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Kendra reached out, her hand forming a protective barrier as she shielded Elliot behind her. Her eyes glinted with
something that seemed to anticipate what would come next.
But as the moments passed, I remained still, my silence stretching like an unspoken challenge.
Kendra’s gaze flickered, surprise flashing across her face before she let out a cold
laugh, the sound laced with bitterness.
“At least you’ve grown up a bit. No tantrums this time, huh?”
After the banquet, when we were on our way home, she suddenly halted me with a
gesture.
“It’s late, and it’s not safe. Let me give you a ride.”
I couldn’t refuse the offer, not with the
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night stretching on and no real reason to protest.
I made my way toward the car’s back seat, but before I could settle in, Kendra blocked my path, her gaze sharp.
“You sit in the back,” she said coolly, her hand guiding Elliot into the front seat as if she were already accustomed to making the decisions.
“Sorry, Brother Wyatt,” Elliot said with an apologetic tone. “Kendra was just worried I might get carsick…”
I didn’t reply. I simply slid into the back seat, as I had planned from the start.
The ride was filled with light chatter and laughter between Kendra and Elliot up front, their voices almost too familiar.
As the car stopped at a red light, Elliot leaned in playfully, asking if he could help Kendra with her lipstick.
Their gazes locked, their faces inches
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apart. The air between them thickened, their breaths growing heavy with unspoken tension.
But just as the moment stretched, Kendra suddenly turned toward the back seat, her eyes catching mine as if she’d only remembered my presence.
Seeing me staring out the window, indifferent, her face faltered, a sharp shift in her mood. Her expression darkened, and she quickly started the car again, speeding away from the awkward moment.
Once we arrived home, I barely had time to step out of the car before Kendra grabbed my arm with unexpected force.
She shoved a bracelet into my hand, her tone dripping with condescension.
“Alright, stop pretending like you don’t care. It’s pathetic,” she sneered.
She continued her words like a command rather than a gift. “Take this bracelet as my engagement gift to you. As long as you
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play along, I’ll give you the wedding you want.”
“At least everyone in Cavendale will think you‘ re my husband.‘
I raised my gaze, meeting her eyes, and asked, “Then who are you actually marrying? Is it Elliot?”
Her anger flared, but something else was in her gaze–a subtle, almost smug
satisfaction.
“I knew you were just pretending!” she snapped, her voice tinged with venom. “Let me warn you don‘ t you dare breathe a word of this to our families!”
“My relationship with Elliot is something you can’t even begin to understand. He’s kind, genuine–everything you‘ re not. If you hurt him, don‘ t expect the wedding to go through!”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the irony. It was clear to me that it was her own fear- fear of defying the Jewett family–that kept
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her from truly speaking her mind. Yet, here she was, trying to shift the blame onto
- me.
I said nothing. Instead, I turned and walked away, heading home.
As soon as I stepped inside, my phone buzzed with an incoming video from Elliot.
In the video, Kendra carefully helped him fasten a wristwatch. The brand was unmistakable, and suddenly, I
remembered the bracelet she had given me earlier–an afterthought. This free gift came with the watch.
Their gaze locked, a soft, affectionate exchange before they kissed–passionate and unrestrained. The wet, smacking sounds from the car were almost suffocating, too intimate for my taste.
[Brother Wyatt, I’m sure Kendra told you… Once the wedding with you is done, she’s going to register her marriage with me!]
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[You know, a marriage that isn‘ t legally recognized doesn‘ t entitle you to any inheritance rights. It’s time for me to claim my spot as the husband of the wealthiest woman in Cavendale!]
So, Elliot had been reborn, too.
No wonder, despite there being no connection between us in our past lives, the two of them were already wrapped up in intimate gestures just days after meeting. It was as if their hearts had already aligned in this new life, their bond reigniting before they could fully acknowledge it.
I lowered my gaze, my mind drifting back to my past life. After I officially married into the Jewett family, the Jewett Corporation was bombarded with an unexpected influx of collaboration offers.
Opportunities poured in, contracts were signed, and their assets surged to unimaginable heights. It didn’t take long before they claimed the title of the
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wealthiest family in Cavendale..
