“Yes! Two buns!”
“You got it.”
The rest of the day was a quiet one. Hadley stayed home, fully immersed in Joy’s world of laughter and games. Evening rolled in with the hum of a car engine—Brady had arrived.
“Come in and cool off,” Hadley said, guiding her brother to the couch and calling out for iced drinks and watermelon. “It’s blazing out there. Sorry to drag you over.” She handed him a towel with sisterly care.
“Thanks, Hadley,” Brady said, dabbing the sweat from his brow. “Yeah, the sun’s brutal, but I drove, so it wasn’t bad.” He glanced around the room. Not a servant in sight.
Still, he leaned in and lowered his voice. “So? What’s this about?”
On the phone, Hadley had only said she needed his help—no details.
Hadley nodded calmly. She wasn’t concerned about being overheard—she’d already sent the servants off with tasks to keep them occupied elsewhere. “Well, I wanted you to help me check out the house on Jewel Avenue.”
The villa on Jewel Avenue was the one Nyla had quietly signed over to her name not long ago.
“Sure,” he said without hesitation, though curiosity danced in his eyes. “What exactly do you want me to look into?”
“It’s been empty for a while. Just give it a once-over—check if the wiring’s fine, plumbing’s working. Basic stuff.”
“No problem!” Brady nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”
“I knew I could count on you.” Hadley gave him a grateful smile. “Also… once everything’s sorted, check if the place needs new furniture or appliances,” she added, pausing for a breath. “I want it ready for someone to move in.”
Brady froze mid-bite, a piece of watermelon halfway to his mouth. Get full chapters from find?novel.net
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“Wait—what? Are you planning to move there?” His expression darkened in an instant. “Did you and Eric have a fight? Did he do something to upset you? Because if he did—”
“Brady, no!” Hadley reached for his arm, stopping him before his imagination ran wild. “It’s not what you think. Don’t go jumping to conclusions.”
“Then why?”
“I just thought…” she hesitated, then continued, “since the house is sitting empty, it makes sense to keep it in shape. Once it’s ready, I can rent it out. It’s better to earn something from it than let it sit there gathering dust, right?”
Brady squinted, clearly unconvinced. “You’re sure that’s all it is?”
“That’s all,” she said earnestly, her gaze steady.
“Besides, Eric’s been really good to me. Haven’t you seen the life I’m living now?”
Brady couldn’t deny that.
He’d witnessed the lavish estate, the staff attending to her every need, the quiet luxury woven into her daily life.
“Alright then,” he finally said.
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