Marry Ex's Billionaire Uncle After Divorce (Aurora and Jasper) novel Chapter 188

Chapter 153: Principal Quinn

(Author’s POV)

Aurora glanced at the time. “I can leave work early and drive you-”

“You clock out at five,” Phineas said, not looking up from his screen. “You won’t make it in time.”

“I could ask Director Harrison-”

“You’ve taken enough time off this week.” He finally looked up. “I’m working from home today. I’ll drive him.”

Aurora looked at Leo.

Leo ooked at his bacon.

He didn’t want to say yes. It was written all over his face. But he also knew what Aurora asking for more leave actually meant, and he wasn’t going to be the reason she had to do it.

“Fine,” he said, then added, with obvious effort, “Thanks. Phineas.”

The name came out like he was reading it off a card he didn’t entirely agree

Phineas accepted it without comment.

with.

At noon, Alfred brought Leo a sandwich and a bowl of soup in the guest room. Phineas stayed in the study. Leo stayed in his room. The apartment maintained a careful, peaceful distance between them, and neither seemed to find this arrangement objectionable.

At five o’clock exactly, Phineas was standing by the front door.

Leo came out with his backpack, took one look at the empty hallway, and registered that Aurora wasn’t

there.

The effort he’d been making all morning visibly dropped away.

“Thanks,” he said flatly, and walked past Phineas to the elevator.

They rode down in silence. They drove in silence. The city moved past the windows in the early evening dark, streetlights beginning to flicker on.

They were almost at the school when Leo shifted in his seat.

“Did you fall for my sister the first time you met her?”

Phineas glanced at him. “More or less.”

“That’s the only thing that makes sense to me,” Leo said. “Otherwise I can’t figure out why you’d get married that fast.” He paused. “Ask me anything you want.”

Phineas’s mouth curved slightly. “Go ahead.”

5 Chapter 1 papal Quam

Claim

“Three questions.” Leo turned in his seat to face him. “What do you actually like about her? Why haven’t you had a wedding yet? And are you ever going to divorce her?”

Phineas kept his eyes on the road.

“Everything,” he said. “That’s the answer to the first one. I like everything about her.”

Leo said nothing.

“The wedding is being planned. We’re looking at early next year – I want it done properly, which means it takes time. And when it happens, you’ll be there. You’re her closest family. You’ll be a groomsman.”

Leo blinked. “A groomsman.”

“That’s the position. Unless you’d prefer not to.”

Leo was quiet for a moment. “And the last question?”

Phineas pulled up to the school gate and stopped the car.

“Since I chose to marry her,” he said, “divorce has never crossed my mind.”

He let that sit for a second, then added, “And for future reference – don’t ask people questions like that. I’m

only answering because you’re her brother. Anyone else, I wouldn’t be this patient.”

Leo looked at him. The arrogance in the answer was obvious, but so was the weight behind it.

“No more questions,” Leo said quietly.

He got out of the car, hitched his backpack up on one shoulder, and then turned back.

“Thanks, Phineas,” he said. Properly this time.

Then he jogged through the school gate and disappeared into the campus.

Phineas watched him go. After a moment, he shook his head and pulled away from the curb, something

close to amusement on his face.

The kid had put him through a full interrogation and made him justify his own marriage in a moving

vehicle.

He supposed he’d passed.

Phineas parked the car, watched Leo disappear through the school gate, then walked onto campus

himself.

Principal Quinn’s office was at the end of the administrative corridor on the second floor. The light was

still on. Phineas knocked once and pushed the door open.

Quinn was shrugging on his coat, briefcase already in hand. He stopped when he saw who it was.

“Phineas.” He blinked. “You came in person?”

“I was in the area.” Phineas settled into the chair across from the desk without being invited. “I dropped

someone off. Thought I’d see if you had time for dinner tonight.”

Claim

Quinn set his briefcase down slowly. He was already running the math in his head – last night, Phineas had called him about a student dispute. A high school student. And now Phineas was here, saying he’d dropped someone off.

“The student from last night,” Quinn said carefully. “That was your-”

“Brother–in–law.” Phineas confirmed it with a slight nod.

Quinn stared at him. “Brother–in–law. As in – you got married?”

“I did.”

“I saw something on i********:, but I thought-” Quinn stopped. “You actually went through with it. Quietly. No announcement, no party, nothing.”

“The invitation will come when the wedding does.” Phineas glanced at the window. “My wife doesn’t like a fuss. She heard there were people with connections stirring up trouble for her brother, and she was worried. So I came to have a look.”

Quinn sat down heavily in his chair. He thought about pointing out that Aurora – whoever she was – was now an Everett, and that there was no family in this city, connected or otherwise, that could touch that name. Then he looked at Phineas’s expression and decided to save his breath.

“Dinner tonight, then,” Quinn said. “Bring her along. I’d like to meet the woman who actually got you to the registry office.”

Phineas shook his head. “She has plans tonight. You’ll meet her at the wedding. I’ll make sure you get an

invitation.”

“Careful as ever, aren’t you?”

Phineas smiled – the small, unhurried kind. “Always.”

Quinn walked him out, still shaking his head.

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