?Chapter 1639:


    Conor, who had been nearby, stayed silent. Jalen shot him a pointed look, silently urging him to help. But Conor didn’t say anything.


    Just then, Brenna’s phone rang. She stepped aside to take the call. It was Ernst calling.


    “Has Wesley’s familye to visit?” Ernst asked sharply. He was still at the office, swamped with a huge new project he was personally managing.


    Brenna could hear the edge in his tone and immediately guessed he was in the loop.


    “Yeah,” she said, “the whole family is here.”


    “Stay out of it,” Ernst said. “Mom told me and Dalton she’ll never forgive Wesley. And she meant it. None of us—me, you, Dalton, Dad—are to get involved. If you intervene, Mom will get upset.”


    “Understood,” Brenna replied.


    Meanwhile, Jalen said to Conor, “Why didn’t you back me up earlier? Dad has worked his tail off his whole life, and now, right before he retires, he could end up in jail over some stupid money issue. And we can’t just let Mom die from cancer. The Harpers are loaded; they’ve got the pull to find a liver donor in no time. You’re awyer, smooth talker—if you say something, you could convince Brenna.”


    Conor’s temper red. “I’m not doing it! You were lying to her. I heard the fight at that time—the fall was Dad’s fault, not Grandma’s. Why did you lie to Brenna?”


    Jalen barked, “What do you know? Just keep quiet; I’m telling it the right way!”


    Conor scoffed, “Right way? You can’t even tell the truth, and you expect me to help you con our cousin? Do you take her for a fool? Forget it—I’m not helping you.”


    Brenna watched the two brothers bicker with cool detachment, making no move to intervene. Part of her wanted to slip away quietly—Ernst’s side of the family hadn’t shown up, her father was out, and Dalton was upstairs pretending to be sick.


    Only she had foolishlye to wee the guests.


    The tales you love are at g?lnσν???s?c?m


    Just as she was about to make up some excuse to leave, Wesley’s booming voice rang out from the doorway. “Everyone,e here!”


    The nearby children froze mid-y, eyes darting uncertainly toward the doorway. To Brenna’s surprise, none of them rushed to obey. They exchanged uneasy nces, as if silently debating whether to move.


    Only when Wesley repeated, “Didn’t you hear me? Come over here,” did the children finally stir, with Jalen and Conor trailing in their wake. Brenna followed behind them.


    In the living room, Tonya Warren—Wesley’s wife—sat beside Giselle on the sofa, dabbing at her eyes as though the world had wronged her personally.


    Wesley’s face was hard as stone, his voice tight with frustration. “Giselle, our whole family is begging you. How is that still not enough? I’ve already apologized! What more do you want from us? Do we have to kneel down right here before you to earn your forgiveness?”


    Giselle didn’t so much as flinch. Her eyes were icy, her tone cutting. “Don’t try to guilt-trip me with that wounded act, Wesley. Back then, you made your choice—you saved your wife and left our mother to die. That’s on you. You borrowed money from her to pay for your wife’s surgery, the same money she scraped together to help you climb thedder. You repaid her kindness with betrayal.”


    She paused for a moment. “Dad went to jail because of you, and Mom nearly worked herself to death trying to keep your career afloat. And when it came down to choosing between your wife and your own mother, you didn’t even hesitate to abandon our mother. So don’t talk to me about forgiveness. I don’t have a brother like you. Even if your whole family crawled here on your knees, I wouldn’t forgive you, I wouldn’t lend you a cent, and I sure as hell wouldn’t find a liver for your wife. Get out—and don’t evere back.”


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