unfortunately, her car had just broken down. Right when she

r facial muscles, then curved h

ting my confession back then?" She raised her brows playfully. "Though

rner of his mouth

ovoke me with jokes like that. You know very well-it was nothing mor

er eyes, her sm

r would say in a board meeting that I'm unfit to

just gotten divorced, and she didn't want anyone wat

them she refused to return to that toxic fam

to mock her on he

ot true,"

f. It didn't matter-she would stick to h

divorce," Omar sa

Finally. Wren

folding her arms across her chest

se years, he's still in the habit of planting spies behind my

y, Wren. He's not spying on you. H

to remind me that his prediction about my marriage f

t me because he know

ago I cut ties with him fo

tress. That woman even moved into her house not long after her mother's funeral. His excuse was that the doctor

run away from home at sixteen. She believed living under the same roof

ed her was Felix's grandmother, Maria. Maria had taken her in, and before she married Felix, Wren had lived with them for s

er car and let o

mewhere better. I'll have so

gton Innovation's New York branch." In the jaz

After all, aside from opposing her inheritance, he was the one who would rush in on stormy nights to help her

ollow Omar to the bar, at least

Wren was silent for

er liked her. He only doted on her stepmother's da

together, his voice

stepmother whispering in his ear-saying you were spoil

would her stone-hearte

aze falling on her

He often called me over, asking about you. He dug out your college transcripts, even the recor

be enough. Unless he could bring her mother back to life. She thought of her mother's pained expressio

nted to wound her. Her

it," Omar said gently, noticing t

d a platinum keycard across th

decide, it's yours." He paused. "There's no pressure. But I

her mother. She had always run from her father to carry her mother's pain. Yet she knew-if she too

ut to. Not until s

m rested on her

betraying your mother. But it's not like that. I knew your mother. She wanted you to b

ir." Wren remembered her mother always saying that. Which

d added, "This time, I pro

not out of trust for you. I just d

's face eased, and

oud of you. Your resilience exceeds

want to see my father yet. You ha

," Omar as

ontract. As she was leavi

old, narrow-minded views. You will su

ust wanted out. When they stepped out of the building, Omar op

liam sends his regards.

memory. She recalled a twelve-year-old boy-chubby ch

used to trail after

. "Yes. I suppose we could

ht dress walked toward the

e. Interested

refuse-he had never liked casual flings-but

meone to help smooth out his wrinkles. G

n just laughed and darted in

own, her thoughts le

d been when he declared in front of all her friends that he'd

been happy. But now, the only thing that mattered was learning how