Chapter 254 Lingering Tension Over Drinks
“Han, you are drunk too,” Laura warned. “Do not make me haul a dead weight home.
Han pressed his lips into a hard line. He kept his gaze locked on Julius while the stem of his <b>ss </b>creaked under his tightening grip.
Julius set his winess on the table and turned to Laura. “Quinn’s had too much. I’m taking her home
“All right, take her,” Laura answered quickly. She had no desire to linger; if they stayed, Han might start a drunken rampage.
As Julius guided Quinn toward the door, Laura faced Han. “What are you trying to do? You <b>know </b><b>Quinn </b>is with Julius.”
Han offered a bitter smile. “Yes, I know. I’m simply unwilling to ept it. I met Quinn long before <b>Julius </b>did, and if I’d spoken sooner, everything might have turned out differently.”
“Han, Quinn only treats you like a younger brother,” Laura said bluntly. “Now things are going really well between them. If you dare ruin that, I will not let it slide.”
Han lifted his eyes inzy amusement. “You won’t let it slide? Do you truly think you can stop me, or will you send my uncle after me instead?”
Laura’s spine stiffened. “Please don’t mention your uncle in front of me. He and I have nothing to do with each other anymore.”
Han let out a coldugh. “Nothing to do with you? Because you’re Quinn’s friend. I’ll give you a warning. My uncle is hopelessly sentimental. As a child, he loved a toy car so much that he slept with it every night. Even after it broke, he refused to throw it away, and when my grandmother tried, he fought her. So, Laura, can you guess what eventually happened to that toy?”
“Either he threw it away or kept it forever,” Laura guessed with a shrug.
“He took it apart,” Han said.
“Excuse me?” Laura blinked, confused.
“It was a little metal car Han continued. “My grandmother slipped it into the trash can. He waited until no one was looking, went outside, and dug through the trash himself.”
Laura’s jaw dropped. She tried, and failed, to picture Weston rummaging through garbage.
“Did he find it?” she asked, morbid quriosity edging her voice.
“No. The adults caught him and scolded him, yet he dered he would search the in every day until <b>he </b>recovered it.”
“Stubborn man,” Laura muttered.
“In the end, the family hired someone to sift through the dump,” Han said. “They found the <b>battered </b>car, cleaned it, but the wheels no longer turned. Even so, my uncle dismantled it <b>piece </b><b>by </b><b>piece</b><b>. </b>
Chapter 254 Lingering Tension Over Drinks
“Why tear it apart? Did he enjoy wrecking toys?” Laura asked, baffled,
“Not at all. It was the only toy he ever dismantled,” Hari replied. “He told the adults he couldn’t bear <b>the </b>thought of anyone else ying with something he loved that much.”
A shiver raced over Laura’s skin.
Han regarded her with a half–smile that never reached his eyes. “You are the only woman my uncle <b>has </b>ever acknowledged. What he loves, he would rather destroy than allow another man to touch
Laura’s mouth twitched. “You’re joking. He never liked me that much. Honestly, he only agreed to <b>date </b><b>me </b>because I wore him down.”
Han swirled the wine, watching the dark liquid trace slow circles. <i>My </i><i>uncle </i><i>would </i><i>never </i>date a woman <i>simply </i><i>because </i><i>she </i><i>chased </i>him. <i>If </i><i>that </i><i>were </i><i>true</i><i>, </i><i>he </i><i>would </i><i>have </i><i>a </i><i>collection </i><i>of </i>girlfriends by now. He said nothing. the warning had been delivered.
“By the way,” Han added, pouring himself another heavy measure, “if I ck out tonight, please make sure I get home.”
Laura sighed. “Fine. Drink all you want–I’ll see you home.”
It was clear Han meant to drown his sorrow in liquor, and she had neither the right nor <i>the </i>strength to stop him. After all, when she and Weston had torn each other apart years ago, she, too, <i>had </i>searched forfort at the bottom of a bottle.
Trent returned to the vi like a man whose soul had been blown away by the wind.
He had bought the ce only after sess finally found him, yet Quinn had taken every personal trace of herself when the divorce was final. The lone reminder she left behind–their cheap wedding bands–had now vanished as well.
Penelope hurried over with a thick file. “Trent, there you are atst. Look what I picked up from the matchmaker today. Every woman in here is miles better than Sidonie!”
“Mom paid good money for those profiles, Trent, so do not waste her kindness,” Jacinda chimed in, eyes bright with mischief.
Trent’s expression darkened. “<i>Good </i>money? Do either of you realize thepany’s cash flow is on life support? You spend what little we have on this nonsense. Do you want to ruin me?”