\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 72 A Shield of Words\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel, if you have an issue, you address it with me,\u201d Scarlett stated firmly, her voice cutting through the\u00a0<\/p>\n
tension.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Daniel let out a low, derisive chuckle. \u201cMy, my, aren\u2019t we protective of him? Have you forgotten whose woman you\u2019re supposed to be?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett found the accusation utterly ridiculous. She lifted her chin, meeting Daniel\u2019s gaze head-on. \u201cThen why don\u2019t you ask Vincent if he remembers whose husband he is supposed to be?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Daniel was completely thrown. \u201cYou\u2026 That\u2019s a completely different matter!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett\u2019s gaze remained clear and unwavering. \u201cThen enlighten me, Daniel. What, precisely, is the difference?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Daniel found himself at a loss for a coherent retort and fell silent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Scarlett wasn\u2019t finished. \u201cWhen he\u2019s smiling at Sabrina, introducing her to everyone as if she\u2019s the lady of the hour, did it ever once cross your mind to remind him that he is my husband?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Daniel grew even more flustered, his face reddening. \u201cYou\u2019re just twisting my words, changing the subject!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A bitter, humorless laugh escaped Scarlett. \u201cOh, really? So it\u2019s only \u2018twisting things\u2019 when the mirror is held up to your own behavior?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was at that moment that Vincent, who had been standing silently by the doorway observing the entire exchange, finally spoke, \u201cThat\u2019s enough.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hearing the command in Vincent\u2019s voice, Daniel reluctantly took a few steps back, though his expression. remained mutinous.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett turned her attention to Vincent. His face was an unreadable mask of cold detachment as he slowly began walking toward them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instinctively, Scarlett held her ground in front of Nolan, shielding him. \u201cWhat exactly is it that you want, Vincent?\u201d she demanded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent didn\u2019t answer. He simply continued his advance, his presence alone feeling oppressive and intimidating.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan tightened his grip on Scarlett\u2019s hand, ready to pull her behind him for her own protection, when a new, deeply mocking voice drawled from the doorway. \u201cWell, well, what do we have here? Look who it is, again and again\u2026 turns out it\u2019s Sabrina\u2019s devoted boyfriend.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian\u2019s voice cut through the room, his tone dripping with theatrical sarcasm, more dramatic than a stage performer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent halted and turned. Daniel, unable to contain his temper any longer, yelled at the newcomer, \u201cShut your mouth, Damian! No one thinks you\u2019re mute.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian leaned casually against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest, exuding an air of wild indifference. He didn\u2019t even bother looking at Daniel, instead letting his gaze wander around the floor as if\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:06 Thu, Jan 8 j G\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 72 A Shield of Words\u00a0<\/p>\n
searching for the source of the noise.\u00a0<\/p>\n
53\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a deliberately long moment, he brought a hand up behind his car, feigning deep concentration. \u201cWhere is that dog barking? I can hear it clearly, but I just can\u2019t seem to spot it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Daniel was livid. He strode aggressively toward Damian. \u201cDamian, what the hell is your problem?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian uncrossed his arms and straightened to his full height, closing the distance between them in one fluid motion. The playful glint in his eyes vanished, replaced by an icy chill. \u201cWhat\u2019s it to you? Got a problem with me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Of course Daniel had a problem, but before he could act on his anger, Vincent\u2019s voice cut in, calm but firm. \u201cDaniel.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Daniel hesitated, then took a grudging step back, muttering under his breath, \u201cDamian, don\u2019t get too cocky.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian raised a single, mocking eyebrow. \u201cI am cocky. So what are you going to do about it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Daniel didn\u2019t deign to reply this time and stalked out of the room, his fury palpable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent\u2019s gaze returned to Scarlett. \u201cAre you coming or not?\u201d he asked, his voice flat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett didn\u2019t understand his meaning. \u201cVincent, I am not your pet dog that you can summon and dismiss at will,\u201d she stated, her voice firm and resolute.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Any lingering affection she might have held for him had long since withered and died.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent\u2019s voice dropped to a dangerous, icy low. \u201cIn that case, don\u2019t expect me to show any leniency toward the Theron family in the future.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He delivered the threat coldly, then turned and walked away without a backward glance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As he passed Damian in the doorway, he deliberately met the other man\u2019s gaze. The silent stare that passed between them was heavy with unspoken history and rivalry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Outside, Daniel saw Vincent emerge and asked, confused, \u201cVincent, are we just leaving like this? Letting it go?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent didn\u2019t elaborate, offering only a terse, \u201cYes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Back inside, Scarlett could only feel a wave of bitter amusement wash over her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why should Vincent have the power to exile her to the countryside with a single word? And why should she be expected to return just because he now commanded it?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once Vincent and Daniel had departed, the small room finally settled into calm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The tension drained from Scarlett\u2019s shoulders, and Nolan, noticing her slight sway, reached out a steadying hand. \u201cAre you alright?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d she assured him, though her voice was weary.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian remained lounging in the doorway, but his attention wasn\u2019t on Scarlett. Instead, he was scrutinizing Nolan with a critical, almost competitive eye, as if assessing a rival.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:07 Thu, Jan 8,\u00a0<\/p>\n
G\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 72 A Shield of Words\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett looked up at Damian and offered a quiet, \u201cThank you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian finally shifted his gaze to her, a familiar, mischievous spark returning to his eyes. He adopted his characteristic teasing, laid-back drawl. \u201cJust a \u2018thank you\u2019? No substantive reward to go with the words?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan, irritated by Damian\u2019s flippant attitude, interjected, \u201cIf you hadn\u2019t arrived, I was perfectly capable of handling the situation myself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian dragged out his words lazily. \u201cOh, is that so? So you\u2019re saying I stuck my nose where it didn\u2019t belong?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan offered a conciliatory smile, trying to defuse the situation. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t dare suggest that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian lowered his gaze for a moment, then looked pointedly back at Scarlett. \u201cSo this is the guy you came asking me to help?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett had no desire to listen to the two men bicker. She addressed Damian directly. \u201cIt\u2019s getting late. You should head home and get some rest.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian responded with a noncommittal, \u201cOh.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then his eyes flicked back to Nolan, noting that the other man showed no intention of leaving. A smirk touched his lips as he complained, loudly enough for everyone to hear, \u201cDoes this guy not get it? My girl is telling you to leave. You hearing this? Got the message?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1.0K\u00a0<\/p>\n
W\u00a0<\/p>\n
373\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:07 Thu, Jan 8\u00a0<\/p>\n
Awakened Housewife Ignore Betrayer\u2019s Begs\u00a0<\/p>\n
Silent Dreams Never Die \u2014 Author: John Miller 72 \u00a0 Chapter 72 A Shield of Words\u00a0 Finished\u00a0 \u201cDaniel, if you […]<\/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":[81],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-impossible-condition-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27436","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=27436"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27436\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}