The Invisible Girl's Revenge (Harper) novel Chapter 176

Chapter 176

Chapter 176

Harper

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Dean walked a little ahead of me as I couldn’t keep up. I still felt like trailing my fingertips a bit longer on the cool wall as we passed through another hallway that looked like it belonged in an architectural magazine.

“I know I’ve said this before, but this house is…” I trailed off as I looked up at the high ceilings. “It’s breathtaking. It really feels like your home.”

He glanced over his shoulder with a small smile. “It’s not,” he said. “But I like coming here a lot.”

As he spoke about how frequently he came to that estate, he opened one of the doors and stepped aside so I could go in and as soon as I was inside, I gasped at the view. There were floor-to-ceiling shelves packed with books of every size.

“Oh, wow,” I whispered, already drifting towards the shelves. “You actually read all this?”

“Most of it,” he replied from behind me.

I was drawn to one section in particular, the novels. I stretched out my hand and my fingers hovered over one of them, tempted to pull it out, but he cleared his throat softly.

“That can wait,” he said. “There’s something I want you to see first.”

Something in his tone made me stop and I looked back at him. He crossed the room and lifted a large photo album from one of the lower shelves. It was thick and leather bound, clearly old, but looked like it had been handled with care. He set it down gently on the large desk, then gestured with his hand for me to join him.

I was so curious that I immediately went over to him.

“Go ahead,” he said.

I opened it right away as I couldn’t wait to see.

The first photograph immediately caught my attention. A younger Dean stood between a man and a woman. They were all dressed elegantly like that had been a special occasion. He couldn’t have been older than nine or ten. His smile was wide and carefree.

“This is definitely you when you were younger.” I pointed out the obvious. And this has to be your mom. and…”

I trailed off as I couldn’t say it. Not yet.

But Dean didn’t hesitate.

“Yes,” he said calmly. “That’s dad. This was taken on their 10th wedding anniversary.”

I nodded, forcing myself to breathe evenly.

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Chapter 176

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While I kept listening to what he had to say about that event and how formal everything was, I couldn’t keep looking at that picture as it had my father in it, so I flipped to the next page and came across some new faces.

Dean leaned closer, pointing them out one by one. He was thorough, like he wanted me to understand exactly where I fit in that picture, even if I hadn’t fully accepted it.

Then, my fingers paused mid turn when I spotted Trina. She was younger in the picture, but it was her. She was standing beside her father, smiling brightly at the camera.

“She’s been acting a bit strange, especially when it comes to Maddox,” I said, “When you told her he was here. it was like you knew that would get a reaction out of her.”

He barely looked at the picture as he said, “That’s just how she is. She’s a big fan. Who isn’t?”

I glanced up at him. “I don’t know. Something about this feels different. And she’s been really nice to me. Almost too nice and it feels… fake.”

He exhaled dismissively. “You’re overthinking it. She’s always been dramatic.”

Maybe he was right, but the unease didn’t leave my chest.

Before I could see anything else, he closed the album gently, like the moment had passed.

“Come on,” he said, already moving towards the door. “I want to show you the bedroom you’ll be using tonight.”

Since it was already past 9 PM, dinner was light. There were some salads, grilled fish and wine poured just enough not to be careless.

I sat right next to Maddox, the side of his thigh pressed comfortably against mine.

Trina made sure she was the loudest thing at the table and I noticed that every time she spoke, her attention kept drifting towards him, not me or Dean.

“I own property in New York, Miami, LA, Aspen,” she said, ticking them off her fingers. “And I’m getting another place by the end of the week in Paris or Milan. I haven’t decided yet.”

She took a sip from her glass of wine, still glancing at Maddox.

I took a bite of my food, pretending not to notice..

“And when it comes to fashion,” she continued. “Honestly, half of those brands would collapse without people like me. I influence campaigns and casting decisions. Some of those supermodels you see everywhere?” She smirked. “They only get the jobs because I call the shots.”

Dean chuckled while shaking his head. “This is where you turn into a mean girl.”

She gasped dramatically like she had just been offended. “Excuse me? I’m not mean.”

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Chapter 176

“You kind of are,” he said firmly.

She shrugged, completely unbothered. “I just hate when people get on my bad side. Actions have consequences.”

He lifted his glass as he looked over at Maddox and I. “She’s used to getting what she wants.”

She opened her mouth to continue, clearly not finished, but Maddox cut in smoothly.

“I saw your gym earlier,” he said politely, fully turning towards Dean.

He may not have said much, but I was glad he took the first step.

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Dean even seemed shocked as he blinked rapidly for a second before he recovered. “Yeah. It’s one of my favorite rooms in the house.”

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