James didn’t coddle the boy for even a second. Without hesitation, he hoisted him over his shoulder and delivered a sharp smack to his backside. “No wonder your mother left you, you little rascal! Such a troublemaker!”
Irwin’s wailing was immediate. “Mom! Mom, help me! Waaa–this awful man is hitting me-!”
No matter how much Irwin kicked and screamed, it didn’t change a thing–James carried him straight down the
stairs.
Parked by the curb was a sleek Maybach.
The passenger window was down.
Irwin, still sniffling, spotted Stewart in the driver’s seat and shrieked, “Dad! Dad, help me-!”
Stewart opened the door and stepped out, walking over with his usual calm.
Without a word, James dumped Irwin right into Stewart’s arms.
The moment Irwin landed in his father’s embrace, he clung to Stewart’s neck, his sobs fading into pitiful little hiccups. He slumped against Stewart’s shoulder, his small body shaking with every breath–he looked every bit the picture of misery.
If James hadn’t just witnessed Irwin’s wild tantrum upstairs–punching and kicking with all his might–he might have actually been fooled by this act.
He really hadn’t expected that Briony’s child would turn out to be such a manipulator.
James was thoroughly unimpressed. Fixing Stewart with a cool stare, he said bluntly, “Mr. Wentworth, heir to the most prestigious family in Northborough, yet this is how you raise your son? I must say, it’s rather…unexpected.”
Stewart’s sharp gaze, magnified behind his glasses, didn’t waver from James.
It was their first face–to–face encounter, though both men had certainly heard of each other by reputation.
Ignoring James’s jibe, Stewart replied, his voice low and even, “Briony isn’t here?”
“She’s busy,” James replied, sticking one hand in his pocket as he sized Stewart up. Then he flashed a crooked smile. “If you’ve got a message, I can pass it along.”
Stewart’s handsome face remained impassive as he studied James for a moment before saying, “Tell her–the
results are in for her mother’s and brother’s bone marrow match.”
With that, Stewart turned, still holding Irwin, and got back in the car.
The Maybach pulled away, disappearing down the street.
James watched the car shrink into the distance, a thin, cold smile flickering across his lips.
When James returned to the studio, Briony was just stepping out of the restoration room.
“All done?” he asked.
She nodded, heading over to the water cooler. She poured herself a cup of warm water and drank most of it in
one go.
Setting the cup down, she glanced at James. “Do you want to check my work?”
“No need.” James pulled out his phone, firing off a message to his personal assistant to book his flight. “I’ve seen your skill these past few days. Since the restoration’s complete, I’ll take the artifact back tonight and hand it in. As for the results, you’ll just have to wait–the professor will probably contact you himself.”
1/2
14.22
Chapter 68
“Alright.”
“Oh, by the way,” James added, slipping his phone back into his pocket and looking up, “your soon–to–be ex–husband wanted me to tell you–the results for your mother’s and brother’s bone marrow tests are in…”
Briony headed straight to the hospital to find Dr. Cedric Clarke.
He was waiting for her, handing over the report as soon as she arrived. “Congratulations. It’s a successful match.”
Briony took the report, her vision blurring with tears.
She sniffed hard, blinked rapidly, and finally managed to clear her eyes.
At that moment, her phone buzzed in her pocket.
It was an unfamiliar number.
She answered, and before she could speak, Mack’s voice crackled through the receiver: “Well, big sis, have you figured out how you’re going to beg me?”
Briony froze.
“Don’t you love playing the dutiful daughter?” Mack sneered, his laugh cold and twisted, like something crawling out of the grave. “Come on! Show me again–let’s see just how far you’ll go for that wretched woman this time!”
