Pampered By My Three Brothers: The Return Of The Neglected Heiress - Chapter 1273

Chapter 1273: Stolen hour
Silence filled the ride — thankfully. Grace would occasionally strike up a conversation, and as usual, Haines would respond casually, keeping his answers short and precise, leaving little room for further discussion. But Grace was witty and often found something to say in response.

Sometimes he would engage with her, but when it came to her romantic advances, he would ignore them.

Grace was young — very young for him.

Although Haines had never considered marrying again after his heart was torn apart by his first love — a wound from which he never fully recovered — he would never consider her. The age gap was one thing, but he knew Grace. He had seen her at least once when she was around nineteen, during a short vacation in Anteca with Penny.

It just felt wrong.

Moreover, Grace was like a distant relative to Charles and Penny. After Charles had rescued her and her mother from a cruel man, he had been assisting them in any way he could. As a result, Grace had become one of the most successful lawyers of her time.

So, the answer to whatever Grace was plotting was no. At this point, Haines was convinced that Penny hadn’t put her up to this. Because if Penny had, Grace would have stopped after the first attempt. Hence, he knew what to do — ignore her advances. She would eventually forget about them.

Haines’s thoughts were interrupted when he noticed the condominium building.

“Were you zoning out while driving?” she joked, her voice soft with a hint of playfulness.

Haines didn’t respond immediately, pulling over to the side. “You’re here,” he said, giving her a brief sideways glance. “Why do you live so far?”

“Hehe.” Grace pursed her lips to stifle a laugh, unbuckling her seatbelt. “Thanks for the ride. Take care on your way home?”

He simply nodded, watching her through the corner of his eye. As Grace opened the door and put her foot out, she paused and looked back at him.

“Do you want to sleep with me?”

“Good night, Grace.”

She chuckled. “It’s my birthday today. Should I expect flowers later?”

He didn’t answer, while she studied his profile. Grace clicked her tongue and shrugged.

“You’ll be mine,” she commented as she stepped out, turning to look back at him. “Oh, and just so you know, I’m not planning to have children. Thought you should know what you’re getting into.”

This time, Haines slowly gave her a deadpan look. As soon as their eyes met, her lips curled and her eyes narrowed slightly.

“Good night, Haines.”

With that, Grace finally withdrew her head and closed the door. Stepping back, she raised a hand and waved gently.

Meanwhile, Haines continued to stare at her through the window before shaking his head. Just as he was about to drive away, he noticed her covering her mouth, eyebrows raised briefly. After a moment, she turned and hurried inside the building.

“…” Haines watched her disappear inside. “She really is Penny’s friend.”

Shaking his head once again, Haines set his GPS for home. Grace was a distracting passenger who refused to use GPS because she claimed he wouldn’t talk to her if she revealed her address. So he had to rely on her directions, though he felt like they made a lot of turns.

“If I remember correctly, her firm is near Penny’s office,” he muttered. “Why would she live over an hour away from work?”

After all, they had been driving for an hour and a half.

Haines didn’t dwell on it for long, considering it unnecessary. Instead, he focused on driving home, as it was already late. But as he drove, he furrowed his brow, looking at the road ahead.

“Wait a minute,” he whispered, turning the steering wheel to double-check. He could be wrong; maybe he was just tired. But he needed to confirm his suspicion.

Ten minutes later, Haines slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road.

“…” His mouth fell open as he gazed at an establishment with people coming and going.

Wild Platinum Nightclub.

“That woman…” he scoffed in disbelief, the lines on his forehead deepening. “So that’s why she rushed back inside, huh?”

Slowly, Haines lifted his eyes to the windshield, still in disbelief. How had he not noticed that he and Grace had driven around the city, when Grace actually lived just ten minutes from the nightclub?

If she had walked, she would have been home an hour ago.

Grace knew that, yet she still asked him to drive her home. No wonder she didn’t want to use GPS; it would have shown the quickest route to her place.

“I got played,” he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. “I suppose taking a brief retirement and going fishing with Charles every other day has made me less observant.”

There was a touch of disappointment in his heart, not pleased that he hadn’t even realized they had just driven around aimlessly. Yet as he thought about it, his disappointment turned into a soft chuckle.

How foolish he had been.

With that, Haines shook his head once more and drove home.

****

Meanwhile, as Grace entered her condominium unit, she bit her lip. A shallow chuckle escaped her as she walked in, flopping down on the couch with a smile on her face. As she lay there, another wave of laughter bubbled out.

Touching her cheek with the back of her hand, she felt it was warmer than usual. Maybe it was the drinks, or the stolen hour with the man she’d always had a crush on. Either way, she was happy.

“What a tease,” she muttered to herself, eyeing the table nearby. A few medicine bottles sat there, making her look at them thoughtfully. After a moment, Grace pushed herself up to sit and gathered the bottles in her arms, carrying them straight to the bin. Pressing down the lid, she dropped them in with a smile.

“I don’t need you anymore,” she murmured with a laugh, turning to shower and enjoy the rest of her night thinking about that stolen hour of Haines’ time.