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Chapter 288
Bryce opened his eyes to see a certain someone standing at the doorway, holding bags of groceries, toys, and gift boxes. The sight instantly banished Bryce’s sleepiness, and his eyes widened even more.
After the initial shock, Bryce quickly regained his composure. He leaned casually against the doorframe, giving Jason a once-over from head to toe, with a playful grin, he teased, “Jason, what brings you here?” He had half-expected it was Jesse returning from a business trip.
Outside the door, Jason’s face was as pale as a ghost. “I could’ve asked you the same thing.” he asked.
It had been a week since Jason had been in touch with Estrella, but as soon as he landed, he’d headed straight over to the Dorvold family residence. Autumn had mentioned that Estrella had taken Isaac to Waterfall Acres, so Jason had picked up some groceries with the intention of cooking for them, but to his surprise, it was Bryce who answered the door, clad in Estrella’s clothes.
Needless to say, Jason was far from pleased.
Bryce was unfazed, still leaning against the door with a look of mirth. “How is that so? Isn’t it you who’s been giving Ella the cold shoulder, acting like you don’t need her? I’m just here to keep my Ella company.”
Jason felt a tightness in his chest, anger bubbling up. “When the hell did I ever stop caring about her? When did I say I didn’t need her?”
He’d seen her birth control pills and, sure, he was upset, and a bit moody even, but he had never considered giving up on her, or ignoring her.
He hadn’t reached out to Estrella first this time because he wanted her to soothe him like she used to. But she hadn’t. Instead of pacifying him, Estrella had played her games, hiding Bryce in her home.
At Jason’s words, Bryce couldn’t help but laugh dismissively. “If you haven’t given up on my Ella, then why the attitude? Why disappear for days on end?”
Jason’s gaze got colder, and Bryce quickly made a cutting motion with his hand. “Zip it, I’ll zip it.”
Changing the subject, Bryce glanced at the bags in Jason’s hands but made no move to take them. Instead, he called into the house, “Yo, Ella, Jason’s here. Time to get up.”
Bryce’s calls made it sound like he and Estrella were the couple, and Jason was the outsider.
Following Bryce into the house and witnessing his cocky demeanor, Jason’s foot
09.13
connected with Bryce’s behind in a swift kick, sending him stumbling, nearly toppling
over.
Bryce turned around, saw Jason’s dark expression, and could barely contain his glee. He pushed his luck by saying, “C’mon, bro, no need to be a stranger. We’re blood, after all. Keep it in the family, right?”
Jason let out a snort. “Blood, huh?”
He then eyed Bryce critically. “Planning on changing out of those clothes and shoes anytime soon?”RêAd lat𝙚St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only
The thought of Bryce parading around in women’s attire was beyond embarrassing for the Nelson family lineage.
Bryce retorted, “If I take these off, I’ll be naked. I don’t mind, unless you do.”
The chill in Jason’s eyes deepened. “Keep it up. Just keep it up.”
As Jason spoke, he headed straight for the master bedroom. If he didn’t know about Bryce and Estrella’s close relationship, and if it were any other man, Jason might have thrown them out of the window a long time ago.
“Ella’s still sleeping. You need something?” Bryce called after him, trailing behind.
Jason turned, his expression frosty, and Bryce quickly backed up a couple of steps, hands raised in surrender.
When Jason reached the space between the two bedrooms and saw that Isaac was still asleep in the second bedroom, where the floor was covered with his and Bryce’s clothes, and the door to the master bedroom was closed, Jason’s anger subsided a little.
Unlocking the master bedroom, Jason entered and immediately locked the door behind
him.
The room was shrouded in darkness, the curtains tightly drawn. Estrella lay motionless on the bed. Hearing the door open, and sensing it wasn’t Isaac, she furrowed her brows in irritation. “Bryce, if you don’t stop bothering me, I swear I’ll smack you.” She’d heard Bryce earlier when he called out for her, but had been too lazy to respond.
As her voice faded, Jason strode to the window and with a swift motion, yanked the curtains open. Light flooded the room, and Estrella flung a pillow in the direction of the windows, shouting, “Bryce!!”
Jason caught the pillow and approached, flipping back the covers. That was the last straw for Estrella, who sat up in bed, poised for a tirade. But when she saw Jason standing there with a stormy expression, her sleepiness vanished.
Hadn’t he been away on business? Hadn’t he been ignoring her? So why was he here now?
09:13
Their eyes met, and after a long silence, Jason finally spoke. “Aren’t you going to explain yourself?”
Jason had managed to keep his temper in check, opting for a calm inquiry instead of an outburst.
Estrella scratched her head and yawned. “It’s exactly what you see.”
Her nonchalance stoked Jason’s fury. “Estrella you can’t keep your cool? I leave for one trip, and you let Bryce in? Is it that you’ll never reach out to me unless I do first?”
Estrella’s mind was fuzzy, struggling to comprehend Jason’s barrage of questions.
Jason grew even more infuriated at her silence. “If you’re serious and you really want to be with Bryce, just say the word, and I’ll step aside.”
Usually, Estrella would clarify things after a fight. But not today. As she remained silent, Jason couldn’t help but wonder if she was ready to end their arrangement, and cut him loose from her life.
Estrella felt utterly bewildered, waking up to find herself accused of wanting to be with Bryce. How had her morning turned so upside down?
Looking up at Jason with a hint of impatience in her voice, Estrella said, “What the heck are you even talking about? What do you mean I want to be with Bryce? If I wanted to be with Bryce, you would be out of the picture a long time ago. Would you even be standing here talking to me?”
Last night, Isaac was restless, and Estrella had a few nightmares. Now Estrella’s head felt heavy and foggy, and she was finding it hard to keep her bearings.
Her words seemed to ignite a spark of realization in Jason’s mind, but his anger was still simmering. He retorted with irritation, “So you don’t want to be with him, but the moment I turn my back, you’re taking Isaac to shack up with him?”
Then he started to settle the score, “Estrella, I might not have been in touch these past few days because I was mad, but did you ever reach out to me?”
“I’ve been busting my hump out there, on the road for seven days, getting IV shots for six of them. Not a single call from you, not one ‘how are you, and here I am, still worrying about you and Isaac. I hit the ground running from the airport, straight to the supermarket to pick up groceries.”
At that point, Jason felt a wave of self-pity wash over him, his heart growing heavy with unvoiced grievances. He felt that Estrella had now repaid, with interest, all the grievances he had caused her back then.