Reborn to Dodge the Bad Marriage novel Chapter 64

Chapter 64 What a Husband Is For

Apparently, Nora was easier to win over than she thought, because the anger had already drained out of her.

“You haven’t eaten. Start with something warm.” Nora took the ladle and filled a bowl of seafood chowder for him.

Julian turned his head. “Not mad anymore?”

Nora made a face. “I was never mad. I just don’t want you dropping dead in my father’s house. Think of the cleanup.”

That got a quiet laugh out of him.

Mandy and Yvette came back in to find Julian shelling shrimp for Nora and smiling at her like she hung the

moon.

The sight of it earned Mandy a sour look from Yvette.

Yvette couldn’t stop thinking that Mandy should have been the one in that chair, getting spoiled.

Mandy didn’t care about any of that. She dropped into the chair across from them and widened her eyes. “Julian, why does Nora keep saying she’s scared you’ll die? Are you sick?”

The first time around, all she knew was that he had been rushed to a hospital on his wedding day and was dead a month later.

What actually killed him, she had never found out.

The Westons had buried that detail deep.

Yvette smoothed it over for her. “What Mandy means is that we know some very good specialists. We could help you find someone.

“If something is wrong, we get on top of it early. Nora’s life gets easier that way too.”

Nora rolled her eyes at all of them. “I told you we had a fight. You didn’t believe me. You’d rather believe he’s dying.”

Her gaze came up cold. “Is that what you’re hoping for? He gets sick, he goes fast, and I’m a widow?”

Victor was terrified Julian would take offense and rounded on them. “What kind of talk is that? We finally get them here for dinner and you two come out with something that ugly. Apologize. Both of you, to him and

to Nora.”

Mandy didn’t want to.

Yvette pinched her arm and apologized for both of them. “We’re sorry. We didn’t realize Nora was only saying it out of temper. We were worried about your health and we talked out of turn.”

Mandy scowled at the tablecloth. “Sorry.” She didn’t mean a word of it.

Nora set her fork down. “Looking at those two has killed my appetite. I’m done.”

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Chapter 64 What a Husband Is For

Julian was halfway through his soup, and he put his spoon down too.

Victor’s head snapped toward the two of them. “Take your plates to the kitchen.”

“Dad…”

“Go!”

Yvette knew how to read a room. She said nothing, took Mandy by the arm, and steered her out.

Only then did Nora pick her fork back up.

Julian took a crab off the platter and started picking the meat out for her.

Victor watched all of it, then found a subject and worked the mood back up.

It didn’t take him long to steer it around to the company.

“I was telling Nora earlier about our contracts. She holds shares, after all. Every one of our partners has pulled out in the last couple of days and I can’t get a straight answer as to why.”

Victor let the worry show all over his face.

Nora looked over at him, her face giving away nothing.

Victor went on. “I meant to handle it myself. Nora was the one who said we should ask you. I told her no, it’s too much trouble to put on you.

“She said you’re her husband, and if a husband can’t do this much, what’s the point of having one?”

Nora’s mouth pulled sideways. “I never said that. And that isn’t what you said either.”

Victor turned to Julian and made a joke of it at her expense. “You see? Now she’s embarrassed.

“Take that business about helping with a grain of salt. I really don’t want to trouble you, and I would never make trouble for Nora.”

“I told them to stop working with you,” Julian said.

“What?” The smile froze on Victor’s face.

It was the look of someone caught mid-performance with the curtain yanked back.

Nora’s head came up. “When was this?”

Julian set the crab meat on her plate. “The day Mandy walked off with your whole staff.”

His eyes came up on Victor, cold. “I’m useful to Nora. I’m useful when somebody comes after her and she needs protecting. I’m not here to prop up the people doing it.”

There was a knife under the words, and it put a cold sweat down Victor’s back. “Of course. I understand.”

Julian let the next words come out slowly. “Nora was humiliated that day.”

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Chapter 64 What a Husband Is For

Victor understood him perfectly.

Heraised his voice toward the kitchen. “Mandy!”

Yvette had to push Mandy out of the kitchen, and she came with a face like thunder.

She stopped in front of him. “Dad, what are you…”

Victor’s hand came around before she got the rest of it out.

The slap turned her head, and she stared at him like she couldn’t make herself believe it.

“Dad, you actually hit me?”

A handprint came up red across Mandy’s cheek, and Nora’s eyebrows went up with it.

That was a real one. He’ll swing that hard for the company, apparently.

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