Being Dumped by My EX, I Marriied His Older Brother-Chapter 88: You, Apologize to Nina Thorne

Nina Thorne’s fine brows furrowed deeply at his words, a wave of disgust rising within her.

’It’s only been a few days, and he’s already putting on an act?’

Justin Kane’s thick brows knitted together, his expression darkening as he was about to speak.

Nina Thorne pulled him back, her expression cold and mocking. "Has Second Young Master Kane learned to delude himself now?"

"The engagement annulment was signed. I’ve already given you and your adopted sister your chance. Why are you still trying to ruin my reputation on an occasion like this?"

"Or does Second Young Master Kane think the Thorne Family is easy to bully? That I’m easy to bully?"

Cole Kane’s eyes widened. Her words were too sharp, leaving him speechless.

It was the first time he had seen Nina Thorne disrespect him so openly in a public setting.

For all those years, she had always put his pride first.

Justin Kane’s thin lips curved into a satisfied smile. Looking at Nina Thorne’s exquisite and vibrant face, he felt a strong sense of familiarity.

Just like five years ago—bold, bright, confident, and poised.

’This is the real her.’

’This is how she should be.’

"That’s true. They already called off the engagement. Saying something like that here is a total lack of respect, isn’t it?"

"For Nina Thorne to be this resolute, the relationship between Second Young Master Kane and that adopted sister must be complicated..."

"Tell me about it. He angered her so much she publicly annulled the engagement. And remember, Nina Thorne used to declare she wouldn’t marry anyone but Second Young Master Kane."

The murmurs of discussion were just loud enough for everyone to hear clearly.

And these past events were all true.

Nina Thorne didn’t feel embarrassed. Fortunately, she had finally seen the light.

She smiled politely and glanced at the people present. "Since you all understand the situation so clearly, I can rest assured. It’ll save me from being framed later with false accusations, like being wrongly accused of playing hard to get."

Cole Kane’s expression was pained. He said resentfully, "But I never wanted to call off the engagement..."

"This isn’t the place for you to make a scene."

Justin Kane’s patience ran out. His icy gaze swept over Cole. "Don’t disgrace the Kane Family here."

His deep voice was filled with warning and immense pressure.

His innate aura of authority was so overwhelming that Cole Kane didn’t dare to speak, though he was furious.

Cole Kane gritted his teeth and kept his head down. "I understand, Big Brother. I was reckless tonight."

"I’ll find a time to talk things over with Nina Thorne in private."

Justin Kane didn’t seem satisfied. He stared at him with a sharp gaze. "Pestering people is the only thing you’re good at."

"The Kane Family’s principles would never produce someone so shameless."

His words were dripping with sarcasm.

Cole Kane swallowed his anger and kept his head low. "I was out of line."

The crowd was astonished.

No one had ever expected Justin Kane to show him absolutely no respect.

Usually, Cole Kane acted arrogant and looked down on everyone, relying on his status as the Kane Family’s Second Young Master.

But now, standing before Justin Kane, his usual arrogance was gone, replaced only by fear, deference, and forbearance.

Justin Kane was truly worthy of being the head of the Kane Family.

The fearsome Crown Prince of Sylport, whose mere glance could send a chill down one’s spine.

’So cool.’

Nina Thorne watched Justin Kane, her mood growing more and more cheerful. He had protected her once again.

A commotion erupted in the main hall.

Everyone’s attention was instantly drawn away.

The top international engineer, Albert Locke, had arrived.

He was very tall, surrounded by a crowd of admirers. His styled, bleached-silver hair made him instantly noticeable.

He didn’t fit the stereotype of a demure scholar; instead, he was fashionably dressed, young, and handsome.

Justin Kane and Nina Thorne stood at the edge of the crowd, yet they remained the center of attention.

Before long, Mr. Wagner came over to greet them respectfully. "Mr. Kane, Mr. Locke is here. Allow me to make an introduction."

After speaking, he didn’t forget to give Nina Thorne a polite smile, a silent acknowledgment.

This wasn’t the first time Nina Thorne had been by Justin Kane’s side.

Mr. Wagner was a sharp man; the last time at the bar, he had already sensed that their relationship was more than it seemed.

Nina Thorne returned the smile.

Justin Kane glanced at Albert Locke in the distance and raised an eyebrow nonchalantly. "Even Albert Locke is here, but Jason Graham isn’t?"

Mr. Wagner checked his watch. "It’s still early. He’s probably on his way. This gives us some time."

Justin Kane nodded. "I’m curious to see what kind of terms the Grahams will offer."

Just as he finished speaking, Albert Locke seemed to sense the gaze and turned to follow their line of sight. His eyes swept past Nina Thorne before he quickly looked away.

Soon after, he took the initiative to approach them. "Mr. Kane, I’ve heard so much about you. I’m Albert Locke. It’s a pleasure to finally meet."

When Albert Locke spoke, his voice was rich and slightly nasal, with a Western-sounding accent.

He extended his hand. Justin Kane glanced down before shaking it. "With your incredible skills, Mr. Locke, you’re the true star of tonight’s event."

"Hardly the star. I’m simply grateful for the support of distinguished figures like yourselves."

Albert Locke, with his eye-catching white hair, smiled courteously and turned his gaze toward Nina Thorne.

His eyes narrowed slightly. "And this is?"

Nina Thorne met his gaze, calm and composed. "Hello, Mr. Locke. My name is Nina Thorne."

"A pleasure, Miss Thorne."

After the greeting, Nina Thorne withdrew her calm gaze. Not wanting to interrupt their business discussion, she went to find something to drink.

"Don’t go too far. And don’t get hurt..."

Before she left, Justin Kane whispered a gentle warning in her ear, nagging like a doting father.

But Nina Thorne loved this natural, spontaneous concern. She nodded obediently. "I will."

"And..."

Justin Kane grabbed her arm, his magnetic voice adding, "Remember, I’ve got your back. You can do whatever you want. I just need you to be safe."

He reminded her again and again, as if he was truly worried.

Mr. Wagner watched them from the side with a knowing smile, choosing not to comment on what he saw.

Nina Thorne felt a bit embarrassed and let out a soft laugh. "I know, I know. I’m not a child. You two should go talk business."

With that, Nina Thorne quickly walked away and found a glass of juice to drink.

The venue was crowded, but everyone was busy with their own networking.

Nina Thorne grabbed a pastry and found an inconspicuous corner to sit down.

Suddenly, her phone screen lit up.

A notification popped up from her other system.

Nina Thorne swiped a slender finger across the screen, and a message from Mr. Locke popped up: [This Justin Kane seems to be treating you well.]

A soft look appeared in Nina Thorne’s eyes, and the corners of her lips twitched slightly.

[Gossip.]

[It’s kind of tough, pretending not to know you.]

[Then let’s really pretend we don’t know each other.]

[...]

Nina Thorne laughed out loud, exited the system, and overheard a discussion nearby.

"Do you think Nina Thorne and Cole Kane’s broken engagement really has something to do with Justin Kane?"

"What Justin Kane? Wasn’t it because of Serena Kane?"

"Forget Serena Kane. I heard the real reason they broke up is that Nina Thorne hooked up with Justin Kane."

Nina Thorne sighed in resignation. She’d tried to find some peace and quiet, only to end up overhearing gossip about herself.

"Oh my god, Justin Kane and Cole Kane are blood brothers. Isn’t that awkward? Two brothers fighting over one woman."

"I doubt it. I heard that in all the years Nina Thorne and Cole Kane were dating, they at most held hands. They never even kissed."

"Hah, only you would believe something like that..."

"The way I see it, Nina Thorne has always been a forward person. Don’t forget, she was the one who pursued Cole Kane back in the day. It’s not surprising she’d go after Justin Kane now."

"Is Nina Thorne really that forward?"

Nina Thorne stood up, walked around to the other side of the sofa, and placed a hand on one of the women’s shoulders.

The woman started to turn, still speaking, "Everyone in our circle knows she’s that shameless..."

The woman’s voice died abruptly.

The others saw Nina Thorne and their faces turned awkward.

Nina Thorne swept her gaze over them with a half-smile. "So this is what everyone in our circle thinks of me?"

"No..."

The woman quickly changed her tune. "You misheard! We weren’t saying you’re shameless, we were saying that Serena Kane, as Cole Kane’s sister, shamelessly seduced her own brother, causing you two to break up."

"Is that so?"

Nina Thorne curled her lip and asked again.

The woman, suspecting nothing, repeated herself with even more enthusiasm. "Yes, Nina Thorne! We actually feel really sorry for you."

"Who would have thought? They always say to watch out for your best friend, watch out for the other woman, but now you even have to watch out for the sister! For Serena Kane to seduce her own brother... that’s just utterly shameless."

Nina Thorne glanced over and saw Serena Kane standing not far away, her face a mixture of livid colors.

She stormed up to the socialites and pointed an angry finger at them. "What did you just say?"

Nina Thorne, ever so helpful, said, "They said you seduce your own brother and that you’re shameless."

Serena Kane was furious. "What right do you have to say that about me? And here I thought we were friends."

These socialites often hung out with Serena Kane.

They were all from the same circle.

Even though Serena Kane was only the Kane Family’s adopted daughter, she was doted on by them, so the socialites naturally tried to curry favor with her.

Compared to Nina Thorne, Serena Kane was clearly more useful to them.

The woman changed her story again. "No, don’t listen to Nina Thorne’s nonsense! She’s just trying to sling mud at you. We were just calling *her* shameless for slandering you."

Serena Kane’s expression softened. She snorted triumphantly. "Did you hear that? They were talking about you."

Nina Thorne took out her phone and played a freshly made recording:

"For Serena Kane, as Cole Kane’s sister, to shamelessly seduce her own brother, causing you two to break up."

"They always say to watch out for your best friend, watch out for the other woman, but now you even have to watch out for the sister! For Serena Kane to seduce her own brother... that’s just utterly shameless."

The phone’s volume was just loud enough for them to hear without disturbing the other guests.

"Hear that?"

Nina Thorne’s smile was bright and dazzling. "I really feel bad for you. Turns out these are all just fake friends, cursing you behind your back for seducing Cole Kane, calling you shameless."

"..."

Hearing the recording, Serena Kane’s face twisted with rage. "Turn it off!"

She hated recordings and videos more than anything!

It was because of things like this that she had fallen to her current state.

Nina Thorne calmly enjoyed her fury, her eyes brimming with a delighted smile.

Serena Kane found the sight incredibly jarring and swung her hand in a slap.

SMACK!

The phone fell to the ground, its screen shattering into a spiderweb of cracks.

The back of Nina Thorne’s hand was red, with the distinct imprints of five fingers.

The commotion drew the attention of quite a few people nearby.

Serena Kane covered her mouth in feigned surprise. "Oh, how could you be so careless? You dropped your phone and broke it."

Just then, Cole Kane heard the noise and strode over. He glanced at the phone on the ground. "What happened?"

Seeing him, the women all stood up and called his name in low voices.

"Second Young Master Kane, it’s... it’s Nina Thorne’s phone. It broke."

The moment she saw Cole Kane, Serena Kane put on a wronged expression. "Brother Cole, Nina Thorne was just cursing me out. She said such awful things."

Nina Thorne looked at him with a cool expression.

Before she could speak, Cole Kane commanded in a deep voice, "Apologize to her!"

Nina Thorne frowned, her heart sinking like a stone.

Although she no longer cared about Cole Kane’s attitude, she still felt a pang of bitterness.

She had never expected Cole Kane to take her side.

Then or now, Cole Kane would always be twisted around Serena Kane’s little finger.

Serena Kane’s heart leaped with joy, and she couldn’t help but feel a thrill. "Did you hear that? My brother told you to apologize to me."

She just knew Cole Kane wouldn’t abandon her.

But in the next second, Cole Kane’s sharp gaze shot toward her, his voice stern. "I meant you. I’m telling you to apologize to Nina Thorne!"