“You’ve confessed! This was all your plan!” she hissed.

Hadley’s and Brady’s eyes met, both stunned into silence by her twisted logic.

“Brady!” Noreen’s fingers dug into her son’s arm, desperation creeping into her grip. “Hadley orchestrated this! She sent you to collect her friend so that woman could sink her claws into you…”

“Mom!” Brady’s patience snapped, and he shook his head with a bitter smile. “Do you think I’m some prize catch? Are you really saying that Colleen has seduced me? What makes me worth her attention? Colleen stands far above my league. She earned her medical doctorate from the renowned University of Blathe and carries the Hayes family name. Seduce me? The idea’s laughable!”

His mother’s misplaced confidence completely baffled him. “She could stand still and watch brilliant men across Srixby compete for just one glance from her!”

“A PhD?” Noreen latched onto this detail with strange intensity. “That woman holds a doctorate?”

“Yes…” Brady blinked in confusion before nodding.

He shot Hadley a look, hoping this revelation might shift his mother’s perspective. Hadley harbored the same hope.

But Noreen’s next words caught everyone off guard.

“My goodness! Then how old is she? If she’s already earned a doctorate, she must be ancient, right?”

Brady’s jaw dropped, words abandoning him entirely.

Hadley stood frozen, never anticipating such a bizarre concern, and remained speechless.

“Why the silence?” Noreen demanded, just as Colleen emerged from the cabin, stepping across the threshold.

“You there!” Noreen’s voice cut through the air without ceremony. “How old are you?”

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“I…” Colleen, already rattled by the scene, found herself further confused by such a direct question. Her lips parted, and honesty spilled out. “Twenty… twenty-five.” Discover more novels at find[?]ovel.net

“Twenty-five?” Noreen whipped around to face Brady. “You fool! Getting ensnared by a woman is bad enough, but she’s older than you!”

Noreen’s finger jabbed against her son’s forehead. “Complete idiot!”

Then she turned her fury on Colleen. “Have you no shame? Look at your age! Look at Brady’s age! And here you are, trying to destroy him? Disgraceful!”

Her eyes cut like blades across both Hadley and Colleen. “While I draw breath, neither of you will succeed! I’ll never approve! Keep your distance from my son!”

“Mom…” Panic seized Brady as he turned toward Colleen. “Colleen…”

Colleen met his gaze with hollow eyes, her pale complexion draining to ghostly white.

“Mom!” Pain tore through Brady’s chest as his hand clamped around Noreen’s wrist. “Continue this behavior, and you can forget about being part of this event today. I’ll arrange your departure immediately!”

“You wouldn’t dare!” Noreen’s stubborn streak flared, dismissing his threat.

“Try me!”

Confronted by her son’s unwavering resolve, Noreen dared not speak further. Her protests died in her throat.

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