reba thought, ‘…‘
Back when she was with Jeffrey, this sort of treatment wasn’t exactly rare.
But with Jack and Mark both putting on a show, she actually felt a bit out of ce.
While Reba and Jessica were getting out of the car, Ryan and Sebastian were waiting for them up ahead.
“Reba’s with me tonight,” Sebastian said quietly to Ryan, though his eyes stayed on Reba. “I trust you’ll act ordingly.”
“What do you mean by that?” Ryan replied, his tone cool and direct.
Sebastian shot him a stern look.
It was obvious he wasn’t happy with Ryan.
“Anyone with eyes can tell she’s mine,” Ryan said, standing his ground.
Sebastian didn’t miss a beat. “Has she ever called you ‘Dad‘?”
Ryan was speechless.
<b>14:30 </b>Mon<b>, </b><b>Oct </b><b>6 </b>
After a moment, Ryan shot back, “Not like she’s called you Grandpa, either.”
€<b>64 </b>
“At least when I say I’m her grandpa, she doesn’t correct me, and Amelia doesn’t say a word,” Sebastian replied, making his point crystal clear.
Ryan’s brow creased, a hint of frustration flickering across his face.
He couldn’t help recalling just how distant Amelia and Reba always seemed toward him, never really letting him close.
“Grandpa, Cousin Reba’s here,” Jack announced as he brought them over. “And this is her best friend, Jessica Scott.”
“Hello, Mr. Quinn. Hello, Mr. Guzman,” Jessica greeted them politely.
“No need to be so formal. I just talked business with your mom a couple of days ago,” Ryan said, his tone surprisingly gentle. “She’s already inside. Let’s head in together–I’ve got a few details to discuss with her.”
Jessica looked confused.
‘Howe I never heard about my mom working with this big shot?‘ she thought to herself.
Ryan saw her hesitate and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, please, after you,” Jessica replied.
“After you,” Ryan said, making it clear she was meant to lead the way.
For the first time ever, Jessica felt like she was being put on the spot at a party. Luckily, with Reba right next to her, she could barely hang onto herposure.
The second they headed off, Ryan and Sebastian immediately followed close behind. Sebastian raised an eyebrow, clearly puzzled by what Ryan had just said. “When did you start working with Jessica’s mom?”
“Yesterday,” Ryan replied under his breath, just loud enough for Sebastian.
Sebastian blinked,pletely taken aback.
Ryan looked dead serious. “Haven’t you ever heard that saying?”
Sebastian gave him a puzzled look. “What saying?”
Ryan spoke slowly, as if imparting some great wisdom, “If you want your daughter to forgive you, you’ve got to start with her best friend.”
Sebastian just stared at him in silence.
Jessica was standing ramrod straight, every muscle in her body tense.
Reba caught the nervousness in Jessica and paused, turning to the two men. “Mr. Guzman, Grandpa Sebastian, we just left something in the car, so we’ll go grab it. You guys go ahead inside.”
14:30 Mon<b>, </b>Oct <b>6 </b>
Chapter 238 <fnef96> ???s ??????? ?s ?????? ?? find[?]ovel</fnef96>
“No worries, I’ll wait for you,” Sebastian blurted out without thinking.
“Alright,” Ryan replied, taking the opposite stance. “We’ll go in and wait for you”
Reba gave a slight nod. “Okay.”
Sebastian was left standing there, a look of confusion stered across his face–what the heck was going on?
He was just about to snap at Ryan when Ryan jumped in first. “Didn’t you notice she doesn’t even want to walk
in with us?”
Sebastian retorted stubbornly, “She just doesn’t want to be with you.”
“Alright then, you can wait here all you want,” Ryan said, not even bothering to argue–after all, it wasn’t his rep on the line. “Let’s see if she reallyes in with youter.”
Sebastian wanted to say, ‘Fine, I’ll wait if that’s what it takes‘
But thinking about the way Reba had just looked at him, Sebastian was suddenly unsure of what to do. In the end, he decided to stop insisting and headed inside alone, leaving Jack to stay with the girls.
After all, these kids really are just more at ease with each other.
***
Meanwhile, over with Reba and Jessica.
Once the two men had gone inside, Jessica finally spoke up. “Your real dad and grandpa seem to care about you a lot, huh?”
“It’s not about caring,” Reba replied, her eyes darkening a little. “It’s guilt.”
They’re only this nice to me because they feel guilty for what happened before.
They realized Amelia would never ept their apologies or peace offerings, so they switched their focus to Reba, hoping she’d help mend things with Amelia.
“Whether it’s guilt or they genuinely care, you can’t dodge them wanting to treat you well,” Jessica said–never one to overthink things, always going with the flow. “Everyone’s already making a fuss, so you might as well just embrace it.”
Reba paused, momentarily taken aback by Jessica’s words.
Jessica continued, “Just remember, the Quinn family won’t give up on you and Amelia just because you turn them down.”
With just a few words, things suddenly clicked for Reba.
Reba took a moment to let it all sink in, then nodded. “Alright.”
“Come on, let’s head in,” Jessica said, linking arms with her, giving Reba strength.
<b>14:30 </b>Mon, Oct 6
Chapter 238.
“Yeah,” Reba replied softly.
Arm in arm, they walked together toward the banquet hall.
Jack had been hanging out not too far away, and when he saw them, he strolled right up with his usual easy grin. “Hey Cousin Reba, did you like that birthday present I got youst time?”
Reba looked over at him, not quite sure what he was getting at.
Why’s he suddenly bringing up old stuff?‘ she wondered, a bit confused,
“If there’s anything else you have your eye on, just say the word–I’ll have Grandpa make it happen,” Jack added. “I was supposed to show up at your party myself, but some stuff came up right at thest minute and totally tied me up.”
But honestly, it wasn’t like he really couldn’t make it.
Truth was, he was just too chicken to show up in case he bumped into Jeffrey and the whole nephew secret got exposed.
He was t–out afraid Jeffrey would rat him out about the Amelia situation.
Yeah, he’d already patched things up with Jeffrey, but knowing how much Reba cared about Amelia, if she ever found out, she’d totally hold a grudge against him. For the sake of his own survival, better to keep his head down for now.
“Nope, I’m good. Thanks,” Reba kept it short, barely sparing Jack a nce.
Jack totally caught her chilly vibe, but honestly, it didn’t faze him at all.
He kept chatting nonstop for several minutes–so much that even Jessica, queen of small talk herself, was starting to zone out.
“Oh, and by the way–Stephen’sing tonight too,” Jack added, finally getting to the real point.
Reba stopped for a split second, actually surprised.
Finally, something Jack said caught her attention.
“Seems like he’sing just for you,” Jack continued, though honestly, all he’d heard was secondhand chatter from Sebastian and Oliver. “Pretty sure he’ll want a word with you after the banquet.”
“So, what’s he want to talk about?” Reba asked, a little weary.
“Probably the family shares,” Jack shrugged. “Honestly, that’s about the only thing you two can really discuss.”
Reba felt a weight settle in her chest. ‘Figures it alwayses back to that,‘ she thought, her mood growing heavier by the second.