He Lost Me to His Best Friend novel Chapter 97

Realizing she had slipped up, Corinne instinctively slapped a hand over her mouth.

"N—nothing. I was just too angry. I was talking nonsense."

Yardley was about to interrogate her further, but suddenly, his phone rang.

"Boss, I ran a background check on the photo you sent me. The man is from Country A. He arrived in our country a month ago. Back home, he works as an international security consultant."

Yardley's attention was immediately hijacked. His voice dropped to a dangerous octave.

"Security?"

"Doesn't Gordon Wyatt's family run a massive security empire? And their global headquarters is located in Country A!"

Nathan remained silent on the other end for a brief moment before adding, "However, there is currently no hard evidence linking that man directly to Mr. Wyatt."

"I don't need a direct link! It's obvious he's the one who assigned those bodyguards to Scarlett!"

"With the Wyatt family's global security network, organizing a couple of fires would be a walk in the park for them!"

Yardley made his definitive conclusion. At that exact moment, Gordon's cynical, mocking face flashed vividly in his mind.

Before Nathan could speak again, Yardley gritted his teeth. "I never would have guessed. Gordon is actually going to such extreme lengths to protect Scarlett!"

Yardley hung up the phone, his eyes burning with intense, unadulterated fury.

Corinne urgently tugged at his sleeve.

"Son, what did you just mean? Are you saying Gordon and Scarlett are having an affair?"

Corinne shook her head frantically. "No, no, no, that's impossible. I watched that boy grow up. How could he possibly be interested in a plain, unappealing woman like Scarlett?"

Yardley let out a dark scoff. "Are you questioning your son's taste?"

Corinne: "..."

Yardley slammed his foot back on the gas. "Women like you could never comprehend Scarlett's appeal. She..."

He didn't know why, but despite Scarlett committing all these ruthless acts against his family—acts that should have made him despise her—his hatred hadn't grown. Instead, he found himself constantly replaying all of her unique qualities in his mind.

Her brilliant business insights, her impeccable taste, her effortlessly chic yet professional style, and... the intoxicating aftermath of their nights together, her heavy musky scent lingering on his skin.

He was like an oak barrel that had been slowly soaking up Scarlett's potent liquor. At first, he hadn't noticed the change. Now that the liquor was entirely gone, he realized she had seeped perfectly into his very grain. Her rich, intoxicating presence was now permanently fused with his own, impossible to erase.

Scarlett scooped out a small bowl of the broth she had brought and gently fed it to Talia, spoonful by spoonful.

"This is amazing, Scarlett. How did I get so lucky to have you personally feeding me soup? It's so good I could die, ugh—"

Despite her injuries, Talia's spirits were incredibly high. Deeply moved, she threw her arms open and pulled Scarlett into a warm embrace.

Scarlett was startled.

"Don't move around so much, your injuries haven't fully healed yet. Be good. Eat a little more. I want you to recover quickly."

Talia nodded with a bright smile. Seeing Scarlett's eyes turn red as if she was about to cry again, she quickly comforted her.

"Scarlett, don't be like this. It's really nothing. I have a strong constitution, these little scratches don't bother me at all."

"Besides, when we were kids, I was small and soft-spoken. Every time I was bullied in school, you were always the one throwing yourself into the fight to protect me. I can't even count the number of times you got hurt for my sake. Taking the fall for you just this once means we're finally even."

Scarlett broke into a tearful smile, her heavy heart feeling significantly lighter. "Yeah. Did seeing the news about those two fires last night make you feel any better?"

Talia nodded, though a trace of worry flickered in her eyes.

"I saw it. But Scarlett, doing that... I'm just terrified you're going to bring massive trouble down on yourself. If the Flynn family and the Stetson family both retaliate at the same time..."