Wife 99
The Cherished Wife
Chapter 99
Sean, of course, ended up staying for dinner.
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He could not stop raving about Noelleâs cooking, and she blushed at the compliments. Postâdinner,
Noelle tackled the dishes while Sean and Charles headed to the study upstairs to get down to
business. Arnold, meanwhile, was huddled in a corner, his puppyâdog eyes fixed on the kitchen
door, silently
pleading for Noelle, the lady of the hour, to notice him.
Once upstairs, Charles flicked a cigarette Seanâs way. âLetâs hear it.â
Sean smirked and let out a low chuckle. âYou always know whatâs on my mind.â
Charles tapped his fingers on the chair, his expression tight, âBelieve me, thereâs nothing I want
less.â He paused before adding, âSo, whatâs the latest drama with the Smiths?â
âOh, itâs my cousin again!â
âIs it Andy?â Charlesâs lips curled into a halfâsmile, âWhatâs he gotten himself into this time?â
âWhoâs Andy? The Smiths donât even recognize that name!â Sean said with a halfâsmile. Talking
about his cousin could fill books. âWhyâd he ditch Banyan City for Brookville, huh?â
Sean was talking about their very own golden boy, Andy, who also went by Bob. In Brookville, the
Smiths were adamant about calling him Bob and would not even touch the name âAndyâ with a tenâ
foot pole.
Charles flicked his cigarette, âSince when do you care about the Smithsâ drama? Why does it bug
you that he showed up?â He remembered Andy, alright.
A couple of years back in Banyan City, he had bumped into Andy a few times. The guy was sharp,
but he played by his own rules.
Sean scrunched his brow, annoyed by Charlesâs couldnâtâcareâless vibe, âYou know Iâm not into the
whole Smith enterprise. Theyâve backed off from me, but Bobâs got a screw loose or something.
Heâs always on my case!â
Sean ran his fingers through his hair, exasperated. Charles quirked an eyebrow, âSo, youâre telling
me you skipped town for a âmeeting,â but really, you were ducking him?â
Charles let out a laugh. âMan, Iâve never seen you so spooked. Youâre usually Mr. Cool, but after
her, Bobâs the only one whoâs got you all tied up in knots!â
Sean glared at Charles, frustration written all over his face. âCome on, weâre brothers, arenât we?
Iâm in a real bind here, and youâre bringing this up now? Donât forget, you had a hand in her leaving
too!â Every time he thought of her, Seanâs chest tightened with a pain he could not stand and
wished he could forget.
Charlesâs eyes were dark and intense as he looked at Sean, his voice cold and distant. âYou know,
if you hadnât brought it up, I wouldâve totally forgotten she was part of our Hoffman crew.â He said
icily, âI wasnât helping you back then. You just werenât right for her.â
A shiver ran through Seanâs fingers, and a shadow of sadness flickered in his eyes. âThen who is?â
âItâs definitely not you!â Charles snuffed out his cigarette with finality. âYou made a promise to let her
go. You owe her that much.â
Sean went quiet, took a harsh drag of his cigarette, and coughed so hard he nearly teared up. His
hands,
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usually stained with bleach, were shaking and unnaturally white. âShe probably still blames you, you
know. Youâre her big brother, yet you took my side.â
âThatâs none of your business!â Charlesâs brow furrowed. âJust because I havenât called you out
doesnât mean youâre off the hook. She wasnât right for you, and sheâs not right for the Hoffmans
either!â
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