Chapter 73:

When a moment passed and Elyse remained silent, a sly glint appeared in Brook's eyes. "You can't answer, can you?" he asked, his voice louder than usual. "Did you marry Jayden because you had no other options?"

Jayden was also silent, but his clenched fists betrayed his feelings. He was surprised to find he cared more about Elyse's answer than he'd initially thought. He desperately wanted to know if she had feelings for him or if it had all been wishful thinking. His doubts felt justified. Who would fall in love with a cripple, anyway? The longer Elyse pondered her answer, the more Jayden suffered in silence.

"I'm sorry for taking so long," she finally said. "Your question is important, so I needed to consider my feelings for Jayden carefully." She took Jayden's hands, oblivious to his turmoil. "All I know is that my feelings for him are deeper and stronger than when we first met."

Brook's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by that?"

"As you know, we married because our partners left us at the last minute. That's all it was initially. But after spending time together, our relationship…" Elyse trailed off, searching for the right words, realizing she couldn't find them.

Jayden understood. "We're bonding," he interjected.

"Yes," Elyse said with relief. "My feelings for Theo Ward are gone. These days, all I think about is Jayden. I'm actually…" She stopped abruptly, as if struck by lightning, frozen by her own revelation.

Jayden nudged her. "So? What does it mean?"

Elyse's face flushed crimson. "I… uh…" Feeling Jayden's gaze, she jumped up. "I'm sorry, I need to use the restroom. You two continue talking." She fled.

Jayden watched her go, bewildered. Brook, however, understood. Elyse did love Jayden. Their relationship was better than he'd imagined. How surprising!

Standing behind them, Driscoll glanced at Jayden's confused expression and sighed. When would Jayden understand his feelings for Elyse?

"Ah, your pretty wife has run off," Brook remarked. "I'll let her off the hook for now."

Jayden raised an eyebrow. "Since she's gone, state your business. Why are you here?"

Brook pressed a hand to his chest, feigning offense. "Jayden, can't I visit to see how you're doing?"

"Stop acting," Jayden said flatly. "Why are you here?"

"Fine," Brook said, popping another grape into his mouth. "You have Joanna, right? Hand her over. The Owen family wants to discuss things with the Foster family."

"Oh? My men returned Joanna to her family, saying I should handle things. I didn't expect continued cooperation between the families."

Brook looked pitying and peeled a banana, offering it to Jayden, who refused. Brook shrugged and ate it himself.

"You haven't participated in company projects for a long time, Jayden. You may not even know our plans."

Brook sighed dramatically. "I didn't want to say this, but it's time. Right now, you're a charity case draining family funds. Live your life privately. Don't concern yourself with company matters. If we keep things from you, it's for your own good."

Jayden's lips twitched. "Should I thank you for reminding me of my disability? I know I can't walk and therefore have no right to interfere in family affairs."

"That's right. Accept your fate. Don't wallow in regret."

Brook tossed the peel in the trash and stood. "Take me to Joanna. As you said, I have a mission. She's a valuable bargaining chip, and I need her back."

The extraneous website address was removed. The passage has been cleaned up for grammar, punctuation, and flow. Word choices have also been improved for clarity and impact.