Chapter 25
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Jeremy pushed back his chair and stood, circling around the coffee table as he made his way out. “You can do whatever y want,” he said as he walked, his voice calm. “I won’t interfere.”
It was his way of telling Irene he wasn’t going to mention what had happened the night before.
At that. Irene felt a slight sense of relief.
She followed him outside.
Staring at the man’s tall, lean frame ahead of her, Irene suddenly asked, “What if what I do ends up hurting your nephew?”
Before he died, Jeremy had handed over the entire Tucker family estate–and his personal wealth–to Dorian. It spoke volumes about how much he trusted and valued him.
She wanted to know: if she turned on Dorian. how would Jeremy react?
Would he destroy her?
Probably.
But instead, his reply came cold and flat. “Life is a battlefield. You win or lose based on your own skill. If he gets blindsided by you today, someone else could do the same tomorrow. Whether it’s you or someone else it makes no difference.
“I’m not long for this world. I can protect him for a while, sure. But for a lifetime? No.
“In the end, he has to walk his own path.”
Irene froze.
Jeremy had always protected Dorian like his own son. She wondered, Where is this sudden detachment coming from?”
+
A beat later, she snapped back to reality, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. Maybe this was just a trick. Maybe he was trying to lull her into a false sense of security, waiting for her to slip up so he could catch her red–handed.
Just then, Aiden returned after seeing Simon out. When he saw Irene walking out with Jeremy, he asked, “Miss Jackson, are you. heading out?”
Irene had just opened her mouth to say yes when Jeremy interrupted, “Why not stay for dinner?”
“Uh–what?” Irene blinked.
She looked up and realized he was actually asking her.
To be honest, she wasn’t comfortable being alone with him,
He might be terminally ill, but his mind was razor sharp.
Being around him meant staying on high alert every second.
Sull
She thought of how Dorian had used Jeremy’s influence to rise
to the top of Eldraeth City’s business world.
How the entire Tucker family fortune had become a weapon he now used against the Jackson family. A quiet ruthlessness settled into her chest,
She couldn’t let Jeremy hand over everything to Dorian.
He needed to see the truth.
And if possible….
Her gaze lingered on his flawless, striking profile, and an audacious thought popped into her head.
Chapter 25
She had no intention of falling for any man ever again. But… she did want a child.
And with Jeremy’s genes? That kid would be on another level.
The thought had barely formed when it jolted her back to her senses.
“What am I even thinking? Am I insane?‘ she thought.
Trying to shake the idea, she forced herself to focus–just as Jeremy’s voice cut through her thoughts. “Irene?”
“Yes!” she said quickly, flashing a bright, charming smile. “Tve heard your family’s chef descends from imperial cooks. I guess tonight I’m in for a royal feast.”
Jeremy had only made the offer out of politeness–he hadn’t expected her to accept.
But since she had, so be it. It was
as just dinner.
He nodded, then turned to Aiden. “Tell the kitchen to add two Desmonian dishes. With that, he headed upstairs.
After all, he was a grown man–having dinner alone with Dorian’s girlfriend wasn’t exactly a good look.
Irene was left alone in the backyard.
The other villas had elaborate flower gardens. But the space behind Jeremy’s home had been turned into a full–on vegetable patch
Aiden was already out there, sleeves rolled up, watering the plants like a seasoned gardener.
Seeing Irene watching, he asked, “Miss Jackson, do you know how to grow vegetables?”
“A bit, she replied. “When I was little, I used to help my grandma plant something.
Aiden nodded, impressed. “Then you’re quite capable”
He didn’t question why the daughter of the Jackson family had spent time planting, or who this “grandma” of hers really was. He just kept watering the vegetables.
