This was a small house, nothing like that castle-sized mansion I’d seen before. Everything was so quiet around here, you could even hear the bugs chirping.
I stepped into the living room and spotted Edward sitting on the sofa—he looked pretty worn out.
He looked up at me and asked, “Did you go back to Hachester to see how Ryan really feels about you?”
I was stunned—why would Edward suspect something like that? Is that really what he thinks? I wondered.
I quickly replied, “Of course not. My child lives in Hachester. I just went back to visit my kid.”
Edward shot me another look and said in a low voice, “Whether you meant it or not, when you left Shaville, Ryan was like he’d lost his soul. He didn’t bring a single bodyguard or the butler—just got in the car and drove out to find you all on his own. That was seriously reckless, and honestly, dangerous.”
My heart jumped. Ryan actually drove himself all the way to Hachester? I thought, still in shock.
Edward’s eyes were dark and heavy as he stared at me, making my anxiety spike even higher.
“Ever since he got his license at eighteen, he almost never drives himself, let alone on the highway. But this time, he took a sports car, floored it to 140 miles an hour, and racked up three speeding tickets,” Edward said, his anger barely contained as he threw the tickets onto the table right in front of me.
Now I finally understood why Edward had come to see me so late at night—he was worried sick that Ryan might get himself into trouble.
“I’m sorry, I really had no idea,” I said, breaking out in a cold sweat just hearing about it.
Ryan was still so young and reckless, maybe because he’d been pampered all his life and never had to deal with the consequences.
“Now you know,” Edward said, his voice dropping cold. “That kid would risk his life and do something this reckless, all because of you.”
I stared at Edward, my emotions in turmoil.
Edward furrowed his brow and said, “So, about that sham marriage I mentioned last time—are you really not going to think about it?”
I bit my lip and said, “Mr. Jennings, that’s really too much to ask. I can’t just put my reputation on the line for Ryan.”
When he heard me push back, Edward nodded. “Alright, name your price, or tell me what you want me to do—what will it take for you to put your reputation on the line so Ryan can get his life back on track?”
My eyes stung, and I blinked hard, my mind a whirlwind of thoughts.
“Mr. Jennings, why are you so determined to stop your nephew from liking me? It’s not like I killed someone; I just got divorced. Why does us being together have to be treated like some kind of crime? Why do you have to keep getting in the way?” I snapped, my temper flaring as I confronted him head-on.
Edward narrowed his eyes, his gaze growing even more commanding and impossible to ignore.
“Ryan’s heading back to Braylin soon. Do you even realize what that means for the Jennings family?” Edward didn’t have to spell it out—I could pretty much figure it out.
The Jennings family was all about keeping their legacy alive, generation after generation. Every one of them had to take up the mantle, and there was zero room for mistakes. If anything cracked, the whole clan would feel the fallout. The Jennings family was like a pyramid—every single block had to bear its weight, or the whole thing could come crashing down.
And Ryan? He was the crown jewel they were raising up to the very top—young, bursting with energy, and carrying all their hopes for the future.
My face went ghostly pale, and my fingers shook. There was no way I could risk my life going up against a family like theirs.
At least Edward was still letting me choose—so we could still talk this out.
But if he stopped giving me options, then I… and even my parents… could get pulled into the crossfire.
Edward fixed his gaze on me, cool and predatory, like a leopard sizing up its prey. “Your brother’s graduating soon, right? Has he landed a job yet?”
My breath hitched, and I snapped my eyes to his.
Edward’s tone turned almost gentle. “Your parents are about to retire, aren’t they? They’re still young—if you got married again and had a kid, they’d have someone to spoil, a grandchild to dote on. Wouldn’t that make their retirement a whole lot sweeter?”
Cold sweat prickled across my forehead. He was hitting every one of my soft spots.
Edward laid it all out, barely blinking—he had me cornered without even breaking a sweat.
When you’re up against real power, how many people actually have the guts to go head-to-head with it?
Real life isn’t like the movies—there aren’t always those inspiring comebacks or thrilling reversals. In reality, once something happens, there’s no undoing it.
“Honestly, Ms. Murphy, your family and your life are pretty good, aren’t they?” Edward said, flashing me a smile.
His smile was less icy, a touch more friendly, but I didn’t feel any warmth from it at all.
“Edward, aren’t you afraid Ryan will find out about all this? You say you love him, but you keep him on a leash. That kind of love is toxic,” I snapped. I hated being threatened, but stuck in this mess, all I could do was snap back.
Sure enough, my words made his face change. Guys like him, always on top, hate it when someone goes against them.
“Not the nicest thing to say, but you’re right, Victoria. Everyone’s got their own burdens. If Ryan found out, it’d be a mess for me too, so I can’t let that happen,” Edward said, tapping his fingers on the armrest. “I’m used to keeping the thunder and chaos right under my thumb—if I can handle trouble quietly, I won’t let it blow up.”