Chapter 260 Bitter Confessions
Chapter 260 Bitter Confessions
“First it was a motel with the door left wide open, now it is Harlan’s apartment. Where will you two meet next? Your place?” Weston asked.
“It’s a coincidence. Nothing but coincidence. Besides, do you not know your nephew already has someone he likes?” Laura said.
“You mean Quinn Bridger. A man can keep desire and affection in separate boxes. He may not feel anything for you, yet if you make yourself available something could still happen,” Weston said.
Laura’s face went still, and a memory crashed in without warning. So I was only a way for him to kill time. The thought tasted like rust on her tongue.
“Are you talking about yourself, Mr. Windore? You managed to sleep with me even when you did not care, so you assume every man is wired the same?” Laura’s voice held no courtesy.
“What are you talking about?” Weston asked.
“I am saying Harlan is nothing like his uncle,” Laura replied.
“You have that much faith in him? Or do you think you know him inside out?” Weston’s eyes thinned, irritation glinting there.
Laura lifted her chin. “I do not know Harlan that deeply, so faith is relative. I do, however, trust Quinn. He is her comrade, her younger brother, her friend. Anyone she allows that close would never play games with another person’s feelings.”
“Then what makes you so sure I am the kind of man who sleeps with women he does not even like?” Weston asked.
“You’re that forgetful? Do you not remember the things you said in that private room years ago?” Laura said.
“What do you mean?” he demanded.
“You told your friends I was nothing but entertainment to fill your empty hours. Unfortunately for you, I heard every word. I decided I had no interest in being anybody’s pastime,” Laura said.
The words landed like stones. Weston’s spine snapped straight and the color drained from his face.
“You… You overheard that?” The admission made his heart pound against his ribs.
“I did.” A bleak smile touched her mouth. “Consider it a lesson. Some men really can share a bed without offering their heart.”
“So you ended things with me because of that conversation?” Weston asked.
Laura lowered her eyes. There had been other reasons, but he did not deserve to hear them.
Laura let out a small laugh. “Exactly. Should I have stayed and continued as your casual hookup? If you came today to warn me away from Harlan, relax. I have no intention. The last thing I want is to become relatives with an ex I once slept with. Imagine the holiday dinners–pure torture.”
At once, Weston’s expression turned thunderous.
Marley signed the visitor’s log at the detention center and followed a guard down a narrow corridor to a Sidonic. She had been in Jexburgh only a few days when Sidonic was suddenly arrested. Now her aunt and uncle were combine the capital for legal help, yet all four major law firms had refused the case, forcing them to search outside the city. The Stonehurst main branch had already washed its hands of Sidome. Even this short visit had demanded every connection Marley could find.
Inside the stark visiting room of the detention center, Sidonie slammed her palms against the cold metal table. “Quinn Bridger ruined everything. If not for her, I would never have ended up like this.”
Marley Bridger hesitated, her voice low. “I’m afraid our family can’t do much. Uncle Montague has already said the situation involves a life, and the Bridgers won’t interfere.”
Sidonie’s lips curled as though she had expected that answer. “It doesn’t matter. I still have Trent. I’m carrying his child, and he will help me. I’ve applied for bail on medical grounds, so I’ll soon be out of this cursed place.”
Marley blinked in astonishment. “You’re pregnant?”
Sidonie smiled and turned toward Marley. “Yes, this child is my lucky star, and Trent will never shake me off. Because we are cousins, let me offer a warning. You must cling to Julius Whitethorn now. Otherwise, the Bridger family will soon have no place for you.”
Cling to him? I would have loved to cling to him, if only I could.
After leaving the detention center, Marley walked out with her brow knotted tight. She understood all too well what Sidonie meant; in the Bridger family, she was already teetering on the edge.
Just then, a black sedan eased to a stop in front of her.
Fabian, personal secretary to Julius, stepped from the car and dipped his head. “Ms. Marley Bridger, Mr. Whitethorn would like to see you.”
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