His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex Wife novel Chapter 383

Chapter 383 Playing With Fire

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Finished

Brandon let out a dry laugh and glanced down at her. “Yvette has someone she likes, too. She’s not interested in getting pushed into marriage any more than I am. This way, we both get what we need.”

Iris sighed softly. “Even so… what about you? You’re clearly into Zoe. How do you think she’ll take this?”

He gave a bitter smile. “She wouldn’t care. She won’t even give me a glimmer of hope–let alone a real chance. Why would she feel anything about it?”

“And how do you feel?”

“I haven’t met anyone else I like, and I’m not ready to settle down. So I’ll just stall. At least Dad will get off my back for a while. I can enjoy a few more years of peace.”

“Peace?” Iris couldn’t help but chuckle. She leaned back against the couch, mirroring his posture, and gazed blankly ahead. “You’re still thinking about this way too simply, bro.”

“How complicated could it be?” Brandon turned his head toward her.

Iris met his eyes. “Let me paint you a picture of just how ‘peaceful‘ your life is about to be.”

Brandon went still.

A faint, knowing smile touched her lips. “Dad’s going to ask you every single day how things are going with that girl. ‘Where do you two stand?‘ ‘How’s it progressing?‘ ‘Are you officially dating?‘ ‘When are you thinking about marriage?‘ ‘Bring her over for dinner sometime!‘ ‘You should take her out more!”

Just listening made Brandon break into a cold sweat. He swallowed hard.

Iris went on, her tone growing more serious. “Worse still, he might start orchestrating ‘coincidences‘ to push you two together–all so you’ll settle down faster. And if that happens, any chance you might’ve had with Zoe will disappear completely.”

Brandon released a slow, heavy breath. “Did I really screw up?”

“Brandon, Dad mentioned you saved that girl’s life once.” Iris‘ voice softened with concern. “What I’m really worried about is that she’s only going along with this out of gratitude. Give it time, and her reputation could take a hit–all because of this arrangement.”

Panic flashed across Brandon’s face, and he stood up abruptly. “I should go explain everything to Dad-”

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15:26 Thu, Jun 25

Chapter 383 Playing With Fire

62

Finished

Iris rose as well. “It’s too late for that. She’s probably already told her parents. If you back out now, what happens to her? She’s a good person, and you’ve dragged her into this mess. Suddenly she becomes the daughter who lied to her family–how much would that hurt her?”

Brandon pressed a hand to his forehead and let out a frustrated groan. “I didn’t think this through.”

Iris patted his shoulder gently. “I warned you yesterday not to try a shortcut like this.”

“You always see things so clearly. Is there any way to fix this?” He caught her hand, his expression pleading.

“Yeah,” Iris said steadily. “Actually take the time to get to know her–for real. If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, then be honest with her and both your parents when the time comes.”

Brandon released her hand, buried his face in his palms, and stared down helplessly. “Yvette’s a great person. I’m just… not into her.”

Iris shrugged, holding her hands up in a “can’t help you” gesture. Then she turned and headed upstairs. “Night, Brandon.”

Brandon sank back onto the couch, tilted his head back, and closed his eyes, lost in thought. He draped an arm over his eyes, and a quiet, somber mood settled around him.

He was a complete wreck.

Upstairs, Iris lay down on her bed and called Zoe.

Zoe was still awake and sounded cheerful when she picked up.

But Iris cut straight to it. “Zoe, if you actually like my brother, you’ve got to drop the hard–to- get act. If you keep this up, you’re really going to miss your chance.”

Zoe’s heart sank.

After a pause, she asked cautiously, “What’s going on? Why are you saying this all of a sudden?”

“Dad’s pushing hard for him to settle down–wants him to find a girlfriend this year. Since you won’t give him an opening, he got desperate and started seeing someone else.”

Zoe forced a light tone. “Isn’t that a good thing?”

“A good thing?” Iris sounded exasperated. “But my brother is into you, Zoe.”

“Iris, I’m not on your brother’s level.”

“No one in my family cares about status or background,” Iris said earnestly. “Why are you so

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15:26 Thu, Jun 25

Chapter 383 Playing With Fire

62

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