?Chapter 1431:<fn6eba> For more chapters visit find?novel</fn6eba>


    “Do it!” Jessica fired back, not missing a beat.


    Jacob and Lawrence went quiet. Neither expected her to p back like that.


    “I don’t think it’s right for me to stay here,” Jessica said, fishing for an excuse. She didn’t want to mess with their vibe. “I’ll go bunk with Haley.”


    “Stay where you are,” Jacob said, seeing through her n, his voice as calm and carefree as ever. “We agreed on a week. If you bail early, I’ll spill all your secrets to your parents.”


    Jessica froze, out of moves.


    “Do what he says,” Lawrence added, chatting like they were old friends. “I’m not his boyfriend yet. Maybe put in a good word for me?”


    “Say one nice thing about him,” Jacob said, his tonezy but his eyes sharp.


    Jessica sipped her water, staying silent, acting like she wasn’t even there. She was now certain this man meant something special to Jacob.


    In all her years, she’d never seen her uncle act quite like this.


    There was a story here, and she was dying to uncover it.


    “What are you still standing here for?” Jacob’s gaze pinned Lawrence, hiszy tone curling with disdain. “Get out.”


    “I’ve got nowhere else to go,” Lawrence said, shing a pitiful smile like a stray begging for scraps.


    “That’s not my problem.” Jacob’s reply was t, almost bored.


    “But what if I end up sleeping on the streets and I get hit by a car? Can you handle living with that guilt?” Lawrence leaned in, his voice suddenly serious beneath the act.


    Jacob stared at him, momentarily thrown by the absurdity of it. Every word from Lawrence seemed more theatrical than thest.


    “Just let me stay. You’ve got so many spare rooms; it’s practically a hotel,” Lawrence pressed, shameless now as he clung to Jacob like an overgrown cat. “One more person won’t make a dent.”


    “Out,” Jacob said again, his voice sharp enough to cut ss.


    Fresh stories here gα?ησν????s?c?m


    Lawrence flopped onto the couch. His posture screamed defiance. If Jacob wanted him out, he’d have to drag him.


    “Just let him stay,” Jessica chimed in, stepping lightly into the tension. She liked ying matchmaker whenever she could, and this was prime material. “Besides, it’ll be fun with someone else around.”


    Lawrence perked up immediately. “Exactly!”


    Jacob’s eyes slid to Jessica, cool and unreadable. “Want me to tell your parents about how you used to sneak flights home just to see that boy you liked?”


    Her smile froze. That was a cheap shot. She and Jacob had always been polite, like distant rtives who asionally shared stories at family dinners. But after he’d stumbled across that particr secret, everything between them shifted—closer, more tangled, like threads pulled too tight.


    “Who was it?” Lawrence asked, curiosity flickering in his eyes.


    “No one,” Jessica replied quickly, folding her arms like she could guard her heart that way. “Just some ssmate.”


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