After a moment, he leaned over again, this time to Madeleine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs your mom really going to set me up with someone?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine nodded. \u201cMy mom has mentioned it a few times. So,\u00a0<\/p>\n
tell me your requirements.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRequirements\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bradley closed his eyes and thought for a moment. \u201cSomeone\u00a0<\/p>\n
younger, simpler, more lively\u2026 preferably with a short\u2013fused\u00a0<\/p>\n
personality.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s a short\u2013fused personality?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe blows up at the slightest thing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIsn\u2019t that just a firecracker? You\u2019re a funny guy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine chuckled, but beside her, Roderick\u2019s expression\u00a0<\/p>\n
darkened a bit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When they got to the restaurant, Roderick told Madeleine to go\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 186\u00a0<\/p>\n
in and order first, then pulled Bradley aside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat the hell are you up to?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bradley smiled innocently. \u201cWhat am I doing? I\u2019m the one paying.\u00a0<\/p>\n
to treat you two to dinner.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know that\u2019s not what I\u2019m talking about.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick frowned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Madeleine just asked for your requirements, wasn\u2019t\u00a0<\/p>\n
every single one you mentioned the opposite of Charlotte?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The moment Charlotte\u2019s name was mentioned, Bradley\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
expression would change almost imperceptibly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He leaned against the wall, pulled a pack of cigarettes from his\u00a0<\/p>\n
pants pocket, and offered one to Roderick.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick pushed it away. \u201cI quit a long time ago.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m jealous.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bradley grinned, stuck a cigarette in his mouth, and mumbled, \u201cI\u00a0<\/p>\n
can\u2019t quit.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it the cigarettes you can\u2019t quit?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 166\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the person you can\u2019t quit.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick frowned, \u201cSo, he realized the whole \u2018stand\u2013in\u2018 thing\u00a0<\/p>\n
wasn\u2019t working, and now he\u2019s trying other ways to get over her?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bradley took a drag from his cigarette and grinned again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou get me, man.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGet you, my ass!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick looked at him with utter disappointment, \u201cIf you like\u00a0<\/p>\n
her, then go after her. What are you doing here, playing the\u00a0<\/p>\n
brooding prince?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cChase her? What\u2019s the point? She already has a boyfriend.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After saying that, Bradley took another drag of his cigarette. As\u00a0<\/p>\n
the white smoke slowly drifted from his mouth, he spoke softly:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you think\u2026 if I just stole her from him?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick pressed his lips together and didn\u2019t say anything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As his brother, of course he wanted what was best for Bradley.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But this was, after all, morally wrong, and he couldn\u2019t bring himself to say anything supportive.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 166\u00a0<\/p>\n
A few seconds later, Roderick plucked the cigarette from his\u00a0<\/p>\n
mouth, turned, and stubbed it out in the trash can.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s go inside and eat. Don\u2019t keep my wife waiting too long.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After dinner, Bradley said he wanted to be alone for a while and\u00a0<\/p>\n
left early.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the car, Madeleine texted Clarissa the list of girlfriend requirements Bradley had mentioned, and couldn\u2019t help but\u00a0<\/p>\n
sigh.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI never would\u2019ve thought he was so deeply in love with Charlotte that he\u2019d even resort to finding stand\u2013ins.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick said irritably, \u201cHe\u2019s just plain sick.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy do you say that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFor years, he\u2019s always had girls who look like Charlotte around him. He takes them out everywhere, throws tons of money at them, and wants nothing in return. If that\u2019s not sick, what is?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine was stunned. \u201cHe really is sick.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the end of the month, the bidding conference was\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 164\u00a0<\/p>\n
approaching.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edward had been busy for days, and returned to his office, his\u00a0<\/p>\n
head spinning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing the thoughtful lunch on his desk, he raised an eyebrow\u00a0<\/p>\n
and asked his assistant, \u201cWas Fiona here?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Where is she.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The assistant was taken aback.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMiss Bell?\u00a0<\/p>\n
She hasn\u2019t been here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wasn\u2019t here?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edward frowned, his gaze falling on the lunchbox.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The assistant quickly explained, \u201cOh, that. The housekeeper\u00a0<\/p>\n
from your home just dropped it off. She said you\u2019ve been too\u00a0<\/p>\n
busy to eat lately and was worried you\u2019d hurt your stomach\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edward\u2019s eyes darkened slightly. He waved his hand, dismissing\u00a0<\/p>\n
the assistant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Returning to his desk, Edward sat down and stared at the\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 166\u00a0<\/p>\n
lunchbox for a moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Come to think of it, he and Fiona hadn\u2019t seen each other for\u00a0<\/p>\n
several days.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He took out his phone to send Fiona a message on Facebook\u00a0<\/p>\n
and noticed the little red dot on his moments, next to a familiar\u00a0<\/p>\n
profile picture.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As if by some strange impulse, Edward tapped on it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Five minutes ago, Madeleine had posted something new on her\u00a0<\/p>\n
moments.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine: Happiness is eating lots and lots of meals with the\u00a0<\/p>\n
one you love!\u00a0<\/p>\n
The post was a nine\u2013photo grid post of various dishes, with the\u00a0<\/p>\n
center picture clearly being a photo of her family of three at the\u00a0<\/p>\n
dinner table.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edward narrowed his eyes, his finger hovering over the screen,\u00a0<\/p>\n
motionless for a long time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He realized that seeing Madeleine in the photo stirred an\u00a0<\/p>\n
indescribable sense of discomfort within him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 166\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHeh\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edward tossed his phone aside and started flipping through the\u00a0<\/p>\n
files his subordinates had compiled over the past few days,\u00a0<\/p>\n
most of which were about the Livingston Group.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 167\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 167\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 166 After a moment, he leaned over again, this time to Madeleine.\u00a0 […]<\/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-29463","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\/29463","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=29463"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29463\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}