A sleek ck Bentley cruised smoothly down the road.

    bIn /bbthe /bback seat, Rowan had been resting with his eyes closed, pretending to doze. When his phone bbuzzed/b, he opened his eyes at a leisurely pace, barely ncing at the caller ID before answering.

    The moment the line connected, Rex Wilkinson’s voice burst through. “Did you see the messages in the group chat?b” /b

    He’d just finished work and checked his phone, only to find the group blowing up–his emotions whished like he’d just watched a melodramatic soap opera.

    Little Elissa, it turned out, was the person Frank had been searching for all these years. The real deal. The one he’d never gotten over.

    The chat was a frenzy of excitement, and everyone had already made lunch ns to meet up. Rex, though, couldn’t even string a sentence together. He only cared about Rowan’s reaction, so he called right away.

    Rowan’s features were cold and severe, his voice icy as he dropped three words: “I’m not blind.”

    Two hours ago, when his ne hadnded, he’d already seen Frank’s announcement in the group.

    Anyone who knew Rowan could tell–he was seriously pissed.

    Rex pressed on, “So… you’re just giving up? I mean, she and Frank are legally family nowi. /iIt’s not like we can do anything out of line, right?”

    Especially with someone like Rowan–proud, dignified, always above reproach. The fact that he’d lowered himself to y the secret lover was already shocking. There was no way he’d push his luck and demand answers from Elissa.

    Their rtionship was probably finished, just like three years ago when they’d gone their separate

    ways.

    Outside the car windows, summer trees cast shifting shadows across Rowan’s sharply defined profile. His expression was unreadable, but his voice was faint as he asked, “Why should I give up?”

    Those words, “give up,” didn’t even exist in his vocabry anymore.

    Back then, she’d rather risk her life jumping out of a car than not marry Frank. He’d given up once, but never again.

    He’d given them their shot. If Frank blew it, that was his own problem.

    Rex sensed trouble and couldn’t help but ask, “What do you mean? Your flight justnded, right? Where are you headed?”

    Worried Rowan might do something rash, Rex warned, “You know how stubborn your bsister /bis. She’s even more hardheaded than you. Don’t btry /bto strong–arm her…”

    Those two–after their blowup three years ago–were bpractically /bbrivals/b.

    That they’d ever been lovers still seemed impossible bto /bbRex/bb, /blike something bout /bof ba /btwisted dream.

    b1/2 /b

    14.28

    “I know.i” /i

    EMH

    Rowan’s lips curled in a humorless smile. He’d raised her for nine years; no one understood her better

    than he did.

    Given the choice, she’d always take the gentle option.

    But if there was no choice, she’d take the hardest path.

    Stubborn to the core.

    Rex’s curiosity red. “So what are you actually going to do?”

    Rowan rubbed his brow, answering with deliberate calm, “I’m going to propose.”

    “What?”

    Rex’s gossip radar went into overdrive, but before he could dig for details, Rowan hung up on him without a second thought.

    Up front,n, the driver, couldn’t help rolling his eyes.

    Propose, huh? Saying it like it was no big deal, when everyone knew Miss Elissa and Frank were at that very restaurant–Rowan was clearly on his way to make a scene, jealous as ever but too proud

    to admit it.

    So stubborn.

    When would his boss finally learn that being a man wasn’t about clinging to your pride and suffering

    in silence?

    Lost in thought,n suddenly remembered something important and called out, “Sir, do you want to give Miss Elissa a call? Just in case she needs anything.”

    Rowan’s eyes flickered. Right then, his phone pinged with a flurry of new photos.

    Fresh ones–hot off the press.