It’s the same as what I said on the phone,” Briony replied coolly
She honestly had zero desire to see Stewart ever again.
But Stewart was insistent. Tve had a few drinks tonight, so I won’t be going out. If you want to talk, come back to Southcreek Manor
With that, the call ended.
Briony’s grip on her phone tightened, her knuckles turning white.
Stella leaned over, concerned. “What did he say?”
“He wants me to go see him at Southcreek Manor. Face to face”
“What a jerk!” Stella scowled. “He’s doing this on purpose, isn’t he? You told him last time you’d never set foot
in Southcreek Manor again, and now he’s insisting you go there to negotiate? Could he be any more infuriating?”
Briony closed her eyes for a moment, trying to steady herself.
The last time she’d been at Southcreek Manor, things had ended badly.
Right in front of Stewart, she’d told Irwin she would never come back.
Of course Stewart remembered. He was the type to keep a grudge.
Now he was forcing her to swallow every word she’d ever said–to take it all back, one painful syllable at a time.
That was Stewart’s real game.
“Bryn, are you… going?”
“I One more time won’t make a difference.”
am A hint of resolve flickered in Briony’s eyes. “I’ve played the fool for five year aloood
Stella looked at her, equal parts worried and helpless. I’m coming with you. He only said you had to go–he didn’t say you had to go alone!”
“Alright.”
They settled the bill and left their private dining room.
that very moment, the door of the next room swung open.
Out bounced a small figure–Irwin, hopping and skipping into the hallway.
Briony and Stella froze in surprise.
Running into Irwin here was the last thing either of them expected.
Oblivious, Irwin dashed ahead, waving his action figure in the air, not noticing the waiter pushing a cart loaded with steaming soup straight toward him.
The waiter spotted Irwin and shouted, panicked, “Careful, kid! Move out of the way!”
Just as Irwin was about to collide with the cart, Briony and Stella reached out at the same time–each grabbing one of his arms and yanking him back to safety.
Crash!
The action figure tumbled to the floor, scattering pieces across the tile.
Irwin stood there in shock, motionless. It took him a moment to process what had happened. Then, seeing his
F
Chapter 162
broken toy on the floor, his eyes filled with tears. With a wall, he burst out crying.
“My action figure! Mom bought it for me! It’s ruined”
rwin?” Lauren hurried out from the private room, alarmed by the crying.
Briony and Stella had already let go of Irwin.
The moment Irwin saw Lauren, he ran straight to her
“Grandma!” He flung himself into her arms, sobbing. “Mom bought me that action figure and now it’s broken!”
Lauren hugged him, glancing at the scattered plastic on the floor. “What happened? How did this happen, sweetheart?”
“It was–it was them.” Irwin looked up and pointed accusingly at Briony and Stella.
But the second he saw Briony, he froze.
“Mom!” he cried, instantly switching gears. He rushed over to Briony, tears still glistening on his cheeks, but suddenly beaming at her. “Mom, I’m sorry! I thought it was someone else–I didn’t know it was you!”
Stella eyed Irwin with disbelief, thinking even a stage actor couldn’t change expressions that fast.
But Briony barely glanced at Irwin.
Her attention was locked on Lauren.
For some reason, Lauren’s face seemed oddly familiar,
Lauren, too, looked surprised to see Briony.
Her lips curved into a polite smile, but there was a flicker of coldness in her eyes as she approached and extended a hand. “You must be Ms. Kensington–Irwin’s nanny for the past five years, right? I’m Lauren, Irwin’s grandmother–Rosita’s mother. I’ve heard from Stewart and Rosita how well you’ve taken care of Irwin all these years. As his grandmother, I just wanted to thank you.”
Briony returned her gaze, her expression cool and assessing.
She didn’t take Lauren’s hand. Instead, she asked, “Have we met before?” Lauren blinked, clearly caught off–guard by the question.
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