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Chapter 202
My phone suddenly pinged with a text, the sound echoing in the garage.
Where are you? Brandon had written.
“Who’s there?” Elle called out sharply. “Show yourself!”
Before I could decide what to do, Brandon lowered his car window.
“Elle!” he called.
“Yes, Brandon?” she answered immediately, her voice instantly returning to its sugary sweetness.
“I just remembered I left an important document in my office,” he said smoothly. “Could you go up and get it for me?”
Elle’s face lit up. “Of course! I’d be happy to help. Don’t go anywhere”
“I’ll be right here,” Brandon assured her.
The moment Elle disappeared into the elevator, I darted out and slid into the passenger seat.
“Drive,” I whispered urgently. “Before she comes back!”
Brandon’s lips curved into an amused smile as he started the engine. “Scared?”
“I am not!” I protested, quickly buckling my seatbelt. “I just don’t feel like dealing with… that.”
“You’re the one who should be explaining things,” I said, crossing my arms. “Who exactly is Elle Sinclair, and why is she acting like you’re her property?”
“I thought with our relationship, you’d understand the situation,” Brandon replied cryptically.
“Understand what? I don’t understand anything!” I exclaimed. “All I know is that during lunch, everyone was talking about how Stark Group’s CEO has this beautiful, capable new secretary who’s apparently head over heels for him.”
Brandon’s eyes lit up with undisguised amusement. “Summer, are you jealous?”
“What? Jealous? Me?” I sputtered indignantly. “I’ve never been jealous a day in my life!”
“Is that so?” he asked, clearly not believing me.
I glared at him, but he merely continued driving, that infuriating half–smile still playing on his lips.
“She’s Elle Sinclair,” he finally explained. “My maternal uncle’s adopted daughter. And she is close to my mother.”
“Adopted?” I echoed, surprised. “Not biological daughter? Your uncle doesn’t have his children?”
“He does,” Brandon confirmed,
“Then why… I trailed off, trying to understand.
“She’s the daughter of my uncle’s first love,” Brandon clarified. “No Good relation to the Sinclairs or Starks.”
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Chapter 202
“Wait, seriously?” I couldn’t keep the shock from my voice. “She has to blood relationship to your uncle at all? He must really care about his first love! But doesn’t his family object to this arrangement?
“It’s complicated,” Brandon said, his expression darkening slightly. The Sinclair family does object, but they know their objections won’t change anything. Elle has been with my mother and uncle since she was little. They dote on her.”
“So Elle is at Stark Group because your mother arranged it?” I pieced together. “With the goal of getting her close to you, making you fall for her, and eventually marrying her? But even if you’re not blood relatives, you’re still… what? Step–cousins? That’s not something you can just ignore. Does this uncle of yours really approve of this?
Brandon glanced at me, his expression softening. “Summer, sometimes you don’t need to be quite so clever.”
I gave him a weak smile. “I don’t mean anything by it. I’m just worried your mother might dislike me because of Elle.”
Brandon could clearly see what was going through my mind. He shook his head, squeezing my hand. “You don’t need to worry about any of that. I married you, and I’ll take responsibility for that decision. These things aren’t your concern. I’m the one who married you, I’m the one who’ll spend my life with you–not them.”
I nodded, “But how long is Elle going to stay? If she refuses to leave, that could be really awkward.”
“You sure you aren’t jealous right now?”
“Of course not!” I denied, “I’m just concerned. You saw how she was acting toward you…”
“Don’t worry,” Brandon reassured me, patting the back of my hand. “I won’t let her stay too long.”
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