“This is how I see it,” Darden continued. “Millie’s position is clear. She has no intention of leaving Myron. So I put together profiles of a few eligible ladies. Take a look, see if any interest you.” He flipped through the pages, forcing a smile. “This one is from the McCoy family, beautiful and easygoing. She’s the older one, and her younger sister has been seeing Jayceon recently.” Turning the page, he went on, “This one is talented, a great singer and dancer. And this one… her background isn’t as strong, but she bears some resemblance to Millie.”

Before he could continue, Brandon reached out and stopped him. He closed the notebook and set it aside.

“Darden, there’s no need,” Brandon said quietly. “I don’t have the heart for this.”

Darden’s anxiety surfaced immediately. “Are you still thinking about Millie?” he asked. “If she never leaves Myron, are you really prepared to live like this for the rest of your life?”

The rest of his life?

Brandon’s gaze drifted toward the wall. “Maybe,” he said calmly.

Darden grew more agitated. “Then what about the Watson family?” he pressed. “You can’t leave the family without an heir. Who will inherit the Watson Group? It’s not a small empire.”

Brandon stayed silent. After a long pause, he finally replied, “We’ll see.”

Yet the face that surfaced in Brandon’s mind was Ari’s. They shared no blood ties, and she wasn’t even his child in name. Still, from the moment Millie adopted her, Brandon had quietly begun to think of Ari as his own daughter. Even so, Millie and Myron would never allow that kind of closeness.

Darden was about to press the issue, but Brandon lifted a hand, stopping him.

“There’s no need to find me Millie’s replacement,” Brandon said calmly. “In appearance, temperament, everything about her, she’s one of a kind. Darden, my mind isn’t settled right now. Maybe things are better left as they are.”

Darden opened his mouth to respond, but at that moment Brandon’s phone vibrated again. He glanced down.

Darden noticed it immediately. Brandon’s expression hadn’t changed, yet a faint brightness flickered in his eyes.

Following his gaze, Darden saw the newest message on the screen, sent by Millie.

“Myron and I have something we’d like to discuss with you. Are you free tomorrow?”

Brandon replied the moment the message came through. “I’m free. Name the time and place.”

Millie’s response followed shortly, precise and unambiguous, laying out the details.

“Understood,” Brandon sent back without delay.

The exchange was brief, almost bare, but Darden, seated nearby, found Brandon’s enthusiasm unbearable to watch. Every warning he had rehearsed lodged itself in his throat, unspoken and heavy. If anyone had the right to interfere, it was him; years of friendship had earned him that much.

Darden wasn’t meddling out of idle concern; he genuinely worried about Brandon’s well-being. Yet watching Brandon now, so calm, so intent, Darden knew persuasion was futile, at least for now. Brandon’s resolve was already set.

Still, Darden couldn’t stay silent. “Brandon,” he said carefully, “she’s not coming alone. Myron will be with her.”

There was no subtlety in Millie’s choice. The distinction mattered, and she had made no attempt to blur it.

“I know,” Brandon replied.

His voice was steady, his expression unchanged, but something lighter stirred beneath the surface. His mood, unmistakably, had lifted.

Darden let out a long, helpless sigh. “Alright,” he conceded. “I’ll stop here. As long as you understand where I’m coming from.”

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