NovelBookOn the other side of the office, Chris was carefully tending to Rupert's wounds, dabbing at the cut just above his eyebrow.
"It's nothing serious," Rupert muttered, brushing him off.
Rupert gave a low grunt and fished a cigarette from his pocket. With a flick of his lighter, he took a slow drag, letting the smoke curl up between them and thicken the room's already heavy air.
After a moment of tense silence, Chris let out a bitter laugh. "You knew Caleb was going to go after Bridget, didn't you?" Rupert only nodded, the answer hanging in the mist of cigarette smoke.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtChris sighed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, man. I don't even have the nerve to beg you for forgiveness anymore. I talked to my mom, too. She just feels awful— says she should've kept a better eye on Caleb." Rupert tapped his ash into the empty mug on his desk. "Save it. Once Caleb's back, then you can apologize all you want." Chris hesitated, recognizing the implication: Rupert still expected Caleb to return in one piece. He decided not to push further.
Still, something bothered him. "But, dude, your wedding was tighter than a Fort Knox vault. Security everywhere. How the hell did Caleb just ride in on his Harley and crash the ceremony? You let it happen, didn't you?" Rupert finally looked up, his eyes dark and unreadable. That was all the answer Chris needed.
"What, you figured there's no better evidence than the bride eloping in front of everyone?" "You're cold, man. Ruthless-even when it comes to yourself." Chris gave a low whistle, half in admiration, half disbelief. After a minute, he frowned. "But if you still want them both back, why let them run in the first place?" Rupert exhaled a stream of smoke, his gaze narrowing. "Remember that night at O'Malley's Bar?" "The one Sylvia cto? What about it? I thought everything was covered?" Chris raised an eyebrow, a little defensive-the bar was his and Caleb's joint venture, though he barely showed up anymore. The office in the back had basically becCaleb's man cave.
"I ran into Bridget on my way to your office. She was waiting for me-had to be. Someone tipped her off. There's no way she could've gotten out that fast otherwise." "You're saying there was someone else, besides us, helping Bridget?" Chris was taken aback.
Rupert nodded. "She's got nowhere else left to turn. She'll go looking for that person." "Any idea who it is?" Chris's face darkened. He was worried about Caleb, even if he'd never admit it out loud. But Caleb was a grown man now-actions had consequences.
Rupert didn't answer, just kept smoking, his thoughts swirling as dark as the room.
Sensing the tension, Chris changed the subject. "So, how'd you know Freya's got proof Bridget is an impostor?" Rupert paused mid-drag, fixing Chris with a steady look. "If I told you a little girl in my dreams cluedin, would you believe me?" Chris fell silent. He'd dreamed about that little girl, too.
Before either cou r could say more, the office door burst open. Sylvia strode in, took one look at Rupert concussion and all, still over.ne smoking-and snatched the cigarette from his fingers, grinding it out with a scowl. sŵ "Uncle Rupert, you're supposed to be resting, not puffing away like it's a stress test!" Rupert hesitated, his hand still frozen in mid-air, fingers curled as if the cigarette was still there. He gave Sylvia a look, the last wisp of smoke hiding the flash in his eyes.
"Concussion? When did-" Chris opened his mouth, but Rupert cut him off with a nod.
Chris snapped his jaw shut. He'd seen this dance before.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmOblivious to the silent exchange, Sylvia turned to Chris. "Dr. Chris, what should he be taking for a concussion? Anything I should watch out for?" "Uh, right. Letwrite up a he
prescription. Chris started typing at his computer. "Other than that, just keep him calm, overthink to dany lethim 014st things, and make sure gets plenty of rest," he added shooting Rupert a pointed look. Rupert pressed his fingers to his forehead, looking anything but apologetic.
Sylvia waited patiently beside Chris the as he scribbled out the prescription. At that moment, Orson knocked and entered the room. "Mr. Rupert, you're trending online. Should I... take it down?" Orson looked uncomfortable, as if whatever was trending was too embarrassing to say out loud.
Chris couldn't help himself. "What, is it something like 'Lonely Groom Gets Ditched at the Altar'?"
Sylvia's head snapped up. She immediately grabbed her phone to check. Of all the trending topics she Rfall could ignore, this one demanded her attention. As she scrolled and read, she glanced over at Orson with genuine sympathy.
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