When Family Became a Place I Couldn’t Return To novel Chapter 84

“I’ve always been worried about clashing with her. Do you really think I’d go out of my way to start something and end up hurt like this?”

Brody didn’t respond. He just rested his hand gently on Sheila’s shoulder for a moment. “Get some rest.”

“Brody.” Sheila tried to say more, but he didn’t give her the chance. He walked away, his long strides carrying him out of the room.

Brody never really believed Sheila would set Nelly up. Sheila was the daughter of his old mentor. She’d given up so much for him, changed her whole life, and now that she was back, all she wanted was the Garland family’s protection. Picking a fight with Nelly now would only make things harder for her.

Still, Sheila had mentioned Nelly over and over before anything was even settled, and when Brody tried to defend Nelly, Sheila’s reaction just made him uneasy.

He remembered the way Nelly had shouldered all the blame.

“Brody, if I told you I didn’t do those things, would you believe me?”

Honestly, he’d been too angry yesterday. Even if Nelly had tried to explain, he wouldn’t have listened.

…

Brody’s mind was all over the place. He drove for what felt like forever before realizing he’d arrived at Lakeview Estate. He parked outside Nelly’s building and noticed her bedroom light glowing in the window.

He sat there with his phone in his hand, turning it over and over before finally dialing her number. The call just rang and rang. No answer.

He was about to get out of the car when he saw her light go out. On the way home, his phone buzzed with a late-night text from Nelly.

“Are you free? When do you want to handle the paperwork?”

Brody almost didn’t reply. He stared at the screen, hesitated, then finally typed a short message and sent it. When Nelly read his reply, her eyes chilled over.

…

Two days later, Nelly got a call from Jonah, telling her to come home for a Watson family dinner the next night.

Felix had already set everything up. The dinner would bring together nearly the entire Watson family, plus a handful of major business players from their circle. It was supposed to be Nelly’s formal introduction to the family and the industry.

Christopher’s father, the family patriarch Michael, even cut his recovery trip short and flew in from abroad just to meet his granddaughter.

This dinner was going to be a big deal.

As luck would have it, Nelly’s new company was almost ready to launch, so she could show off her brand at the dinner, too. Felix’s plan worked out perfectly on both fronts.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify