Regretting the Wife He Threw Away

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Briony froze for a moment.

A partnership agreement?

She pressed her lips together, staring at him without blinking.

Stewart met her gaze, barely breathing.

After a long silence, Briony finally said, "I believe you."

Stewart's eyes widened, a surge of emotion flickering across his face. "Bryn, you

really believe me?"

Briony gave a tired little smile. "Didn't we start out as a contract marriage, too?"

Stewart looked caught off guard for a second.

"Stewart, you're an adult. And now you're free to do as you wish. Whatever

decision you make, as long as you've thought it through, that's all that matters.

Other people's opinions aren't nearly as important as you think."

She looked straight at him, her voice calm. "And anyway, Ms. Cooper is an

impressive woman. It's perfectly reasonable for you to choose her."

Stewart frowned, realizing just how wrong she'd gotten the situation.

"That's not it. Xenia Cooper and I-it's not like what we had. It's-"

Knock, knock.

A sudden rapping at the door cut Stewart off.

Maynard's voice came from outside: "Bryn, can I come in?"

Briony stood up and went to open the door.

A huge basket of lilies was thrust into her arms.

"I was driving past the university and saw an old lady selling flowers on the street,"

Maynard explained. "It's freezing out there, and she looked miserable, so I

stopped and bought everything she had."

Briony blinked, about to speak, when a sneeze escaped her.

Maynard instantly pulled the lilies behind his back. "You're allergic to fresh

flowers?"

"...No." Briony pressed a hand over her nose and mouth, frowning a little. "But I

am sensitive to the scent of lilies..."

Maynard: ...So much for romance.

Briony turned to Stewart. "Mr. Maynard and I have some business to discuss, so

?"

"Go ahead." Stewart got up and headed for the door, pausing to eye the basket in

Maynard's hands. Then he looked straight at Maynard.

"If Bryn's sensitive to lilies, it's probably best not to keep them here. I'll take them

out for you and throw them away."

Maynard scowled inwardly.

What a two-faced saint.

"Seems a waste to just throw them out," Briony said. "Give them to Marlene and

let her share them with the neighbors."

"Alright," Stewart agreed, and carried the basket downstairs.

Maynard watched Stewart's retreating back, grinding his teeth.

Hypocrite.

Briony, meanwhile, paid no attention to the undercurrents between the two men.

"Mr. Maynard, let's go talk inside."

Maynard gathered himself and followed Briony into the office.

After that day, Stewart rarely came by Pearbrook Mansion.

Still, every few days, he'd send Carl Shaw to pick up the kids and take them to

Southcreek Manor for a couple of nights.

Briony and Carl occasionally crossed paths. He was always polite, and since

Briony never brought up Stewart, Carl was wise enough not to mention him either.

Life settled into a calm, steady rhythm.

It felt almost like things had returned to how they'd been before Stewart faked his

death.

The only real difference was that Maynard's visits to Pearbrook Mansion became

more and more frequent.

He'd told Briony that once she was

fully recovered, she should take

Starlight Entertainment back under

her wing-he'd had enough, he joked,

with several companies to manage

and not enough hours in the day.

Briony had no objection.

She'd only handed Starlight over to Maynard out of necessity.

Besides, she genuinely liked Starlight Entertainment, and had already planned to

return to work once the New Year was over.

But Kendal wouldn't hear of it.

Although she hadn't needed

chemotherapy and was recovering

quickly thanks to alternative

treatments, Kendal insisted she was

just barely past a major illness and

needed to be careful. No work until

at least the end of February:

Briony listened, and decided to wait until early March to get back to work.

...

After Lantern Festival, the holiday spirit faded and the city returned to its usual

hustle and bustle.

On the eighteenth, Neonova Syndicate's official account announced Xenia

Cooper and Stewart's marriage.

There was no ceremony, but they posted a picture of Stewart and Xenia'snoveldrama

marriage certificate.

That same day, Briony received a

call from an unknown number. The

voice on the other end introduced

herself right away: "Ms. Kensington,

I'm sorry to call out of the blue. This

is Xenia Cooper."

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