?Chapter 1654:


    “I see… I didn’t know jewelry could cost that much. It’s… unbelievably expensive.” Sandra tried to smile, but faltered halfway. No matter how hard she worked, she could never bridge the gulf between herself, the illegitimate daughter, and Brenna.


    Brenna nodded, her eyes never leaving the bracelet. “It is indeed quite lovely.”


    Sandra couldn’t quite wrap her head around it. The thought of Dalton gifting Brenna something so expensive made no sense to her. After a moment of hesitation, she asked curiously, “Why did Dalton give you this?”


    Brenna lifted her gaze briefly, then removed the bracelet from her wrist. She set it gently back into the velvet box and answered, “I gave him a spherical robot for self-defense once, along with a military-gradebat drone. He was filming out at sea when pirates attacked. He used the drone and the robot I designed to fight them off and ended up saving the entire crew. This bracelet’s his way of thanking me.”


    “So that’s how it is.” Sandra nodded slowly. She understood the value of saving lives, but even so, the gesture seemed too much. A gift this expensive for gratitude alone? She couldn’t even imagine putting that kind of money into Jordy’s business ventures, let alone into a bracelet.


    Yet there were people who could hand out gifts worth that much without a second thought.


    “Then it’s indeed right to give a gift to express gratitude,” Sandra said atst. She forced a polite smile, though the words tasted bitter. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, she found a reason to excuse herself and left.


    Once alone, Brenna turned back to the courier box and checked carefully to see if anything else had been packed inside. Seeing that nothing else was there, she closed it and set it aside.


    The next morning, she wore the emerald bracelet around her wrist, then headed out. When Ethan arrived to pick her up, he caught sight of it.


    “That’s beautiful,” he remarked as Brenna got into the car. He reached over, gently took her hand, and turned it so the bracelet caught the light.


    g?lnσν????s holds stories for every mood


    “Dalton gave it to me,” Brenna exined. “I thought it was pretty, so I decided to wear it.”


    Ethan nodded and ordered Neville to start driving. He then nced again at the bracelet and said, “I’ll give you one, too. Something to match it.”


    Brenna’s lips curved into a smile. “Then I’ll thank you in advance.”


    Just then, her phone rang. She took it from her bag and saw the screen light up with an iing call from Jordy. She declined the call without a second thought.


    Jordy stood at his own doorstep with keys in hand, ready to head to work. He felt the weight of frustration settle in when his call got rejected. He had wanted to speak with Brenna again about investing in the cybersecurity project.


    The next moment, his phone rang. He nced down and saw Gracie’s name on the screen. He answered the call.


    “Mr. Barton, are you free for lunch? Would you like to have a meal together?” Gracie said.


    By the time Jordy arrived, sunlight nted through the restaurant’s windows, and Gracie had already imed a quiet table, her patience tested by a half-hour’s wait. She waved him over. “Jordy, this way.”


    Jordy made his way through the room, greeting Gracie with a measured handshake before settling into his seat.


    They had known each other through Rosie and had exchanged pleasantries at a few gatherings, but conversation between them had always been brief. Jordy was still trying to guess what this meeting was really about.


    .


    .


    .