Chapter <b>270 </b>
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As soon as Kaden and Leon heard that, they dove right into the fray, leaving just Hudson and Cyrus–the only bachelors left–standing there looking miserable.
Now only Hudson and Cyrus, the Sadlers who were still single, were left awkwardly on their own, their faces. practically green with envy.
Hudson, clearly annoyed, slung his arm over Cyrus’s shoulder andined, “Well, I guess this is what we get for being single–betrayed by our own family! Fine, today, Cyrus and I are just here for the food. We’ll watch the show and wait for dinner!”
Hudson tried to tug Cyrus toward the door, but Cyrus stood his ground, not moving an inch.
After thinking it over, Cyrus said, “If being single means catching all the heat, then trust me–I won’t be in this club for much longer.”
Then he shot Hudson a look; seeing his youngest brother’s shell–shocked expression, Cyrus shed a wicked smirk.
“Pretty soon, you’ll be the only lonely bachelor left in this whole family.”
With that, Cyrus dove right into the kitchen showdown.
Hudson stood there, utterly stunned, before suddenly snapping out of it and darting over to Cyrus.
“Wait–who?! Seriously, who is it, bro? Cyrus, how could you do this to me? Who are you dating now? Is it one of your patients? Come on,e clean–I’m not gossiping, I swear, I just really care about you!”
Hudson wasn’t the only one hit with shock–Kaden and Leon were just as floored when they heard Cyrus drop that bomb.
Cyrus had always been the academic in the Sadler family, and Kaden seriously thought he’d be married to his work as a doctor for life.
No one expected Hudson–the guy everyone thought was immune to romance–to finally have a clue about love!
Kaden practically couldn’t wait to grill Cyrus and dig out all the juicy secrets he was hiding.
Leon was straining to listen in, desperate not to miss a single word of the drama unfolding.
But Joshua? He couldn’t care less about Cyrus’s love life.
He was way more interested in the raw beef sitting on the counter, debating whether to turn it into tomato beef soup or stir–fry it as a ssic beef dish.
Cyrus wasn’t about to give his gossip–hungry brothers any names. All he’d admit was that it wasn’t one of his patients, and told them, “I’ll spill once it’s official.”
<b>8:36 </b>Thu, Sep 25
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Hudson pestered him for ages trying to get the scoop, but when Cyrus wouldn’t budge, he just threw his hands up in defeat and let it go.
By the time dinner rolled around, Hudson was still in a pretty sour mood.
But when Xylia slid into the seat next to him, his eyes spun with mischief.
Xylia was the ultimate gossip partner; whenever there was juicy drama about Leon and Mia, Hudson always discussed it with his little sister first.
So, if anyone could get Cyrus to spill the beans, it had to be Xylia–he never refused her anything.
Without missing a beat, Hudson leaned in close and whispered everything that had happened in the kitchen.
Xylia’s eyes went wide and she kept sneaking nces at Cyrus across the table, her curiosity bubbling up. She leaned toward Hudson and whispered, “Is it one of his patients?”
Hudson shook his head. “Nope, Cyrus said it’s not a patient.”
Xylia pretty much lost all her interest in the gossip.
She remembered how Cyrus had gotten that invitation to the dance from Fiona, and figured that must’ve been when he finally caught the love bug.
Since this mystery girl was someone she’d never met–and Cyrus obviously didn’t want to talk about <i>it</i>–Xylia decided not to poke her nose in and mess with his pursuit just because she was nosy.
She nudged Hudson with a sly grin, “Bro, instead of obsessing over who Cyrus is dating, maybe you should focus on your own love life. If you end up as thest single guy in the family, I wouldn’t want you to be the odd one out at our family dinners.”
She wasn’t trying to pressure him or anything–just telling it like it is.
But Hudson looked absolutely shattered, as if he’d been hit by a bolt of lightning and leftpletely crushed -like Xylia had just dropped a bomb he couldn’t recover from.
“Even you, sis? I didn’t expect you to join the betrayal squad…”
‘Did I really just hit Hudson right in the heart with that?‘ Xylia worried, seeing his wounded expression. She quickly tried to make it up to him. “Hey, it’s totally cool if you’re single, bro. Nowadays, you definitely don’t have to get married if you don’t want to.” Xylia murmured, hoping tofort him.
‘Why does that hurt even worse?‘ Hudson thought, feeling even more gutted.
He fell silent.
Joshua, who’d overheard everything from the sidelines, let out a quiet chuckle anddled a bowl of herbal tonic soup for Xylia.
“Here, try this herbal soup–I made it using Rachel’s recipe. Tell me how it tastes,” he said, passing her the
bowl.
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Xylia’s curiosity was piqued by Joshua’s words, and she turned her attention to the soup.
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She took a sip, noticing how mild and subtle the vors were, with a gentle hint of medicinal herbs.
“Delicious,” she said, nodding in approval.
Xylia summed it up in just two words: “Delicious.”
Joshua had mad cooking skills—no matter how new the recipe was, he somehow made it taste amazing every single time.
Joshua grinned, noticing Hudson shooting him a look, and deliberately reached over to ruffle Xylia’s hair.
“Such a good girl,” he teased, sounding like the doting big brother.
Xylia was leftpletely speechless, staring at him in silent protest.
Hudson: …
A table loaded with food, and everyone gathered round.
It was a far cry from the old days, when just the Sadlers four brothers would sit and eat in awkward silence, the vibe chilly and quiet.
Now, with seven people at the table,ughter and chatter filled the air–the atmosphere couldn’t be better.
Leon, the mastermind behind tonight’s send–off, raised his ss with a big grin and toasted the whole crew.
“Tomorrow, I’m heading deep into the mountains to level up,” Leon announced, his voice buzzing with excitement. “Wish me luck out there!”
Mia was the first to lift her ss, and soon everyone else jumped in. sses clinked all around–the atmosphere was so festive, it felt way more like a homing than a farewell.
The atmosphere was so lively that everyone joined in for a drink.
Everyone except Xylia, who had to pass thanks to her doctor’s advice,
Even though it was supposed to be Leon’s send–off, the Sadler brothers all started urging Joshua to drink, acting almost as if they’d rehearsed it.
Joshua didn’t back down from the challenge, though–he kept drinking until his face turned bright red.
Xylia couldn’t watch the scene <i>go </i>on any longer and had to step in, stopping her brothers from getting Joshua
to drink more<b>, </b>
“Xylia, you’re way too good to him. I’m honestly a little jealous,” Leon teased, the alcohol clearly getting to
him.
Joshua slumped against his chair, cheeks flushed and eyes zed with a drunk, dazed look,
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Hearing Leon’s words, Joshua grinned, sped Xylia’s hand, and drunkenly let himself tip over, his heading to rest on her shoulder.
“Of course–she’s my wife,” he dered with a goofy pride.
“What are you talking about? You two aren’t even officially hitched yet! And Joshua, didn’t you promise you’d marry into the Sadler n?” Hudsonughed, pointing right at him.
Hudson pointed at Joshua as he spoke, his grin widening.
Joshua’s mind felt foggy, but once Hudson’s words sank in, his smile grew even goofier.
“Sure… why not!” Joshua slurred.
Xylia propped Joshua up, watching his totally drunk face and could only roll her eyes in helpless disbelief.
‘Seriously, why do guys always turn every get–together into a drinking contest?‘ Xylia thought to herself.
Even Kaden–the rock of the family–was looking a bit buzzed tonight.
Cyrus, on the other hand, just barely sipped his drink, not daring to risk tomorrow’s surgery.
Since Cyrus was the only one still sober, and Rosalind’s driver had already shown up to collect her, he asked Kaden to walk her out.
Mia had been harassed by haterstely, so it was way too risky for her to go back to her apartment alone at night. Cyrus calmly arranged for a guest room to be set up, and made sure she’d have a car to take her home safely the next morning.
And then there was Joshua.
He was hanging onto Xylia, refusing to let go, his eyes barely open–clearly on the edge of beingpletely wasted.
Xylia helped him to his feet, saying, “I’ll take care of him.”
Joshua waspletely dead weight, and by the time Xylia dragged him back to their room, she was totally worn out and sweating buckets.
Xylia muttered at him, half exasperated, “Seriously, you just drink whatever’s handed to you. Ever heard of saying no? You’re hopeless.”
Her heart went out to him seeing him like this–despite everything, she felt a pang of sympathy for Joshua.
She grumbled under her breath, but Joshua must’ve heard her; in a drunken daze, he rolled over, grabbed her hand, and pulled her right into his arms.
The two of them copsed onto the bed together, Joshua burying his face against her neck, his voice slurred with alcohol as he began to speak.
“You know, I wasn’t actually drunk,” he whispered against her neck.