What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 112

"Daddy, Mommy is still working. I'm sleepy. I want to go to bed," Brynlee mumbled, sliding down under the covers.

Finnian carefully tucked the blankets around her.

"Daddy, scratch my back!" Brynlee demanded, instantly rolling over onto her stomach.

It was a little habit of hers. She needed someone to lightly scratch her back to fall asleep. It usually only took a minute or two before she was out cold.

Finnian's mind was racing. He absentmindedly rubbed her back for two minutes, and sure enough, the little girl was fast asleep.

The bedroom was completely silent.

Finnian lay on his back, hands behind his head, staring blankly at the ceiling. Sleep was completely out of the question.

Eventually, he slipped quietly out of bed and went downstairs to the liquor cabinet.

Just as he was pouring himself a drink, his phone buzzed. A text from Noelle.

"Finnian, is Brynlee asleep?"

He typed back: "Yeah. Just put her down."

"Good, just checking. What are you up to?" As she sent the message, she attached a photo of an old medical document. "I was going through some old files and found my ultrasound from the miscarriage. One of the girls at the office lost her baby today. I've been feeling so anxious all night."

Finnian glanced at the medical slip and quickly typed out a reply. "Noelle, it's in the past. Don't dwell on it."

Noelle sent back a photo of a half-empty wine glass, the tone of the message heavy with grief. "I wanted to keep that baby so badly... but I guess it wasn't meant to be."

Finnian knocked back his entire drink in one go and replied: "Stop drinking. Go to sleep."

"I know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't be dumping all this negative energy on you," she apologized.

Finnian let out a hollow laugh. He typed: "I can be your sounding board. Whenever you're upset, I'm here to listen. Now, go to bed."

"Okay! Goodnight!" Noelle sent a cute sticker and didn't message again.

The next day, Silas led his team into formal negotiations with NorthStar Solutions.

Things were progressing smoothly until they hit a massive roadblock regarding the technology licensing fees.

As the argument heated up, one of NorthStar's senior VPs, Director Morrison, suddenly pointed a finger directly at Kaia. "You guys parade this young woman around like she's some kind of tech god, but I think you're just using her to artificially inflate your asking price. Frankly, I don't buy for a second that a woman her age actually holds this many patents."

Kaia froze, taken aback by the direct, aggressive challenge.

"Youthful arrogance can be an asset, but if you push too hard, it'll cost you money," Kaia teased gently.

Silas wasn't having it. "If we're keeping score, I think you're actually six months younger than me. So if I'm arrogant, what does that make you?"

Kaia hadn't expected him to twist her words like that. She replied smoothly, "I'm different. I'm married. People who are married operate differently than people who are single."

Silas raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Marriage is supposed to make your life better. Honestly, it looks like my cousin is doing a terrible job playing bodyguard. He didn't take care of his garden, and now he's watering someone else's lawn."

"Silas!" Kaia snapped, her voice suddenly sharp.

Silas immediately put his hands up, flashing a boyish grin. "Sorry, sorry. Just running my mouth again."

Kaia didn't push it. She couldn't deny the truth in what he said. Finnian was much better suited to tending to wild weeds. As for the flowers at home...

The rest of the negotiations went off without a hitch. But on the final day, disaster struck. The Veridian team was urgently called back to the NorthStar offices.

Kaia stared at the anonymous whistleblower email projected on the screen, her brow furrowing. The email accused her, as the lead technical director, of deliberately concealing critical IP infringement liabilities regarding the tech they were selling.

Silas slammed his hand onto the table, his handsome face dark with rage. "It looks like someone is terrified this deal is going to go through. Firing a shot in the dark at the eleventh hour... their timing is impeccable."