The car turned into Southcreek Manor.
Briony and Stella stepped out, heading straight for the front door. Stella pressed the doorbell.
Carl answered. “Ms. Kensington, Dr. Joyner–please come in.”
Once inside, Carl turned to Briony. “Ms. Kensington, Mr. Wentworth is waiting for you in his study upstairs.”
It was clear Stewart wanted to speak to Briony alone.
וד
Til go with you?” Stella offered, a flicker of concern in her eyes.
Briony gave her a reassuring smile. “Just wait for me here.” With that, she turned and made her way upstairs.
Stella watched her friend’s retreating figure until Briony disappeared from sight, then finally looked back at Carl.
“Is your boss, Attorney Wentworth, out of his mind or something?”
Carl blinked, “Excuse me?”
“Oh, definitely! You have my sympathy.” Stella sighed and flopped onto the sofa. “Working for a lunatic must be exhausting, huh?”
Carl was left speechless.
Briony paused outside the study and knocked.
“Come in.” Stewart’s low voice sounded from inside.
She pressed her lips together, took a steadying breath, turned the handle, and pushed the door open.
The study was brightly lit. Stewart stood by the floor–to–ceiling window beside his desk, tall and imposing, his profile sharp and cool:
He turned slightly at the sound, his gaze icy as it landed on her.
When Briony lingered at the threshold, he raised a dark eyebrow. “Afraid I might bite?”
She frowned. Oddly enough, Stewart seemed to be in a decent mood tonight.
Maybe it was her latest concession–her willingness to bend yet again–that gave this man his familiar sense
of control.
Briony’s voice was cold. “There’s no one else here. Just say what you want.”
Stewart just stared at her, his dark eyes unblinking.
They held each other’s gaze for a long moment, neither willing to back down. “Stewart, is it only when I give in, over and over, that you’re satisfied?”
He smirked. “Is that really how you see me now?”
Briony’s eyes were icy, and she didn’t answer. Her silence said enough.
Stewart walked behind the desk and picked up a folder. “Take a look at this.”
She glanced at the folder in his hand. “What is it?”
“Come get it and see for yourself.”
Whatever the reason, Stewart clearly wanted her to step inside.
Chapter 164
Briony’s patience was wearing thin, but since she was already here, she saw no point in making a scene. She strode toward him
Stewart watched her approach, a storm of emotion flickering in his dark eyes.
She stopped a low feet away, reached out, and snatched the folder from his hand.
But when she saw the cover, Briony froze.
“Cloudcrest City A Visitor’s Guide
Wait Wasn’t this the guide she’d put together last year?
“Twin’s been asking about the trip, Stewart said quietly. “So my first condition is that you stick to the original plan–take Irwin on vacation, just as you always have.“
Briony stared at the guide, her feelings tangled.
Ever since she and Stewart married in secret, every spring they’d take Irwin on a trip. She always planned everything down to the last detail, and Stewart would clear his schedule for it.
She’d finished this year’s itinerary back in October,
But life had other plans.
Back then, she never imagined that in just a few short months, everything between her, Stewart, and his son would unravel so completely.
Briony studied the folder, a flicker of confusion in her eyes.
She could’ve sworn she’d thrown it away when she moved out.
Chapter 165
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