Chapter 15
15:
Christina gave a casual shrug. “Still thinking it over.”
Across the table, Dylan leaned in slightly, his tone unwavering. “Whatever you decide, the terms are yours to set.”
“What if I asked for your entire family?” Christina asked, her voice calm but firm as she suddenly dropped her light expression.
The question hit like a stone tossed into still water, the mood shifting in an instant. Anyone listening might have thought Christina meant to strip the Scott family of everything they had.
Dylan, however, didn’t flinch. A half-smile tugged at his lips. “My life’s worth more than the Scotts put together. If I’m ready to hand my life over, the rest is just background noise.”
That made her laugh—sharp and sudden. “That’s sharp. Alright.”
With a smooth gesture, Dylan lifted his glass. “To making this work.”
“To making it work. But…” Christina raised her glass.
“But what now?” Ralphy interjected, his voice tight with barely concealed impatience.
Christina’s eyes flicked toward him. “But I can’t promise King will agree. That part’s out of my hands.”
“No guarantees are fine with me,” Dylan said at once. “If there’s even the tiniest chance, I’ll take it.”
Even if King declined, Dylan still hoped Christina could broker a meeting. That alone would be worth something.
“Alright then.” Without hesitation, Christina finished her wine in a single go. It surprised her, honestly—that Dylan, known for being cold and calculated, could care this much about someone. Maybe he wasn’t made of stone after all.
As Christina and Dylan exchanged conversation over their meal, Brendon sat off to the side, clearly ill at ease. Not even the elegant dishes or rare wine could distract him. His mind was a carousel of bitter possibilities about the nature of Christina and the restaurant owner’s relationship. Was Katie right? Had Christina cheated on him during their marriage? And worse—had he been blind to it all, just another fool left out of the show?
gⱯ𝗅𝗇0ν𝖊𝗅𝘀.𝗰𝗈𝗺´ 𝘾𝒽𝓮𝒸𝓀 𝒶𝓾𝓉𝒽 𝓬𝓸𝓹𝓎
Images he wished he could block out crept in anyway—Christina, caught in an intimate moment with the mysterious owner of the Morfort Restaurant.
Each new thought dragged Brendon further into a spiral, his expression growing darker with every passing second. His fingers wrapped tighter around the wine glass, the strain enough to make the stem creak.
Silence pressed down on the table like a weight. Katie stole a glance at him but didn’t dare open her mouth.
Yolanda clenched her jaw, trying to mask the irritation simmering just below the surface. Clearly, Brendon wasn’t as detached from Christina as he liked to pretend. Now that the Mitchell family was in trouble and desperately needed the Dawson family’s support, she knew she had no room for mistakes. The idea of Brendon and Christina reconnecting was unacceptable, especially now. Plus, she’d always been the one to call the shots in a breakup. The thought of being cast aside? Unbearable.
“Why is Christina still not back?” Yolanda asked purposely, her voice light with feigned worry. “Could something have happened between her and the owner of the Morfort Restaurant?”
Katie let out a sharp laugh. “Wouldn’t be the first time she threw herself at a man. Since the divorce, she’s been busy collecting admirers. Bet she was cheating long before the divorce.”
“I don’t think she’s that kind of person,” Brendon interjected, though doubt lingered in his tone.
And once doubt took root, it never stopped growing. He had never once had faith in Christina. His focus on her? It was about pride—his pride. He simply couldn’t tolerate the thought of being cheated on.
“Brendon, can you stop being so naive?” Katie snapped, her patience wearing thin. “She’s nothing but a tramp.”
That did it. Brendon turned his glare on her. “One more word about her, and your allowance is gone. Try me.”
Katie fell silent, but the fire in her eyes never dimmed. She shifted her anger toward Christina instead, convinced everything had started going wrong the moment Christina showed up, making Brendon, the ever-doting big brother, scold her more than before.
Irritated, Brendon tugged at his tie, the tension sitting heavy on him. No matter how hard he tried, his mind still clung to suspicions about Christina’s loyalty.
Meanwhile, on the top floor, the group had just finished eating and wrapped up their conversation.
Christina, feeling the effects of the wine settle in, stood up to leave. But as she moved, her balance faltered, and she stumbled forward, landing squarely against Dylan’s chest.
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.
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