Antonio was really ticked off right then.
He left the bathroom and saw Bryce against the wall, watching the scene. His face turned cold.
“Since when did you start eavesdropping?” Antonio asked, clearly not happy about it.
“Hey, I just went to the bathroom and happened to catch some of it,” Bryce said, brushing it off.
Bryce gave Antonio a playful look. They had grown up together. Of course, he understood the subtext in Antonio’s words.
Grace was quietly listening to Zelma’s bragging. She wasn’t into Antonio for ages.
Zelma’s words didn’t work on her.
“Are you done?” Grace asked.
Zelma dropped her fork, looked at Grace with a defiant stare, and sneered, “Antonio is about to tie the knot, and you’re still pestering him. That’s pretty shameless!”
Grace frowned. Even though she kept saying she saw Antonio as an uncle, Zelma still held her responsible for the tension between them.
“I’ve told you a million times. I think of Antonio as an uncle. If you keep spouting nonsense, I might have to get a lawyer
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Chapter 17
involved,” Grace warned.
Out in the hallway by the bathroom.
“I didn’t know you’ve been into Grace for so long, and now this fake marriage? That’s pretty trendy, Antonio,” Bryce sneered.
“You’re dumping your problems on Grace, and your girlfriend is a snob. I saw the pictures she sent to Grace. Antonio, when did you get so weak?” Bryce added.
Antonio shot back with a frown, “This is between Grace and me. It’s none of your business.”
Bryce chuckled after hearing this, “Antonio, are you really stupid or just playing dumb? Did I really fly all the way back from Melvania just for a meal?”
Antonio felt a pang in his heart. It was Barrett’s idea.
Otherwise, Bryce wouldn’t have come back without reason.
“You’re eight years older than her, same as me,” he said, his voice tight.
“So what? As long as Grace likes me, age is just a number,” Bryce replied with a dismissive sniff.
“Why pursue her if you don’t like her? A marriage without love won’t be happy,” Antonio said, trying to convince himself too.
“Why can Bryce do it, but not me?” Antonio thought.
Bryce checked his watch and murmured, “It’s been almost twenty minutes. Grace must be getting worried.”
He quickly headed out, paused in the hallway, and said in a
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Chapter 17
deep voice, “How do you know I don’t like her?”
Antonio watched Bryce leave, feeling a mix of pain and sorrow. Bryce could pursue true love, while he was bound by moral ethics.
After paying the bill, Bryce took Grace to see a movie. By the time they were heading home, it had started to drizzle.
“It’s rare for us to walk, and it starts raining,” Bryce remarked, looking at the dark sky.
“Stop complaining and let’s find shelter first,” Grace urged.
As the rain grew heavier, Bryce took off his jacket and put it over Grace’s head, then led her into a quick run.
Luckily, the movie theater was close to the Kaufman’s home.
Seeing the two of them drenched, Barrett was both amused and concerned. He promptly asked Benny to brew some ginger tea.
“This rain is unexpected. Come warm up with some ginger tea,” Barrett said.
The rain made it dark early. Just as Barrett was about to ask Bryce to shut the door, a well–dressed woman knelt at the entrance of the Kaufman’s home, crying out loudly, “Sir Kaufman, please help me get justice.”
Leaning on his cane, Barrett asked Bryce to bring her in, as she might catch a cold from the rain.
“What’s wrong, miss?” he asked.
After closing the door, Bryce came back to the hall with an
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umbrella. He raised his eyebrows as he looked at Zelma. It seemed a good show was about to unfold.
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