Chapter 113
Chapter 113:
Bart forced a strained smile. “Of course not. I’m glad you two hit it off so quickly. I’m sure Sierra must feel lonely at times. Meeting you today must have been a pleasant surprise for her.”
His gaze turned to Sierra with a hint of sympathy.
What a sly move!
He had implied that Sierra lacked friends and experienced loneliness, a calculated statement to make her feel seen and understood.
Generally, girls like Sierra, sensitive and naive, were often easily influenced by such carefully crafted remarks.
“Bart, it seems you and Sierra have more in common than I thought!” Janice said with a sigh, her expression taking on a deliberately somber tone. “After all, you must know what loneliness feels like too, since you’ve been away for so long. But don’t worry. Even though you were born out of wedlock, now that you’re back with the Green family, things are bound to improve.”
Bart’s mouth twitched. Janice’s words were a calculated insult. Though she appeared sympathetic, each remark subtly mocked his status as a child born out of wedlock.
Sierra’s expression grew increasingly uneasy, her gaze flicking between the two.
“Janice, maybe we shouldn’t dwell on the past,” said Bart.
“Oh, that reminds me!” Janice exclaimed. “Last time, you pushed your brother into the pond. But don’t worry—he’s already forgiven you! He’s just too shy to bring it up himself. If you go and apologize, the two of you could finally reconcile.”
Bart’s grip on his champagne glass tightened to the point where his knuckles turned white.
Janice had not only dragged up an old incident but had completely twisted the narrative, painting him in a worse light. It was clear her goal was to destroy his image entirely in front of Sierra.
“Janice, are you saying that Bart pushed Aiden into the pond?” Sierra asked, looking a little surprised.
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“Yes!” Janice scratched her head, looking quite troubled. “Well, I suppose it’s normal for brothers to disagree and get into a scuffle now and then. I’m guessing that Aiden said something that Bart didn’t like, which prompted him to push my husband.”
“No, I didn’t do it!” Bart protested vehemently. It was him who had fallen into the pond, after all.
But Janice delivered her story with such emotion, he couldn’t even refute her words. He began to fear that Sierra would believe her and ultimately dislike him.
With her brows still furrowed, Janice placed her hands firmly on Bart’s shoulders and said, “Go ahead, Bart. Go and make amends with Aiden. I’m sure he will forgive you.”
Aiden had been watching them the entire time. Although he couldn’t hear what they were saying, he could tell from the way Bart was getting increasingly upset that Janice had managed to outwit him.
But why was she suddenly looking his way?
Bart, too, turned his head to glance in Aiden’s direction. Not only was he frustrated by this turn of events, but he was utterly humiliated, too.
“Bart, you should go apologize,” Sierra urged. “You’re still family. Don’t let small misunderstandings ruin your relationship.” Now that Sierra had bought Janice’s version of events, Bart knew there was nothing he could say to clear his name. If he still refused to apologize after this, it might turn Sierra against him, and all his efforts would go down the drain.
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.
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