Pampered By My Three Brothers: The Return Of The Neglected Heiress - Chapter 915

Chapter 915: Not my words to begin with
After the game and the cheers, everyone returned to the gymnasium to continue the party.

“Excuse me,” Nina squeezed herself into the crowd, looking around for someone. A hint of panic was evident on her face. When she spotted the back of Dean’s head from afar, she jumped a little and excused herself to the people in her way.

“Mr. Pierson!” she called, only to stop when Penny and Zoren, who were standing nearby, turned to her.

Nina smiled awkwardly at them, lowering her head slightly. “Not that Pierson,” she mouthed, continuing to follow Dean.

Penny and Zoren raised their eyebrows, exchanging a look, then shrugged. They continued talking until Hugo and Atlas joined them.

Meanwhile, Nina continued to follow Dean. With her petite frame, she bumped into a few people until she finally reached the hallway where Dean was headed. As soon as she reached the back exit, she saw Dean approaching the parking lot.

“Mister Pierson!” she called aloud, running after him. “Dean Pierson!”

This time, Dean stopped and looked back at her. A deep line appeared between his brows as he watched Nina run toward him. He raised an eyebrow, noticing her limping slightly. His eyes dropped to her ankle just as she called again and finally stood before him.

“Mister Pierson,” she breathed out, smiling as she straightened her back. “I’m sorry. Are you leaving already?”

“Does it look like I’m here to stay?”

Nina maintained a smile despite his blatant sarcasm. “I’m sorry, but I just want to thank you.”

“Thank me for what?”

“For earlier.”

“Earlier?” Dean arched a brow, glancing up as if he had no idea what he had done to deserve this gratitude.

Nina pursed her lips, a little puzzled by Dean’s reaction. However, she quickly remembered the things Finn had mentioned about the guy in passing. Nina and Finn rarely talked about work, or rather, Finn was never too detailed about his work while Nina would often share everything with him.

Dean had been mentioned a few times during those rare conversations, and Finn had told Nina that Dean was quite surprising to most. When she asked why, Finn only said, “Because Dean isn’t what he portrays himself to be.”

Seeing Dean’s confusion now made sense to her.

“Thank you for standing up for me,” she said, clarifying where her gratitude was coming from at the same time. “I really appreciate it, Mister Dean Pierson.”

“Ah…” Dean deadpanned, staring at her with a conflicted expression. “You don’t have to stop me just to thank me for that. It’s nothing.”

He clicked his tongue, turning to face his car as if he just wanted to leave. However, Nina hadn’t noticed that yet, as she stood still, keeping her gaze on him.

“But I feel like I should thank you anyway,” she said. “Whether or not you did it for me or for some other reason, I’m thankful. Everything you said… thank you.”

“You’re thanking the wrong person.” Dean stopped as he opened the driver’s door, turning his head toward her. “Everything I said wasn’t mine.”

“Huh?”

“The things I said to Miss Miller earlier weren’t my words to begin with,” he repeated, only to confuse her even more. “What I’m saying is, I just repeated what Finn used to say.”

“…” Nina pressed her lips into a thin line, the lines on her forehead deepening. She snapped her confused eyes up at him when Dean spoke again.

Leaning his arm over the open door of the driver’s seat, Dean studied Nina for a moment. “You,” he said. “I know it’s not my place to ask this, but why did you break off your engagement with him?”

“…” Again, Nina kept her mouth shut while forcing a smile. “I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you everything. It just… happened.”

“I’m not asking because I want to know. Rather, I’m just curious where he messed up,” he clarified, facing the open door and clearing some of the things he had tossed on the driver’s seat earlier so he could sit. “That guy is always careful, but the news about his engagement told me he isn’t careful enough.”

Although his remarks ignited more questions in Nina’s mind, she didn’t dare ask what Finn had to be careful about.

“Bottom line is, I didn’t stand up for you. I did it because Finn isn’t here to do it,” he added, straightening up and casting her a knowing look. “I’m not saying I’d do everything he would for you, but at the end of the day, he’s a good friend of mine, and I know he’d let those who insulted him go. But not the people who would slander you.”

“He doesn’t even like it when I, or anyone who walks the same path as him, mentions your name,” he continued in a knowing tone. “For you, it probably doesn’t mean much. But for me, it speaks volumes — it’s deafening. I guess you were right. You don’t know him too well, Nina Reed. If you did, you would’ve understood that not letting you into his business means he’s protecting you from the boulders that might fall on you.”

After saying his piece, Dean shrugged and was about to get in. He almost jumped into the car as if he could sense something was off. His gut told him he should leave. But just as Dean got into the driver’s seat and was about to close the door, a hand suddenly grabbed it, stopping it from shutting.

Surprised, Dean froze and looked at the person holding the door.

“Hehe…” Ray grinned at him, his eyes squinting and his mouth stretched from ear to ear. “Where are you going, little kitten?”

Dean shook his head, laughing darkly. “You can’t make me stay—” Before he could finish, the door suddenly flew open. If he hadn’t let go, he would’ve been dragged with it.

“The party’s just getting started!” Ray announced. With his minions, they dragged Dean, lifting his arms and legs, and pulling him out of the car. “Take him back inside. All those rats sneaking out, continue hunting them down and dragging them back in!”

“Hey! Hey! Stop this — I swear to God, Ray! I will kill you!” Dean yelled and struggled, but to no avail. He was carried back inside.

Nina, still standing in the same spot, watched this unfold with her face twitching. She couldn’t even process the words Dean had spoken because the situation was so absurd.

“I guess…” she muttered under her breath, “no one’s leaving until everyone’s begging. Oh, goodness. I feel sorry for him… and everyone who wants to leave early. Do I have to beg Lily once I have to leave?”