Being Dumped by My EX, I Marriied His Older Brother-Chapter 43: I Want This, and I Want You to Kiss Me
"Perhaps... something went wrong with their relationship..." Serena Kane sighed and nodded, her words deliberately ambiguous. She looked at him with an expression full of helplessness.
Fury surged in Cole Kane’s chest. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "I will find her and demand an explanation."
Serena Kane quickly reminded him to be careful and not to provoke Justin Kane.
Her thoughtfulness was a comfort to Cole Kane, and he told her she was a good sister.
Hearing this, a flicker of triumph flashed in Serena Kane’s eyes.
As long as Cole Kane continued to trust and support her unconditionally, she could maintain her foothold in the Kane Family.
It was just a shame she had never been able to get Justin Kane to accept her.
...
Nina Thorne woke up thirsty in the middle of the night. She didn’t see Justin Kane, but was surprised to find Vanessa Walsh keeping her company instead.
"President Walsh, have you been with me this whole time?" Nina Thorne’s voice was slightly hoarse.
Vanessa Walsh got up to pour her water, replying, "Kane couldn’t stop worrying about you, so he asked me to stay here with you."
After pouring the water, she raised the head of the bed and handed the glass to Nina Thorne.
The soft, dim light fell on Nina Thorne, making her look pale and fragile, stirring one’s protective instincts.
"Thank you." Nina Thorne took the water and had a couple of sips. The tightness in her chest eased.
"Don’t stand on ceremony with me." Seeing she was done drinking, Vanessa Walsh took the cup back and set it on the nightstand.
"I can’t believe that Cole Kane kid is so impulsive and reckless. Kane will definitely teach him a good lesson this time," Vanessa Walsh remarked casually.
Nina Thorne looked at her and followed her lead. "Where did he go?"
Vanessa Walsh met her gaze, a bright, playful smile on her face. "Take a guess?"
’Justin must be busy with work,’ Nina Thorne thought.
Before she could say anything, Vanessa Walsh continued, "He didn’t tell me, but I’d bet he went to settle things with Cole Kane."
Nina Thorne was surprised. Recalling Justin Kane’s usually cold, somber, and sharp-tongued demeanor, she thought, ’That doesn’t seem likely.’
Besides, he and Cole Kane were brothers.
It was already remarkable that he had stepped in for her last time, resolving the issue of Cole Kane giving her script to Serena Kane.
And those male classmates Cole Kane had mentioned, the ones who got dealt with... that was probably Justin Kane’s handiwork too.
A warmth spread through Nina Thorne’s heart. ’That’s one thing I really like about Justin,’ she thought. ’Even if we don’t have feelings for each other, at least he defends me.’
"What are you thinking about?" Vanessa Walsh waved a hand in front of her face, a teasing smile on her lips. "Thinking about Kane?"
Nina Thorne came back to her senses, her face flushing. "President Walsh, please don’t joke with me."
"Stop calling me ’President Walsh’ all the time. Just call me Vanessa. Any wife of Kane’s is a friend of mine."
"...Okay."
For some reason, Nina Thorne felt there was something ambiguous about that last sentence.
Seeing her embarrassed expression, Vanessa Walsh chuckled. "I see it now. You two are so awkward with each other."
Nina Thorne gave an awkward smile. "Actually, our marriage... it’s not what you think."
Vanessa said something startling, "Or perhaps, it’s not what *you* think it is?"
Nina Thorne didn’t understand and looked at her with confusion.
She said, "From what I know of Kane, he’s not the type to get married on a whim."
"Oh, and he’s not one to give people nicknames, either. For someone who can’t be bothered with most people, that’s a very interesting behavior."
Nina Thorne understood what she was getting at. She was trying to say that Justin Kane’s feelings for her were special.
’Was it because of that contact name?’
Although at first she couldn’t figure out why Justin Kane had saved her contact name as ’Gas’, she later figured it out. Given their current relationship, it was best not to let too many people find out.
After all, she still hadn’t formally broken off her engagement with the Kane parents. If word of her marriage to Justin got out, the fallout for both families within their social circle would be considerable.
Nina Thorne felt Vanessa Walsh had misunderstood something, but she didn’t explain.
Because this whole exchange proved that Vanessa Walsh really didn’t have those kinds of feelings for Justin Kane.
Vanessa Walsh had a frank and generous personality. She was a good person.
After they chatted for a while longer, Nina Thorne found herself liking Vanessa Walsh more and more.
Half an hour later, around four in the morning.
Justin Kane finally returned to the hospital room. Vanessa Walsh got ready to leave, telling Nina Thorne before she went that they should get a meal together another day.
Nina Thorne nodded happily.
Justin Kane walked Vanessa Walsh out to the hallway and stopped. Vanessa turned and shot him a look. "You’re interested in her. Why not just say so?"
Justin Kane gave her a cool glance. "Stop gossiping."
"Nina Thorne is a good girl," Vanessa Walsh reminded him. "But she used to be your brother’s girlfriend, and now you two are married. You have to make sure you can protect her through all this."
"Of course."
Justin Kane’s eyes were dark, but his presence was deep and commanding. "She wants to formally break off the engagement before we go public. I respect her wishes."
Vanessa Walsh had guessed as much. Otherwise, with Justin Kane’s capabilities and way of handling things, he never would have kept the marriage a secret.
She sighed and shook her head. "Forget it. I’ll never understand what goes on in the minds of people in love."
She turned to leave, waving as she walked away. "Alright, I’m off. Go back and spend some time with her."
Justin Kane watched her retreating back, his dark eyes bottomless.
...
Nina Thorne was hungry and was peeling an orange.
A moment later, the door to the room opened. Justin Kane walked in, and his signature scent of cool cedar instantly filled the air.
Breathing in the scent, Nina Thorne looked up and watched him draw near. The soft, dim light cast shadows on him, making him seem all the more noble and mysterious.
’He’s so handsome.’
Nina Thorne watched, mesmerized. Her delicate lips were just biting into a slice of orange, and her eyes, clear and bright in the dim light, were fixed on Justin Kane.
"Hungry?" Justin Kane’s voice was gentle and magnetic as he reached her bedside, his dark eyes fixed on her face.
Nina Thorne snapped out of it, her gaze meeting his deep eyes. She felt as if she were being pulled in.
She quickly averted her gaze and nodded. "A little. An orange is enough. Has Miss Vanessa gone home?"
Justin Kane hummed in acknowledgment and asked casually, "What did you two talk about?"
Chewing on the orange, Nina Thorne suddenly recalled what Vanessa Walsh had said—especially the hints that Justin Kane liked her and the ’Gas’ contact name. There was no way she could tell him the truth.
"Oh, we just chatted."
Nina Thorne fobbed him off with a vague answer, and in turn, didn’t ask where he had gone.
Justin Kane hummed again. His expression was placid and his aura noble, as if nothing in the world could ever faze him.
As she ate her orange, Nina Thorne couldn’t help but wonder, ’How could he possibly like someone like me?’
"Nina Thorne..." Justin Kane’s magnetic voice suddenly sounded from above her head. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖
"Huh?" Nina Thorne looked up at the sound of his voice and found him leaning down, his handsome face right in front of hers.
Her heart began to race. She subconsciously held her breath and only managed to ask after a moment, "What is it?"
Justin Kane took in every one of her expressions, finding them so vivid and radiant. His deep gaze roamed her face, a teasing smile playing on his lips.
"I went through so much trouble tonight. Don’t I get a reward?"
Nina Thorne misunderstood. Not knowing that he’d gone to deal with Cole Kane, she assumed he was talking about being tired from work and still having to come see her. Her eyes shifted, and she suddenly held up the other half of the peeled orange in her hand.
"Want some?"
Nina Thorne’s lips, a luscious pinkish-red, parted and closed as she spoke. They looked so moist and inviting that Justin Kane’s eyes darkened.
"Not that," Justin Kane’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He leaned down and caught her lip between his teeth, his voice husky. "I want this. I want you to kiss me."
