Whats She Overheard in Her Own Marriage novel Chapter 217

Chapter 217

Chapter 217

When she had visited a few days ago, she could drive straight through. Who had revoked her access?

Noelle pulled out her phone and dialed Finnian’s number. “Finnian, my car can’t get through your front gate. Could you fix the settings for me?”

Finnian stood up, glancing toward the front of the property. “You’re here early.”

“I know,” Noelle said. “My tennis coach canceled at the last minute, so I figured I’d come over and see if you wanted to rally for a bit. Aethelstan Biopharma is having a corporate retreat in May, and it’s been ages since I played. I want to get my swing back.”

Finnian walked over to the security panel, tapped a few buttons, and the massive iron gates swung

open.

Noelle’s white Bentley cruised past the landscaped gardens and the water feature, pulling up right outside the main doors.

She stepped out of the car wearing a crisp white tennis skirt, her hair pulled back into a high ponytail. It showed off her slender neck and gave her a vibrant, athletic look.

“You don’t mind that I invited myself over, do you?” Noelle walked into the living room, flashing a radiant smile. “That coffee smells amazing. I’d love a cup too. Layla, could you brew one for me? Thank you.”

Layla’s expression tightened slightly when she saw Noelle. Still, considering Noelle was the eldest daughter-in-law of the Sanders family, Layla kept her personal disdain in check and went to make the coffee.

As she handed the mug to Noelle, the distinct scent of cherry blossom perfume wafted over her.

It was the exact same scent she had smelled on Mr. Sanders’s shirts the past few times. A heavy, uncomfortable feeling settled in Layla’s chest.

If Mrs. Sanders found out about this, it would absolutely destroy her.

“Thank you, Layla,” Noelle said, perfectly polite.

Finnian set his coffee mug down, leaning his hands flat against the table as he looked at her. “What made you want to play tennis all of a sudden?”

Noelle took a sip of her coffee and sighed. “Well, I’ve been getting sick lately, and the doctor told me l need to be more active. I used to love playing with Seraphina, but… given her situation, and with her living abroad, I was hoping you could play a few sets with me.”

Finnian suddenly remembered. Back in the day, Noelle’s closest friend had been Seraphina Sanders, Silas’s biological sister. Unfortunately, when Seraphina turned twenty-three, she suffered a severe mental health crisis. Her depression had become debilitating, leading to erratic, unsettling behavior. She was eventually diagnosed with a psychotic break, spent time in treatment, and was later moved

overseas.

“Alright. Since Kaia and Brynlee aren’t home anyway, I’ll play a few rounds with you.”

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Chapter 217

Finnian nodded. The two of them grabbed their rackets and headed out to the private tennis court on

the estate.

As Layla cleared the table, she watched the two attractive figures walking together in the sunlight.. Her heart sank.

She had worked for the Sanders family for over a decade. She had watched the children grow up.

She had always assumed Finnian and Noelle strictly had a sibling-like bond. But her recent discoveries had completely blurred those lines. Were the boss and Noelle… really just family?

Standing on the court, Finnian bounced the ball against his racket. “Let’s go.”

Before they even started, Noelle was already pleading for mercy. “I haven’t played in forever, so you have to take it easy on me. Don’t run me into the ground.”

Finnian chuckled. “It’s just a casual rally. We don’t have to keep score.”

Noelle gave him a sweet, playful smile. “Okay.”

The tennis ball zipped back and forth over the net, the sharp sound of the rallies echoing through the crisp morning air.

Finnian was actually playing horribly. He was completely distracted. Maybe it was because he hadn’t slept well the night before, but he kept hitting the ball out of bounds.

“You are totally off your game today,” Noelle teased, keeping up a solid rhythm and running the baseline.

Finnian wiped the sweat from his forehead and forced a laugh. “Probably just didn’t sleep well.” “Why not? Is it because Kaia and Brynlee aren’t home?” Noelle joked lightly.

Finnian froze. Was that it?

Just as he stood there, preparing to jog over and pick up a stray ball, a silver Mercedes curved around the driveway and pulled into one of the villa’s parking spots.

Noelle saw it too. Her entire body stiffened.

Kaia stepped out of the Mercedes. She glanced over at the court but didn’t even bother to walk over and say hello, heading straight for the front door instead.

Seeing Kaia return so unexpectedly, Layla looked visibly worried. She rushed over. “Mrs. Sanders, have you had breakfast yet? Let me make you something.”

Kaia really hadn’t eaten. Silas had called her, saying an important client was arriving at nine, and she needed to grab some files and meet up with him immediately.

“Layla, could you just wrap up a couple of pieces of toast for me? I’ll eat in the car.” With that, Kaia hurried upstairs.

Finnian completely lost whatever little interest he had in playing. He looked at Noelle. “Let’s call it a day.”

Looking disappointed, Noelle nodded. She walked over, gently tugging on Finnian’s sleeve, and lowered her voice. “I’ll go say hi to Kaia before I leave.”

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“Okay.” Finnian agreed.

Noelle quickly packed away her racket, stepped into the house, and made her way up to the second.

floor.

Inside Kaia’s home office, the printer was whirring loudly as it spit out documents.

Noelle knocked lightly on the open door.

Kaia looked up at her.

“Kaia, please don’t get the wrong idea. My coach canceled on me last minute, which is why I asked Finnian to play tennis.”

“You don’t need to explain yourself,” Kaia said, her eyes already back on the freshly printed pages, completely dismissing her. “I just came back to grab some files.”

Noelle stood there, stunned into absolute silence.

A second later, as she turned around, she nearly bumped into Finnian, who had just come upstairs. Forcing a tight smile, she said, “Finnian, I’m going to take off now.”

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