Chapter 66 Stirring the Pot
Chapter 66 Stirring the Pot
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Duncan turned his head and immediately saw Shana, her eyes brimming with tears, her face a picture of silent suffering, trying her best to endure.
This only made Duncan hit harder.
Henry, mindful of Duncan’s frailty, didn’t dare resist. He had to endure ten heavy strikes, his temples throbbing with veins, his forehead slick with sweat, and even his lips turning pale.
After Duncan had tired himself out, panting heavily, Shana helped him sit down. She poured the old man some water and gently rubbed his back to help him catch his breath.
After a long while, Duncan calmed down. He took Shana’s hand in his, his face full of guilt as he looked at her. “Shana, it’s all my fault. I couldn’t keep control over this grandson of mine, and you had to suffer. If I had known he would do this, I would have never asked for your hand all those years ago.”
He had seen Shana grow up. She was beautiful, kind–hearted, and smart–a woman anyone would fall for. He couldn’t understand why Henry couldn’t see how wonderful she was.
Shana shook her head gently. “Duncan, please don’t say that. If it weren’t for you back then, Uncle Brian and the others would have ended up less fortunate. I’m very grateful to you, and …”
She looked over at the man standing at the foot of the bed; she spoke affectionately. “I believe in Henry. He will treat me well.”
Duncan’s eyes filled with tears, and he shot Henry an irritated look. “Did you hear that? Even now, she’s defending you! You’re lucky to have such a wonderful wife, yet you don’t cherish her. There’s something wrong with your eyes!”
Defending him?
Shana was clearly trying to stir things up!
Henry’s lips twitched in irritation.
Duncan, seeing Henry’s reaction, grabbed a book from the nightstand and threw it at him. He then pointed a finger at Henry’s nose and shouted, “Henry, don’t think that just because I’m in the hospital, I can’t deal with you. You’d better clean up your mess outside, or I won’t hesitate to take matters into my own hands!”
“Grandpa,” Henry finally spoke, his voice cold.
“Shut up.”
Duncan wasn’t interested in hearing him, cutting him off immediately.
Turning to Shana, Duncan said, “Shana, I suddenly crave grapes. Can you go buy some for me?”
Shana understood immediately–Duncan wanted to speak to Henry alone, and she was the excuse to send her away. She nodded understandingly, grabbed her phone, and left.
Duncan turned to Henry immediately after she left. “You little br*t, I’m going to be blunt with you. I’ve had
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Chapter 66 Stirring the Pot
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Mr. Walker update my will. If you’re willing to end things with that woman, settle down with Shana, and have a child within two years, then everything from the family will still be yours!”
He paused, his eyes sharp as he glared at Henry. “But if you persist in your reckless actions, you won’t receive a single cent of my fortune after my death!”
Across from the hospital, there was a grocery store. Shana entered, carefully picking out a bunch of grapes and paying for them.
She didn’t return right away, worried that Duncan and Henry might still be talking. Instead, she sat down on a bench downstairs, scrolling through her phone as she waited.
Only then did she notice several unread messages. She opened them and saw they were from Emily.
The first message was a photo of a picture–perfect couple walking side by side by a lake. It was a beautiful shot, but as Shana looked more closely, she was startled.
The couple in the photo was her and Cyrus.
The angle was clearly from a covert shot Emily had taken.
The second message was a voice note. Shana clicked on it, and Emily’s excited voice came through. “Shana, don’t you think the photo of you and Cyrus is so full of chemistry? If you weren’t already married, I’d totally ship you two!!!”
Shana groaned, unsure of how to respond. After a moment, she sent a simple emoji that meant she was speechless.
Her cold response didn’t deter Emily. She quickly sent another message.
“Shana, I still think you and Cyrus are a better match, Henry, he’s handsome, sure, but he always looks so cold. It’s a little intimidating! I find it difficult to approach him.”
Shana didn’t agree with the first part; she and Cyrus were just friends. But in the second part, she had to admit, she could see where Emily was coming from.
Emily then asked, “Shana, if you weren’t married, would you like Cyrus?”
Shana couldn’t help but laugh, shaking her head at how bold Emily was to ask such a question.
Originally, she didn’t want to answer such hypothetical questions, but Emily kept pestering her, sending emojis begging for her to indulge her ‘shipping‘ fantasy
Shana, who couldn’t resist a soft approach, thought it over seriously and rèplied, “Who wouldn’t like a homey guy like Dr. Grant?”
Although Cyrus’s taste might have been questionable, he had loved the same woman for ten years without wavering. Even though that woman didn’t choose him, he remained devoted and loyal, never speaking ill of her.
He came from a wealthy family, had a successful career and was emotionally stable. At his core, he was
strong
and resilient. A man like that would make an excellent husband.
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Chapter 66 Stirring the Pot
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If she hadn’t met Henry and hadn’t fallen for him, meeting someone like Cyrus might have made her heart flutter.
But there was no ‘what if in this world, no room for hypotheticals.
About half an hour later, Shana returned to the hospital room with the grapes.
Duncan had completely calmed down and was back to his usual warm, friendly self, as if the earlier outburst had been nothing but her imagination.
She sat with him for a while, talking until he grew tired and then left with Henry.
Back at Moonville Bay, night had already fallen.
Shana had slept during the drive and flight, so she was still feeling energetic. She took a soothing hot bath, then sat at the vanity, carefully applying her skincare.
Henry had been showering in the guest bathroom. As he came in, he happened to catch sight of Shana applying lotion, bending over to rub it on her calves, her loose sleepwear revealing more than he intended
to see.
From his angle, he could take in all the view.
His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, and his body involuntarily tensed.
It had been a long time since they had been intimate.
To
say he wasn’t tempted would be a lie, especially since they had always been so well–matched in this regard.
Henry quickly averted his gaze, sitting down on the bed. His voice came out hoarse. “Shana, come over here and help me with my medicine.”
Shana snorted inwardly, about to retort, but then he added, “5,000 dollars.”
The words she had been about to say died in her throat. She would never say no to money. She went to grab the medical kit with a smile and joined him on the bed.
The man was facing away from her, his bathrobe off, revealing the bruises on his back–clear signs that Duncan hadn’t held back.
Shana hesitated for a moment, but then, remembering how much he deserved it, she gently applied the ointment to his wounds with a cotton swab.
Her movements, though deliberate, became softer as she went on.
The room fell into a sudden silence. It had been a long time since they’d sat together so calmly, and it almost felt like time had slowed down.
Henry turned his head slightly to glance at her beautiful face.
He asked suddenly, “What do you think about what grandpa suggested today?”
