What She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 242

The grueling three-hour quarterly strategy meeting finally concluded, and the executives gathered their documents and filed out of the room.

Finnian remained seated at the head of the table. His unfathomable gaze was fixed on the mahogany surface as he tapped his fingers rhythmically.

"Silas, stay behind."

Silas, who had been chatting with someone near the door, paused. He turned to face Finnian. "Sure."

Pulling out a chair, Silas sat down without a hint of surprise on his face. In fact, if one looked closely, there was a knowing smile playing on his lips.

Dexter quietly pulled the conference room doors shut, cutting off the noise from the corridor.

"Did you need something?" Silas asked, his tone easy and natural.

Finnian didn't answer immediately.

He leaned back in his chair, his posture appearing relaxed, but his gaze sweeping over Silas was entirely calculating.

At twenty-seven, Silas had shed his boyish charm, replacing it with the sharp, composed demeanor characteristic of the Sanders men.

His only defining personal trait was his unapologetically rebellious nature.

"Yesterday," Finnian finally began, his voice perfectly level, "thank you for accompanying Kaia and Brynlee to pick out furniture."

Silas chuckled, his response completely open. "Kaia already thanked me. She treated me to dinner last night."

He answered with such casual ease, making it sound like a completely trivial matter.

Finnian's grip tightened slightly on the armrests, his eyes darkening. "Silas, since you refer to her as family, you should probably be more mindful of your boundaries."

He delivered the words softly, but every single syllable carried crushing weight.

Silas looked down with a laugh, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "I know. I was just helping out with a little favor. We're family, after all. It's the least I could do."

Finnian's cold eyes narrowed. Was Silas intentionally playing dumb?

"Some favors don't require you to be so thorough." Finnian stared directly into his eyes. "Especially things like testing out mattresses. The sales associates are far better suited for that than you are."

The air in the conference room froze for several long seconds.

Realizing he could no longer play the fool, Silas let his smile fade. He looked at Finnian with sheer seriousness. "Are you suspicious of me? Or have you just completely lost confidence in yourself?"

"I'm merely giving you a warning." Finnian held his gaze. "Kaia is still my wife. Given her status, if you treat her with excessive attention, people will inevitably start making assumptions. When the gossip starts, it won't reflect well on anyone."

Silas arched a brow, his smile returning wider than before. "Honestly, compared to a few minor misunderstandings about me and Kaia, I think her moving out of the Sanders estate is what's really going to spark some wild rumors."

The statement was laced with blatant provocation.

Finnian's expression instantly darkened.

Seeing that he had struck a nerve, Silas immediately reverted to his usual nonchalant posture. "Are you and Kaia separated?"

Finnian's gaze turned rigid as he locked eyes with him.

Not giving him a moment to breathe, Silas pressed on, enunciating every word. "Are you two planning to get a divorce?"

The conference room doors clicked shut.

Finnian sat alone in the cavernous space, the massive floor-to-ceiling windows reflecting his hard, unyielding expression.

Silas... definitely seemed to be scheming something.

In mid-May, the Aethelstan Biopharma annual team-building retreat was held at a luxurious traditional estate.

Three days prior, Noelle had sent an email invitation to Kaia. Since Kaia used to attend these retreats as the former head of Aethelstan's R&D department, Noelle's email was a brilliantly calculated move, ensuring the company executives and Finnian were both well aware of it.

Kaia hadn't offered a single word in reply, completely ignoring the gesture.

Noelle naturally anticipated this outcome and didn't care in the slightest.

The morning and afternoon consisted of team-building exercises, and everyone was highly engaged and having a great time.

The evening banquet was set up under a massive outdoor marquee on the lawn. It was brilliantly illuminated, with champagne towers catching the romantic glow of candlelight.

As the current head of Aethelstan, Noelle was undeniably the leading lady of the night.

She had just accepted a glass of wine when she spotted a group of people walking down the garden path.

Seeing that tall, striking figure in the lead, Noelle's eyes lit up with joy.

She had invited Finnian, but she never actually expected him to show up.