?Chapter 1024:


    “What are you two up to?”


    Interrupting the moment, Wesley strolled in from outside. The sight of the bracelet stopped him short, surprise flickering across his face. Could it be that his grandfather was truly letting it go?


    With a quiet nce in Elena’s direction, Wesley offered a simple instruction. “My grandpa gave it to you, so you should keep it.”


    Gerald closed Elena’s fingers around the bracelet before pushing back his chair. “Food’s on the table. Let’s eat.”


    Lingering for a second, Elena watched Wesley walk away, uncertainty swirling in her chest. She hesitated and then slipped the bracelet safely away. Though she had no clue what Wesley and Gerald had talked about before, she sensed that Gerald knew about her rtionship with Wesley.


    Gerald sat at the head of the table, directing every ounce of his attention toward Elena. Not once did he acknowledge Wesley, his own grandson. A gentle nudge came from him. “Elena, take another helping. You look like you’ve lost weight these days,” he said, his worry apparent.


    Annoyance flickered behind Gerald’s steady expression. He couldn’t help but silently me Wesley for being so useless, unable to take good care of Elena. Back in his day, Gerald had mastered the art of doting on his wife. If she so much as hinted at a need, he had already met it. Even without a single word from her, he anticipated her wishes and saw they were fulfilled.


    Gerald’s eyes kept drifting toward Wesley. Each look came sharper than thest, as if demanding Wesley step up and offer Elena more food. Wesley sat stubbornly still, choosing to ignore these signals entirely.


    After the meal, Gerald excused himself with a tired sigh and went to his room for rest. Before leaving, he gave Wesley a final instruction: Elena was to be shown around the manor.


    Wesley stood with both hands in his pockets. “So, where should we start?” he asked, his tone casual.


    Elena stopped to consider her options and then answered, “Your room.”


    A long, meaningful look passed from Wesley to her, and without another word, he guided her up the stairs to the third floor. That floor had been his territory until he moved out.


    Elena’s eyes swept over the space and found it exactly as she had pictured. ck, white, and gray dominated the color scheme. There was hardly a trace offort or warmth. Something on the bookshelf pulled her in for a closer look. Wedged between the shelves was a collection of old photographs from Wesley’s school days.


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    Elena leaned in to study them. Among all the youthful faces in the high school group shot, Wesley’s stood out—one hand tucked into his pocket, his stare as cold as stone. Those broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs gave him the air of someone who had wandered out of a fashion magazine.


    A sly smile spread across her face. “Did you always look this good, Wesley?” she asked, teasing him.


    Wesley only cast a sideways nce at the photograph, making no move to stop her as she wandered through his room.


    Exploring at her leisure, she met no resistance from him. Only a handful of photos featured Wesley himself—most were crowded scenes with ssmates, almost none capturing him alone.


    Dominating one wall, an enormous bookshelf towered over the space, its shelves crammed with thick, professional volumes in severalnguages. Picking out a book at random, she flipped through and found scrawled notes and neon highlights winding along the pages.


    Before she could slip the book back, she spun around and came face-to-chest with Wesley. At some point, he had closed the distance without a whisper, hemming her in between his frame and the bookshelf.


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