Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed novel Chapter 897

For a moment, he seemed to pause too. As their eyes locked, Roseanne suddenly broke into a brilliant smile. It caught Owen Reynolds completely off guard, dazzling him and sending ripples across the calm surface of his heart.

"Ahem!" Corley coughed loudly, breaking the spell.

Roseanne and Owen quickly looked away from each other.

Corley just grumbled internally.

"Are you okay, Mr. Sullivan?" Mamie asked with genuine concern.

Scales tried to grab her sleeve under the table to stop her, but his hand found only empty air.

Corley cleared his throat. "It’s a bit spicy."

"Really? It’s that spicy? I thought it was fine. Here, have some water."

"…Thanks," Corley managed. *Just what I needed,* he thought.

"Scales, why were you pulling on me just now? Did you need something?" Mamie asked.

"..." Scales stayed silent. Nope. He didn’t dare need anything. This was fine.

……

After dinner, Mr. Smith was busy again, clearing the table, washing dishes, and cleaning the kitchen.

Mamie sat in a chair in the main room, her feet soaking up the warmth from two braziers. Knowing she was sensitive to the cold, Gail had lit them just for her and brought them over.

"Here you go, Mamie. I'll come back to add more charcoal later."

"Oh, thank you, Gail! You’re the best!"

Gail blushed and scurried back to her room.

Carlson took the card, his hands trembling slightly. "Thank you, Mr. Reynolds!"

"Don’t mention it. If you run into any issues, you can call the number on the card."

Corley spoke up, his tone serious. "What are your plans now?"

Carlson looked at him, confused. "My plans?"

Corley instinctively reached for his pocket, a clear motion to grab a cigarette, but a glance at Roseanne made him stop. He shoved his hands in his pockets instead.

"That's right. Fabian and Jay are in custody, and they’ll likely face a hefty sentence. But their father is still out there. And judging by how his sons turned out, he’s probably no saint either…"