Pampered by my three brothers: the return of the neglected heiress novel Chapter 1650

Chapter 1650: Not in the mood to play nice

Haines didn’t even have the chance to change out of his indoor clothes before Hugo dragged him away. He couldn’t grab his wallet—or anything else he might need.

Seated in the front passenger seat, Haines turned to Hugo, who was behind the wheel.

"Care to tell me what’s actually going on?" he asked after several long minutes of nothing but silence. "Why does Atlas need to talk to me so urgently?"

Hugo smiled faintly but didn’t answer. _{freeωebnovēl.c૦m}

"Did Butler Jen ask him for help?" Haines pressed, already imagining several possible scenarios.

He’d been with the family long enough to predict these things. If Butler Jen felt that Haines’s relationship with Charles was beyond repair, he would almost certainly turn to Atlas for help.

"Nope!" Hugo shook his head, shooting his uncle a quick glance. "We’ve got bigger things to worry about than your little spat with Dad."

Haines arched a brow. "Such as?"

Hugo kept his eyes on the road. "Such as... uh... your former lover."

At that, Haines’s expression darkened immediately.

"Hugo, I know you’ve heard the story by now," Haines sighed, his voice heavy. "But I’m not ready to talk about it. Even with Grace by my side... I’m still trying to process everything. And believe it or not, I’m not even angry with Charles."

"I know it was an accident. He didn’t mean for it to happen. But how am I supposed to just... move on? I waited decades for her." His eyes snapped back to Hugo’s profile. "You’re a smart kid. I don’t need to explain how that feels."

Hugo said nothing, his gaze fixed ahead. He was listening—but he already understood. He didn’t need Haines to spell it out.

But then—

"Naylani Pierson," Hugo said quietly, sliding his eyes toward Haines. "That’s the woman’s name."

Haines frowned. "No. That’s not her name."

"Well, apparently, it is, Uncle," Hugo replied, his tone level. "That photo you saw... that’s a picture of Zoren’s mother. Not the woman you claimed as your former lover. And certainly not the woman who died during that special operation. Naylani Pierson died years after that mission."

Haines’s frown deepened, his mind working overtime to process Hugo’s words.

"What?" he breathed. "That’s... impossible."

"That’s why I’m taking you home," Hugo said firmly. "You and Dad will make up eventually, but this isn’t the time for grudges and distance."

He paused, his voice lowering. "Penny’s already captured Nina’s mother. But this woman... this mystery... it’s been haunting our family for as long as I can remember."

Silence settled heavily in the car. Haines stared at his nephew’s side profile, confusion etched across his face.

"Impossible," he muttered under his breath.

But he wasn’t the only one saying that.

Everyone who knew about this hadn’t slept a wink either, consumed by the same impossible questions.

---

[Skyline Plaza: Zoren’s]

The sharp sound of curtains being pulled back echoed through one of the guest rooms. Sunlight poured into the space, a beam landing directly on a woman’s face.

She groaned, her brows creasing against the brightness even though her eyes remained shut. Pain pulsed at the side of her head, making her wince before she could even open her eyes.

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