Being Dumped by My EX, I Marriied His Older Brother-Chapter 100: Mustering the Courage to Confess to Him

Chapter 100: Chapter 100: Mustering the Courage to Confess to Him

Justin Kane’s brow furrowed slightly. "Not entirely."

He didn’t elaborate, making Seth Lawson click his tongue in frustration. "Don’t leave me hanging. What on earth is going on?"

Justin Kane shot him a look. "It has nothing to do with you."

"You..."

Seth Lawson felt thoroughly deflated. Before he could finish, a commotion erupted from the conference room.

"All of you, get out. I have something to say to her."

Felicia Yates, dressed like a wealthy socialite, entered the conference room and ordered with a stern face.

A moment later, everyone filed out of the room.

As Mrs. Kane, no one dared to disrespect her.

"Your mom."

Seth Lawson blurted out, turning to look at Justin Kane.

A chilling look flashed in Justin Kane’s eyes. "Watch your words. I see her."

Seth Lawson quickly corrected himself, "No, I didn’t mean it as a curse."

Inside the conference room, Nina Thorne looked at the suddenly-appeared Felicia Yates, rose to her feet, and glanced at her coolly. "Did you come all this way just to see me, Ma’am?"

In Felicia Yates’s eyes, this was pure provocation. She strode up to Nina in a few steps and glared. "Was it you who beat Serena like that?"

"Are you even human? To beat a young woman until she’s nearly disfigured... Nina Thorne, how can you be so malicious?"

The incessant, scathing accusations almost made Nina Thorne envy Serena Kane.

Nina Thorne took a step closer, a mocking smile playing on her lips. "Before you came here to interrogate me, Ma’am, shouldn’t you have asked what Serena Kane did first?"

"Whatever she did is no excuse for you to act this way."

"Don’t forget, you’re the reason she was thrown out of the Kane family. You bring ruin to everyone around you. Nina Thorne, you’re nothing but a walking disaster."

Felicia Yates’s words grew harsher, her face contorted with venomous resentment.

In the past, Nina had always shown her respect, seeing as she was Justin Kane’s mother.

Now, it seemed, that was no longer necessary.

"Strictly speaking, since Serena Kane is not part of the Kane family, even if I were a walking disaster, I couldn’t possibly affect her."

Nina refused to endure it any longer. She sneered, "Besides, Ma’am, you come from a distinguished family yourself. To be spouting such superstitious nonsense here is not only a disgrace to you, but to the Kane family as well."

"Such a sharp tongue!"

Felicia Yates was incandescent with rage. "I’m going to teach you a lesson today."

As she spoke, she raised her hand to slap her.

However, before the slap could land on Nina Thorne, a large hand caught her wrist in mid-air.

"Mother, what do you think you’re doing?"

Justin Kane’s tall, imposing figure shielded Nina Thorne, his sharp, dark eyes fixed on Felicia Yates.

She hadn’t expected him to be here.

Surprised, Felicia Yates frowned. "What are you doing here? Let go. I’m going to teach this insolent wretch a lesson today."

Nina Thorne could clearly feel the woman’s contempt for her, but she didn’t care in the slightest. She just stared blankly at the man with broad shoulders and a narrow waist.

’How did he get here?’

"As long as I’m here, you won’t touch her."

Justin Kane released her wrist. His dark eyes were inscrutable, his expression cold and stern, radiating an undeniable aura of authority.

Clearly, he was protecting Nina Thorne.

Felicia Yates was already used to this behavior, but Serena Kane, despite how badly she was beaten, had only said that Nina Thorne was the one who hit her, never once mentioning Justin Kane.

She was afraid that if Felicia Yates knew, she wouldn’t dare to make trouble for Nina Thorne.

Thus, seeing Justin Kane shield Nina Thorne so staunchly, Felicia Yates said in a harsh, severe tone,

"Before you defend her, shouldn’t you find out what she did to Serena?"

"I know you’ve never liked Serena, but she is your sister, after all. Now she’s in the hospital, nearly disfigured by Nina Thorne. Don’t I have the right to come here and demand an explanation?"

"So she hit her."

Justin Kane was nonchalant, even indulgent. "If she laid a hand on her, she must have had her reasons."

A warmth spread through Nina Thorne’s heart.

It felt as if Justin Kane was protecting her, sheltering her from the storm and allowing no harm to come her way.

Felicia Yates was stunned. "Justin, do you even know what you’re saying?"

Her chest heaved with fury. "What kind of love potion has this woman fed you to make you protect her like this?"

"Don’t tell me what that ’someone’ said was true—that you and she have some kind of unconventional relationship?"

It went without saying that the ’someone’ she was referring to was Serena Kane.

Serena Kane’s parents had died when she was young, and her mother had entrusted her to her best friend, Felicia Yates.

Over the years, Felicia Yates had doted on her, fulfilling her duty with an abundance of affection.

If she hadn’t done what she did to Cole Kane all those years ago, she never would have angered Old Master Kane and been sent abroad.

But upon her return to the country, her ill intentions remained, which ultimately led to her being expelled from the Kane family.

Nina Thorne found herself a little envious of the way Felicia defended Serena Kane.

"And so what if we do?" Justin Kane raised a cold brow, his gaze sharp and icy. "Mother, you should be well aware that her surname is Locke, not Kane."

The powerful aura radiating from him bore down on Felicia Yates, creating an almost unbearable sense of pressure.

"I don’t care if you want to indulge Serena Locke, but you will not lay a hand on Nina Thorne."

The words were filled with warning.

The color drained from Felicia Yates’s shocked face.

She looked from Nina Thorne to Justin Kane, choked and at a loss for words.

It was as if daring to touch Nina Thorne would mean completely shattering the relationship between mother and son.

She took a deep breath, and after a long moment, finally suppressed her anger. Still unwilling to back down, she said, "Regardless, Nina Thorne owes Serena an apology."

"She injured her that badly. We can’t just let it slide, can we?"

Nina Thorne couldn’t listen to this any longer and was about to speak up.

Justin Kane coolly lifted his gaze, a sneer escaping his thin lips. "She’s only reaping what she sowed. Mother, you should know better than anyone what she did."

Felicia Yates’s eyes flew wide.

Justin Kane stared piercingly into her eyes. "Do I need to remind you?"

His voice was even, but frigid.

It was a chill that seemed to seep into her very bones, making Felicia Yates shudder involuntarily.

However veiled the meaning was, she understood it completely.

Clearly, Serena Kane’s plan had failed. Justin Kane had seen through it, and it had even implicated her...

"Fine. Just fine."

Felicia Yates looked at him and snorted coldly. "Justin Kane, you truly are a wonderful son to me."

Justin Kane’s expression remained glacial. His tall, slender figure stood protectively in front of Nina Thorne, not yielding a single inch.

Seething, Felicia Yates gritted her teeth, turned on her heel, and stormed away.

As she watched Felicia leave, Nina Thorne glanced through the glass window and saw many people staring into the conference room, obviously gossiping.

Since they were going to make their relationship public soon anyway, Nina Thorne wasn’t flustered in the least as she watched Justin Kane turn back to her.

She tilted her head up to look at him and let out a small laugh. "You spoke to your mother like that for my sake. What will we do if she doesn’t like me after we go public?"

Nina Thorne asked half-jokingly, though in truth, she didn’t care at all.

Felicia Yates had once pretended to like her, acting kind and amiable.

But when she broke off her engagement with Cole Kane, suddenly it was all about her being a curse on one’s parents, a walking disaster...

She had heard the ugliest of words come from Felicia’s mouth.

So, a person’s heart is truly impossible to fathom.

They say to beware of a wolf in sheep’s clothing; that was probably a perfect description of Felicia Yates.

Justin Kane took her small hands in his, his deep eyes as tender as ever.

"You have to remember, other people’s opinions don’t matter. You just need to be yourself."

He paused, the corners of his lips curving up. "Besides, I’m your husband. As long as I like you, that’s all that matters."

Nina Thorne’s heart instantly began to pound like a drum, threatening to break free and leap from her chest.

’He said... he likes me?’

She suppressed her inner turmoil, forcing a calm expression as she asked, "So, do you like me?"

"Of course..."

Justin Kane’s pupils contracted for a second, a fleeting, unreadable emotion passing through them. Then he smiled and patted her head affectionately. "You’re my wife now. If I don’t like you, who else would I like?"

Nina Thorne’s gaze went blank.

She didn’t quite understand what he meant.

’Does he like me just because we’re married? Is it unrelated to romantic love?’

’I’d much rather it be the latter.’

’Though I know perfectly well that’s probably impossible.’

’After all, he’s always had that one person he can’t forget.’

"What’s wrong?"

Seeing her lower her eyes without a word, Justin Kane ducked his head and tilted it to look at her, his eyes filled with a doting smile.

This only made Nina Thorne more aware that he was doting on her as if she were a child.

The joy that had just ignited within her was instantly extinguished by half.

The light in her eyes dimmed, and she shook her head softly. "It’s nothing."

Seth Lawson, who was standing outside the door, knocked a few times. "You two, mind the setting."

Justin Kane glanced over at him. "If you can’t stand it, you can get married yourself."

Seth Lawson immediately raised his hands in surrender. "They say marriage is the death of love. I don’t even have love yet, so I’d rather not jump into the grave."

He tapped his watch. "It’s time for lunch. Nina Thorne, you’re coming with us."

Nina Thorne pulled her hand back from Justin Kane’s. "No thanks, you two go ahead."

"You’re not coming?"

Justin Kane sensed her low spirits, his worried gaze fixed on her face. "Are you in a bad mood because of what happened earlier?"

"No."

Nina Thorne shook her head. She wouldn’t say she was in a bad mood, just a little disheartened.

Justin Kane’s pleasant voice held a teasing note. "If you don’t want to eat with him, we can go by ourselves. We don’t have to mind him."

Nina Thorne forced a smile. "It’s not that. I already have plans with Macy Lynch. You two should get going."

Justin Kane’s eyes darkened, but he nodded. "Alright, then. Remember to call me if you need anything."

"Okay," Nina Thorne said, nodding with her eyes downcast.

Seth Lawson came up and tugged Justin Kane away. "Alright, that’s enough of you two being all mushy in front of me. We have a celebration dinner tonight..."

He grinned at Nina Thorne. "Nina Thorne, see you tonight, then."

"Okay."

Nina Thorne watched him, forcing a smile.

After shopping with Macy Lynch for a while, she heard her friend protest, "What’s up with you? You’ve been moping around ever since we met. Did you get in a fight with Justin Kane?"

’A fight?’

’Couples in love can at least have a fight.’

’But what is there for a couple in a marriage of convenience to fight about?’

’I almost wish we could have a fight.’

"You’re overthinking things."

Nina Thorne’s eyes were downcast as she stepped into a luxury watch store.

She wanted to buy a birthday present for Justin Kane.

Soon, she spotted a new men’s watch in a display case and asked the clerk to take it out for her to see.

Macy Lynch leaned in, pressing her. "After all these years, do you think I don’t know you? You might as well have the four words ’I’m in a bad mood’ written all over your face."

"Spill. What’s going on? Does it have something to do with Justin Kane?"

Seeing her friend’s persistence, Nina Thorne hesitated before nodding. "Is it that obvious? You can tell it’s because of him?"

"Very obvious." Macy Lynch nodded emphatically. "You look even more dejected than when you used to fight with Cole Kane."

Everyone said Nina Thorne was ruled by her heart, but Macy didn’t think so.

People like her were simply serious and devoted when it came to relationships, which was clearly a wonderful character trait.

Yet they still got slapped with ambiguous labels like being ’ruled by her heart’.

"It’s that bad, huh."

Nina Thorne sighed helplessly, then briefly recounted what had just happened.

After finishing, she said with a touch of melancholy, "Would you call this one of the side effects of a whirlwind marriage?"

Macy Lynch stroked her chin and summarized, "Nina Thorne, you’re done for. Cupid’s arrow has struck."

Nina Thorne’s eyes shot open. "Are you saying... I’ve fallen in love with him?"

Macy Lynch nodded with certainty. "Exactly."

After a pause, she took the watch from Nina Thorne’s hand. "This isn’t like you. When you like someone, you should just tell them boldly, shouldn’t you?"

"Honey, just summon up that same fearless courage you had for Cole Kane back in the day and tell Justin Kane you like him. Problem solved, right?"

Hearing those words, Nina Thorne’s heart skipped a beat, and she couldn’t help but feel a thrill of excitement.

She thought about it and realized her friend had a point. After buying the gift, she immediately said goodbye to Macy Lynch, having made some kind of resolution.

On the way back, she called Justin Kane.

"Are you home yet?"

Nina Thorne’s heart hammered in her chest as she gathered her courage and said, "I have something I need to tell you."