?Chapter 1501:


    Before stepping into her car, Brenna said tly, “I don’t hold it against you.”


    Yet Shepard still felt weighed down, sensing her forgiveness was hollow.


    He sighed and got into his own car.


    Sandra observed the exchange, having clearly caught every word. Beneath the surface, the family was far from unified, and she saw a chance to deepen her bond with Shepard by showing him empathy, easing his bottled-up frustrations.


    She crafted a strategy to pursue this gradually in theing days.


    At noon, the lunch Andres had ordered for Sandra arrived as expected.


    Robyn Wheeler, Sandra’s coworker, took the delivery and handed it to her.


    “Sandra, you’re so lucky—your boyfriend sent you lunch again.”


    Sandra nced at the note on the lunchbox, filled with apologies, professions of love, and a plea: “Please remove my number from your cklist. I have something to say to you.”


    Her face turned icy, irritation sparking. “You can have it. I’m eating at the restaurant downstairs.”


    Robyn, momentarily confused, quickly pieced together that Sandra and her boyfriend had probably argued. “Alright,” she said without hesitation.


    Right at noon, Sandra descended to the restaurant beneath the office.


    While dining, she noticed a stir among the patrons, all gazing outside.


    Curious, she stood and saw a group arranging a romantic setup—a heart-shaped arch of pink balloons, and ‘I LOVE YOU’ spelled out in roses on the ground.


    She muttered under her breath, “Such a pointless show.”


    The young men outside swiftlypleted the disy just as she finished eating.


    The diners murmured, “Wow, who is getting proposed to? This is so romantic.”


    Andres waited in the car, a massive bouquet of rare blue roses resting on the seat beside him. These flowers had been flown in from Valport, impossible to find locally.


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    Repeatedly, he tried to message Sandra, but every attempt failed. She hadn’t just blocked him; she had erased him from her contact list entirely.


    Annoyance simmered as he stared through the windshield at the restaurant. Sandra ate her meal inplete peace, never ncing outside or even checking her phone, which only fueled his frustration.


    He couldn’t wrap his head around what had gone wrong this time. It seemed like Sandra found a new reason to be upset every few days, and he was exhausted from constantly trying to make amends.


    With a sigh, he set his phone aside.


    Decker jogged up to the car and said, “Everything’s ready, Andres.”


    Andres gave a curt nod. “Alright.”


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