Bradley\u2019s face fell as he held back a curse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNot getting in?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then we\u2019re leaving.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before the car started, Mathew twisted the knife by saying\u00a0<\/p>\n
goodbye to Bradley.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Watching Mathew drive away coolly, Bradley was fuming.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is with this family!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He irritably pulled out his phone to call a cab. Just as a driver\u00a0<\/p>\n
accepted the ride, Kirsten walked over with a smile and said:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDr. Kline, please wait a moment. Sir has arranged a car for you.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The driver is in the garage right now and will be here shortly.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bradley was silent for two seconds, then canceled the ride he\u00a0<\/p>\n
had just booked without a word.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When it comes to messing with people, if Roderick was second,\u00a0<\/p>\n
no one would dare claim first.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 137\u00a0<\/p>\n
Going to the Livingston manor again, Madeleine was visibly\u00a0<\/p>\n
nervous.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick noticed from the rearview mirror and comforted her,\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t be so nervous. If my dad says something you don\u2019t like,\u00a0<\/p>\n
just ignore it. We\u2019ll just have a meal and come back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
If the old man hadn\u2019t complained on the phone about them not\u00a0<\/p>\n
eating at home last time, Roderick wouldn\u2019t have even bothered\u00a0<\/p>\n
to bring his wife and child today.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s an elder, after all. How can I not listen? Besides\u2026 there\u2019s a\u00a0<\/p>\n
reason your father doesn\u2019t like me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Based on the things she did in the past, who could possibly like\u00a0<\/p>\n
her?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick glanced back at her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing Kevin looking worried beside her, Roderick didn\u2019t say any\u00a0<\/p>\n
more.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Anyway, he just had to protect her with all his heart. No one\u00a0<\/p>\n
could hurt her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 137\u00a0<\/p>\n
When they arrived at the family estate, Mathew helped carry in\u00a0<\/p>\n
the gifts they had prepared for the two of them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Most of it was for Mrs. Miller; she was pregnant and needed\u00a0<\/p>\n
lots of traditional health supplements and everyday items,\u00a0<\/p>\n
which Madeleine and Kirsten had spent hours carefully picking\u00a0<\/p>\n
out one by one.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine was a little nervous, wondering if Mrs. Miller would\u00a0<\/p>\n
like them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had been so carefree growing up that she never used to\u00a0<\/p>\n
care what other people thought of her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But this was Roderick\u2019s family, and her family too, so how could\u00a0<\/p>\n
she not care?\u00a0<\/p>\n
From the moment they walked in, Roderick held her hand\u00a0<\/p>\n
tightly, and the warmth from his large palm eased some of\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s anxiety.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the small courtyard, Owen had already set out the traditional\u00a0<\/p>\n
tea set, looking like he\u2019d been eagerly waiting for a long time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But when he saw Roderick and the others come in, he\u00a0<\/p>\n
deliberately sat at the table, putting on a calm front.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 137\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDad.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDad.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHello, Grandpa.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The three of them greeted him one by one, and Owen\u2019s tense\u00a0<\/p>\n
expression finally softened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even so, he only paid attention to Kevin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKevin, come over to Grandpa.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin was very well\u2013behaved, trotting over and throwing himself\u00a0<\/p>\n
into his grandpa\u2019s arms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Like a magician, Owen pulled out a bottle of juice and handed it\u00a0<\/p>\n
to Kevin. \u201cLook, Grandpa just squeezed this for you himself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you, Grandpa.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin held it with both hands, then turned to glance at\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine, looking like he wanted to say something but\u00a0<\/p>\n
hesitated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Owen\u2019s smile faded a bit, and with a sigh of resignation, he\u00a0<\/p>\n
pulled out another bottle from behind him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 137\u00a0<\/p>\n
With that, the hesitation on Kevin\u2019s face instantly broke into a\u00a0<\/p>\n
smile, and he happily took the bottle and gave it to Madeleine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy, drink some juice.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you, Maddie.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine smiled, then glanced timidly at Owen. \u201cThank you,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dad.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAhem\u2026 You\u2019re welcome.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Owen didn\u2019t meet Madeleine\u2019s eyes, and a thick sense of\u00a0<\/p>\n
awkwardness hung in the air between them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Actually, Madeleine could understand that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After all, back when Roderick\u2019s father was still just Owen to her,\u00a0<\/p>\n
they had a great relationship.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Back then, Owen had joked about Madeleine becoming his\u00a0<\/p>\n
daughter\u2013in\u2013law, or if not, his goddaughter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If she hadn\u2019t gotten her heart broken later, things between her\u00a0<\/p>\n
and Owen wouldn\u2019t have become so awkward.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine couldn\u2019t help but sigh inwardly again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 137\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick, beside her, sensed her mood and was about to\u00a0<\/p>\n
comfort her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t put sugar in your cup. Roderick told me you\u2019re planning\u00a0<\/p>\n
on getting back into dancing?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Owen was busy making tea and didn\u2019t even glance at Madeleine as he spoke.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His tone was stiff, but you could hear a hint of concern.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Especially since he remembered Madeleine needed to watch\u00a0<\/p>\n
her figure for dancing and had specifically left out the sugar.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s heart warmed, and a smile spread across her face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I\u2019ve been practicing when I have free time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMm, that\u2019s good.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u104b\u00a0<\/p>\n
Owen nodded. \u201cYou\u2019ve been dancing for so many years, it\u00a0<\/p>\n
would be a shame to let it go.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was like a corner of an iceberg had melted; Madeleine felt the\u00a0<\/p>\n
distance between her and Owen shrink a little.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
Night Carved Paths Into Silence by Zyrel Ash 137 Bradley\u2019s face fell as he held back a curse.\u00a0 \u201cNot getting […]<\/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":[85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-heart-surgeons-last-patient-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29434","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=29434"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29434\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29434"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29434"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}