Chapter 104

Keaton paused, the sarcasm dripping from his voice, “Well, well, if it isn’t my loving sister!”

He was about to throw another quip when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a certain someone standing on the second floor, enjoying the commotion, His words halted as he excused himself from Jessamine and headed to find Tarquin.

As soon as they met, the banter began.

“Why didn’t you give a guy a heads–up to handle this mess? If you’d dealt with it earlier, my sister wouldn’t have had the chance to chew me out, right?”

Tarquin replied with a smirk. “It was me who brought your sister here, to give you a reality check,”

“You? Hat What’s the deal? You just doing this for kicks, to laugh at my expense?”

“I find it quite entertaining, actually. Your misfortune is quite the spectacle.”

“Dude, you’re no friend of mine!”

“I’m your boss.”

“Boss, my foot! What’s the big idea? Just to cover for Ms. Thorne, you’re going to take me down too?”

“It’s got nothing to do with her.” He simply didn’t appreciate Emmett being treated that way.

Keaton didn’t buy it. “If you’re into her, just man up and say it. No need to beat around the bush.”

“At least I’m not afraid of women.”

“Oh, cut the cool act. You’re not afraid because you don’t have a sister! I’m proud to have a sister who loves and spoils me. It’s not fear, it’s affection.”

Jessamine might tease her brother constantly, but her love for Keaton was genuine. She had been his guardian angel since childhood, often putting herself at risk for his sake. Therefore, Keaton both feared and adored Jessamine.

He swiftly changed the subject, “At least I’ll never be henpecked. Can’t say the same for someone else here. He’s got ‘whipped‘ written all over him.”

Tarquin just rolled his eyes and didn’t respond. He glanced down at Elysia and Emmett in her arms, deep in thought.

“Lowell…” Tarquin muttered something under his breath, and Lowell frowned.

“This… doesn’t seem quite right.”

“If I say it’s fine, it’s fine.”

Lowell just sighed silently.

Keaton chuckled, “Lowell, if you’ve got a bone to pick, just jot it down in your little notebook for now.

Trust me, Tarquin here is headed straight to being henpecked. Just you wait until his lady love shows up. Stick with her. and when the time comes, you can use her to get back at him!”

Lowell’s lips twitched slightly as he said. “I’ve got no issues with Tarquin.”

Downstairs, Elysia felt a hostile gaze upon her, but by the time she looked up. Tarquin had vanished from the second floor.

Jessamine had dispersed the onlookers and found a quiet spot to chat with Elysia.

“Your boy must’ve been frightened.”

09:38 ‘It’s okay, Emmell’s a tough cookie. Thanks a lot for today. I would’ve been in a real bind otherwise,”

Even if the cops had shown up, it wasn’t certain she’d have made it out unscathed. She owed Jessamine bag But Jessamine brushed it off. “Don’t mention it. You’re a lifesaver to the Denton family. You have no idea what it was like before we met you… Corbin, he…”

Jessamine’s thoughts drifted to the past, and her eyes began to water, “When he got sick, he wouldn’t recognize anyone, not even me or his dad. He had only two ways of dealing with us. Either he’d shut himself away, Ignoring us completely, or he’d… lash out, screaming, throwing punches…”