Chapter 262 Questions
The room went dead quiet the second she asked.
Alaina jumped in quickly. “It’s getting late. You’ve gotta be hungry. What do you want for dinner? I’ll make something.”
Ruth picked up the cue right away. “Helen, you’re not eating just for yourself anymore. Make sure you’re getting enough. That baby needs nutrition, too.”
Then she stood and turned to Alaina. “Go ahead and make dinner. I’ll get out of your way.”
Helen knew full well Ruth had dodged her question.
As soon as the door clicked shut, she looked at her mom. “You’re close to her. You’ve got to know who her husband is, right?”
The more Ruth stayed quiet, the more Helen wanted to know.
But Alaina just smiled like it was nothing. “You should focus on your own situation first.”
Then she stood and walked toward the kitchen, leaving no room for another word.
Helen stared at her back and muttered under her breath, “Fine. Whatever. Keep your secrets.”
Still, her mom had a point. She needed to focus on herself right now.
If the results came back and the baby wasn’t Linden’s, what the hell was she supposed to do?
No–she couldn’t let this slip through her fingers. She’d climbed too far to let it all crash now.
With her heart pounding, she pulled out her phone and dialed Linden’s number. It rang, but no one answered.
She kept calling again and again until the line finally connected. Linden’s voice came through, cool and distant.
“Why aren’t you sleeping? What do you need?”
Helen stiffened.
Normally, he picked up right away. His tone was always warm, even soothing.
But today, there was no warmth. Just cold indifference.
Caught off guard, she tested the waters. “Did the test results come in?”
“No. It’s not that fast,” Linden said without emotion.
“Then why are you-” She didn’t even finish before he cut her off. “I’m in the middle of som have nothing else to say, I’m hanging up.”
Before she could respond, he ended the call.
Helen sat frozen, phone still in hand, stunned by how abrupt he’d been.
- g. If you
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Chapter 262 Questions
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She’d planned to use this window–before the results came out to rebuild some closeness between them. She never expected he’d treat her like this.
Whatever. She’d go find him tomorrow and ask in person.
What she didn’t realize was that Linden already knew her dirty little secrets. All of it. Every sordid piece of the truth she thought she’d hidden. Whatever she did now would be in vain.
Elsewhere, Caroline had just finished speaking with Teresa and headed back to Galaxy Bay Residences.
Things had gone smoother than she expected. She thought she’d be stuck there for a few days, but surprisingly, she got to go home the same day.
She’d tried to give back the money Teresa gave her, but no matter how she insisted, the woman refused to accept it.
Eventually, Caroline gave up and let it go.
Just as she reached the building, she spotted Maia out front, getting some air.
Maia looked genuinely surprised. “Caroline? Weren’t you supposed to be staying with the Graysons? How come you’re back already?”
Caroline narrowed her eyes and gave her a sunny smile. “Everything’s taken care of. So I came back.”
པ་
Maia blinked. “So… that means you’re not going back?”
“Mm–hmm. All done.”
Maia nodded and let out a small “oh.” “Well, that means we can reopen tomorrow, right?”
Caroline flicked her finger gently against Maia’s forehead. “You silly girl. No one works during their PTO.
Maia puffed her cheeks. “I just wanted the restaurant to bring in more money…”
Caroline smiled and said, “We agreed to take a few days off, so we’re doing that. A few days of losses won’t make a difference.”
That was just an excuse.
Business had been steady for a while, and the number of customers just kept climbing. The small dining area couldn’t handle the volume anymore, and it was starting to feel cramped.
Caroline had been considering moving into a bigger space.
Now that the restaurant was on a short break, it gave her the perfect window to start scouting for a better location.
Over the next few days, she spent her time riding her scooter around busy neighborhood every storefront with a ‘For Rent‘ sign. She only went home to eat, then went right back o
opping at
arching.
After touring several spots, she finally landed on one that checked all the boxes–good location, roomy, and reasonably priced.
She signed the lease without hesitation and called up the same renovation crew who had handled the original restaurant. She trusted them to take care of the new place too.
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Chapter 262 Questions
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But with renovations still underway, the current restaurant had to stay open a bit longer.
Before long, their break ended, but just as they were getting ready to reopen, Maia came down with something.
Caroline told her to stay home, rest up, and see a doctor.
Then she headed out like usual, riding her scooter toward the shop.
But as she rolled up near the entrance, her expression hardened. Two figures were sitting outside–two faces she hoped she wouldn’t run into again.
Edwin and Liam.
They stood up the moment they saw her, like they’d been waiting.
Edwin gave her a half–hearted smile. “Hey Caroline, what’ve you been doing the past few days? Why wasn’t the shop open?”
Caroline kept her tone flat. “Didn’t feel like working, so I took some time off.”
Liam immediately bristled at her bluntness. “That’s how you talk to Edwin? He might’ve messed up before, but he’s still your brother.
“And now that your restaurant’s finally doing well, you think it’s okay to just take random days off? Keep this up and you’ll run the whole place into the ground.”
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