?Chapter 549:


    Elena wasn’t big on sweets, but Karen’s cake was surprisingly light and just the right amount of sweet.


    Karen tried to y it cool, but her eyes were locked on Elena, watching her every move with anticipation. She cleared her throat, feigning indifference. “So? Not bad, huh? You should feel honored—I don’t bake for just anyone.”


    Karen didn’t even notice her fingers picking at the skin whenever she was nervous.


    Elena caught the nervous habit instantly—Karen’s fingers were practically raw from all the picking. The act didn’t match Karen’s tough-girl attitude, and it made her smirk.


    “Yeah, not bad,” Elena said with a nod.


    Karen’s eyes lit up, and just like that, her confidence returned. “Of course.”


    Karen had always loved sweets and made them quite often. She used to bake all the time.


    Elena thought about Elyse… The memory hit her like a gut punch, and just like that, her mood soured.


    Dinner ended, and Elena stood up. Wesley trailed right behind her.


    Seeing him, Elena frowned. “I said I would drive myself.”


    Wesley shoved one hand in his pocket, absently flipping a silver lighter open and shut with the other. His eyes stayed on her, unreadable.


    “Elena.” His deep voice cut through the air.


    His gaze locked onto hers. She had spent the entire day pretending he didn’t exist. She hadughed with Gerald, chatted with Karen—but not once had she looked his way.


    Wesley’s jaw tensed. “You blocked me.”


    Elena blinked, caught off guard. She hadn’t thought he’d even notice something so small. She didn’t bother lying. “Yeah.”


    Her reaction made Wesley want tough—or maybe yell. She didn’t even try to soften the blow. His teeth clenched. “Why?”


    Elena shrugged. “I saw no reason to keep your contact. In just a couple of weeks, we’ll be nothing to each other.”


    No one had ever pissed Wesley off like this before. Was she really in that much of a hurry to erase him from her life? She had someone new lined up already, and he was disposable now.


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    Wesley swallowed his irritation and ordered, “Unblock me.”


    Elena shook her head, decisively refusing. “Not happening. I don’t see any need to do so.”


    Wesley was downright pissed. No one else had pushed his buttons like she did. Was she this hell-bent on despising him just because of that forceful kiss?


    Elena couldn’t care less about his anger. She climbed into her car, yanked the door shut, and floored the gas, leaving the Spencer estate in her rearview.


    Once Elena got home, her phone buzzed with a new message. “Elena, it’s me, Kirby. Meet my grandson at the café tomorrow afternoon. Don’t bete.” A secondter, a location pin popped up.


    Elena hadn’t expected Kirby to arrange a meeting so quickly. Since she had already agreed, she’d go, meet his grandson, and rify things. She typed back a short and direct reply: “Okay.”


    The following morning, Elena arrived punctually at the designated meeting spot. She ordered a cup of coffee and settled into a corner, her presence alone enough to draw the room’s attention.


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