Garrett grabbed a chair and gingerly sat in front of Brandon. He rubbed his palms against his trousers, hesitating for a moment before speaking again. “I didn’t really expect you would accept it. You didn’t trust me before, after all.”
He hadn’t forgotten how Charis had driven a wedge between him and Brandon.
“Nonsense. It’s been so long; why are you still hung up about that? You’re going to be a father soon. You should stop being so narrow-minded.” Brandon folded the list and tucked it inside his pocket. “I do remember how you’ve contributed to the development of the Larson Group these last two years.”
“Do you really remember?” Garrett asked, his voice thick with emotion.
Natalie had mentioned that Brandon was slowly recovering his memories, but he didn’t let himself believe it.
Now that Brandon had said so himself, a wave of relief washed over him.
The Brandon he knew and admired, the friend who had worked hard alongside him, was finally coming back.
The two men stared at each other, and the tension gradually eased as they both broke into a smile.
Even so, they couldn’t put their feelings into words. They could only look at each other in embarrassed silence.
Garrett stood and walked around the ward, his eyes darting toward the door. “I wonder why our wives aren’t back yet.”
Brandon glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. “They’ve only been out for a few minutes. They shouldn’t be back for quite some time.”
Meanwhile, at the cafe, the dessert and beverages that Natalie had ordered were just being served.
“Here, try this,” she said to Laney. “This is their new specialty.”
It was a small red velvet cake decorated with a chocolate bow. For their drinks, they had each ordered an oat milk latte.
Laney cut a corner of the cake and put it in her mouth. “Oh, it’s divine.”
She took a couple more bites in less than a minute. Laney had grown fond of sweet things lately.
“I’m happy you like it. I’ll have the waiter pack a few boxes to go, so you can take some home.” Natalie immediately waved the waiter over and asked him to pack up a slice of every cake they had in the store.
“But will Vera be okay with you eating so many desserts?” Natalie asked belatedly.
Laney paused and said, “Since Garrett and I already moved out, his mother can no longer comment on how I spend my days. Although, she has been coming to our house more often lately. She’s probably planning to persuade us to move back. She kept crying and whining to Garrett, and even had someone follow us.”
“What? This is too much!” Natalie was worried about her friend. She had initially thought that once Laney left the
Harding residence, she and Garrett would have an easier life. Instead, however, it seemed that Laney was facing a new set of challenges altogether.
Laney sighed mournfully. She pressed her lips together and glanced pointedly behind her. “See those people two tables away? Vera hired them to trail me. She thought that I wouldn’t notice if she changed the spies every two days.”
Natalie could tell that Laney felt helpless about the situation.
“Maybe if I hadn’t worked as a b*odyguard before, I would never have noticed at all. I may not be able to move as quickly as I used to, but my senses are just as sharp as before. What kind of professional b*odyguard would I be if I lost my skills just because I’m pregnant? Alas, I’m afraid I have no choice but to put up with it.”
“You can’t put up with it forever,” Natalie said, frowning. “Are you going to tolerate Vera’s antics for the rest of your life?”
Laney’s smile faltered, and she was no longer in the mood to finish the cake. “I’ll wait until the baby is born. I don’t want to endure it all the time, and I won’t.”
Natalie immediately noticed that something was wrong with Laney. She held Laney’s hands and worriedly asked, “Is there anything I don’t know about yet?”
When she touched Laney’s hands, they were cold and clammy.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me,” Laney assured. It was just that what had happened in the past few months suddenly flashed in her mind. She sighed heavily and started to tell Natalie her story.
Since Laney and Garrett moved out of the Harding family’s house, Vera came to visit them from time to time. She acted as if she cared about Laney’s health. But the truth was, she just wanted them to move back into the family house.
Vera was not a shrew. She knew better than to make trouble in public. So, to make Laney go back home willingly, she would always bring Laney’s favorite desserts and have a good chat with her whenever she visited.
After a while, Laney learned to live with it. Whenever Vera’s behavior was becoming unbearable, Laney would call Garrett’s father and ask him to have someone pick Vera up.
One time, when Leo once again had to forcefully take Vera home, she sobbed and complained that her kindness did not pay off.
Laney believed that Vera’s intention was pure. It was just that she didn’t want to go back with them because she didn’t like the rules of the upper class, which made her feel suffocated.
Vera did not come to see Laney again for a long time after the incident. But some time later, Leo invited Garrett and Laney to dinner.
“Your mother always says she wants you to go home or, at least, visit her more often. She’s lonely at home. Truthfully speaking, I came to talk to you about how we can fix this,” Leo said without beating around the bush.
Laney could see that all the members of the Harding family were accomplished. They did not just make assumptions. And if there was a problem, they would say it and solve it as soon as they could.
New Book: Beginning with a Daring Encounter
Celsie was tired of being labeled as an introvert, workaholic, and dull virgin by her friends. Determined to prove them wrong, she made a bet that she would do something daring on her 25th birthday. Now that the day had arrived, it was time to fulfill her promise. On her daring to-do list, there was one task: a one-night stand with someone.
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