?Chapter 1360:


    Brenna only mustered a faint look of concern. She didn’t really care about Tessa that much.


    That night, under the cloak of darkness, the rtives bound for Plieca boarded a flight at half past eleven, leaving Dalton and Brenna alone in the quiet house.


    Dalton, weighed down by his own somber thoughts, spoke little of Rosie before departing the next day to resume his filming.


    When Brenna was at work, her phone buzzed with a message from Isabe, apanied by a series of photos.<fnda26> ???? ????s? ???????s ?? findnovel</fnda26>


    The photos captured Ruby, weathered and worn, sifting through refuse bins, gathering scraps of cardboard, stic bottles, and milk cartons to fill her tattered woven bag.


    Other photos showed Ruby at the market, asking vendors for discarded vegetables.


    Isabe’s message said, “My father passed away a few days ago. I saw him before the end—gaunt, frail, a mere shadow of the man he once was, his back marred by bedsores. Now, my mother is alone, scavenging to get by. Mack’s fallen deep into drugs, unrecognizable and desperate. He can’t afford rent and has moved in with my mother. They’ve asked me for money, but I refused.”


    Brenna responded, “I see.”


    Though her reply was brief, Isabe knew Brenna’s disdain for the Barrett family ran deep, bordering on loathing. The more wretched their circumstances, the more it secretly delighted Brenna.


    Isabe sent another message. “I’ll keep you posted if anything elsees up.”


    Brenna studied the photos again and again, her gaze lingering on Ruby’s graying hair and timeworn face. Ruby was d in clothes from two years ago; though their style looked decent, they were old and dirty.


    Lately, Brenna’s schedule had been relentless. With the animation studio just getting off the ground, there was a never-ending stream of decisions to approve and projects to oversee, even if she didn’t have to do everything herself.


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    She’d been workingte nights all week, making sure the new hires settled in and that operations ran smoothly.


    Today, by the time she finally clocked out, it was already eight in the evening. As she stepped into the elevator, she spotted Ethan holding a cup of juice and a cup of lemon water.


    “Burning the midnight oil, too?” Brenna joked, eyeing Ethan’s drinks; they didn’t exactly scream “overtime.”


    Ethan grinned. “Yeah. Dorsey died in a car ident recently, so the Chapman Group deal fell through. After a few meetings, we scrapped the partnership with Waldo and switched to the supplier you suggested. Their stuff is just as good, and we’re saving a fortune. Most of my timetely has gone into making sure the transition goes smoothly.”


    Brenna epted the juice from him, poking in the straw and realizing just how thirsty she actually was.


    Ethan sipped his lemon water, a small smile on his face as he watched her. “How’s the military projecting along?” he asked, his tone warm and casual. Brenna shot him a sideways look. Technically, he shouldn’t be asking about ssified work, but she trusted him.


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