Pampered by my three brothers: the return of the neglected heiress novel Chapter 1564

Chapter 1564: Maybe a little

Grace and Haines’s night usually started with her birthday dinners. Even now, she hadn’t changed her mind about catching up to his age. Perhaps, at this point, it was out of spite. Not toward him, but toward the feeling that either of them had been born too early or too late.

After the short celebration, Grace jumped into the car where Haines was already waiting.

"I did my best to leave as fast as I could," she said with a grin.

Haines cast her a brief glance and wordlessly started the engine. Her brows arched slightly; she could still sense that strange air around him.

I think I’m just imagining it.

The two of them had been fine all this time. Even before the birthday dinner, he’d sent her a short message letting her know he would be late. There was no reason to think there was something they needed to discuss. Nothing that could even remotely qualify as their first argument.

Brushing off the nagging feeling, Grace let the silence settle in the car for a while.

"By the way, are you coming tomorrow? I’m planning to move the venue a little closer, so you can just wait for me at my place," she said after a moment. "Sounds good, right?"

"Mhm."

Her brows rose again, and she gave him a quick side-eye. "Haines, do we have a problem?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Mhm."

"Then..." Grace huffed. She could no longer just throw the idea to the back of her head. There’s definitely something wrong.

"...why do I feel like there’s something we should talk about?"

Haines didn’t answer. His expression remained stoic as he focused on the road ahead, unfazed. But his mind was elsewhere, replaying the conversations she hadn’t heard at the birthday party.

He had arrived just as Grace stepped out with Hugo—and unfortunately, he heard everything the ladies had been saying:

"Hugo Bennet and Grace are a good match."

"She’s pretty, and he’s handsome. He’s a respectable soldier, and she’s a successful lawyer."

"But isn’t that a little complicated, since his line of work is dangerous?"

"The only danger I see is her getting pregnant before they even marry. He looks like a beast in bed."

Then came the giggles, mischievous and giddy.

Normally, that kind of talk wouldn’t bother Haines. But somehow, this time, it did. Not because Grace was being linked to his nephew, but because they were right.

Grace had a long list of suitors. And yet, she was with him. An old man with a limp.

The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Haines, hun," she called gently, tilting her head to look at him. "Aren’t we going to talk about it?"

He remained silent, and her frown deepened as she crossed her arms under her chest.

"Fine," she muttered. "If you don’t want to talk, then I’ll just pretend we’re okay when clearly we’re not."

As the silence dragged on, Haines rubbed his leg absentmindedly, wincing slightly.

She pressed her lips into a thin line. Is it the leg?

Her gaze softened, guilt washing over her at the thought. He’s probably enduring pain in his leg, she reasoned. That must be why he’s so quiet tonight.

Over half an hour later, they arrived. The car eased into the parking space and halted. Still, neither of them moved. They didn’t even unbuckle, simply sitting in silence.

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