\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 27\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 27\u00a0<\/p>\n
By the time Scarlet arrived, the host was already delivering the eulogy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Everyone in attendance was dressed in black-men in identical black suits, women in black dresses. From a distance, the crowd merged into a single sea of black. A heavy atmosphere of grief hung over the entire hall.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Justine spotted Scarlet immediately, frowning with an unmistakable look of reproach. Others followed the direction of her gaze and turned to look as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not wanting to draw attention or disrupt the memorial, Scarlet kept her head down. She caught sight of a tall male figure seated not far from Justine and quickly bent forward, slipping into the seat beside him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The moment she settled, she felt the man next to her stiffen slightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Justine\u2019s gaze didn\u2019t waver. If anything, it sharpened, pinning Scarlet in place. More heads began to turn their way.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet froze, realizing the atmosphere had shifted. She instinctively glanced at the man beside her, and then went completely still.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This wasn\u2019t William. It was his older brother, Julian.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The two brothers were similar in build and features. From behind, it was easy to mistake one for the other.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Julian, the eldest, carried himself with quiet authority and restraint, the result of years of discipline. William, by contrast, was more relaxed-sharper-featured, with an effortless charm that had drawn attention since childhood.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet immediately felt unbearably self-conscious. At such a solemn, formal occasion, she had rushed straight to sit beside her husband\u2019s brother in full view of everyone. No wonder Justine had been glaring at her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Perhaps sensing her unease, Julian said in a deep, steady voice, \u201cWe\u2019re family. There\u2019s no need to be nervous.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet\u2019s expression softened, a trace of apology in her tone. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Julian. I thought you were William.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Both brothers wore custom wristwatches gifted by their family elders. The designs were identical except for the initials on the dial-WC for William, and JC for Julian.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian had been on a business trip and hadn\u2019t returned until now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rushing in earlier, combined with Justine\u2019s deathly glare, seeing the familiar build and watch had made Scarlet assume it was William. A careless mistake, especially embarrassing for an ophthalmologist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you get back, Julian?\u201d she asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cToday at 6:00 am,\u201d he replied.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh,\u201d she said, realizing he had probably come back specifically for the memorial.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Julian added, \u201cWilliam is sitting behind us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet turned and suddenly came face to face with William. He was seated one row behind them, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, his tie immaculate. One leg crossed over the other, his handsome face was expressionless, his eyes distant\u00a0<\/p>\n
and cold.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet\u2019s gaze stalled for a brief moment when she noticed the woman beside him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nicole wore an elegant black dress, and the silk scarf at her neck added a subtle touch of color. She looked composed and tasteful.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She smiled at Scarlet. \u201cIt\u2019s been a long time, Scarlet.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has,\u201d Scarlet replied, returning a polite but strained smile before looking away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
X CLOSE\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 27\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
The eulogy was eloquent and moving, but Scarlet didn\u2019t register a single word.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The deceased, August Hayes, had never been someone close to her. She had met him only once or twice, during holiday gatherings at the Cooper residence. Aside from a few respectful greetings out of courtesy, they had never interacted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had heard August had practically raised William and that they\u2019d shared a deep bond. But to Scarlet, he was little more than a name. She had never received even a trace of warmth from him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
By the end of the memorial, when grief swept through the room and sobs filled the air, Scarlet couldn\u2019t force out a single tear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0 Chapter 27\u00a0 1\/2\u00a0 Chapter 27\u00a0 By the time Scarlet arrived, the host was already delivering the eulogy.\u00a0 Everyone in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-end-of-the-contractstart-of-his-obsession"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":161,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135\/revisions\/161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}