Chapter 305
Chapter 305:
Kenneth was surprised. “Just one question? And here I thought you’d assembled an arsenal of evidence against me.”
Janice held his gaze, unflinching. “Did you do it?”
For the first time that evening, Kenneth’s carefully crafted mask slipped, revealing something raw beneath. “I didn’t.”
“Got it.” Janice nodded without a moment’s pause, her lips curving into a smile. “I believe you. You had nothing to do with the accident.”
Kenneth stared at her, caught completely off guard. “You believe me?”
Janice’s lips curled. “I trust my instincts. I can tell when someone is lying. And after these past few weeks working alongside you, I know you’re not capable of something like that.”
Kenneth fell into contemplative silence.
For years, that shadow of suspicion had clung to him like a second skin—a burden he’d shouldered without complaint. Yet here was someone who chose to believe in his innocence. The simplicity of her trust stirred something long dormant within him.
“You’re quite an extraordinary woman,” Kenneth said at last, his voice holding a note of wonder.
“Should I take that as a compliment?” Janice’s smile held a playful edge.
Kenneth lifted his glass to his lips, using the moment to gather his thoughts. “Take it however you wish. But let me be clear—yes, Aiden and I have always been rivals. And yes, he’s consistently held the advantage. But I don’t resort to underhanded tactics. When I claim victory, it will be on merit alone.”
“Success will surely find you one day. But surpassing Aiden? That’s a dream you might want to keep dreaming,” Janice remarked with casual confidence before her lips curved into an impish smile.
Kenneth found himself laughing despite himself, caught off guard by her frank assessment. “That sharp tongue of yours takes no prisoners, does it?”
capabilities. It’s simply that Aiden is extraordinary. And he never stops evolving.”
L𝑎tеst chαptєrs in g𝒶l𝓷ovє𝓁s.𝗰𝗼𝗺
Her words, though meant as praise, only stoked the smoldering frustration in Kenneth’s heart. Still, he held his tongue. Experience had taught him that excessive words often betrayed weakness, and true power lay in action.
“Mr. Delgado, thank you for answering my question,” Janice said as she rose to leave. “Next time, dinner’s on me.”
“Janice, if there were no engagement binding you to Aiden, would he still be your choice?” Kenneth asked before Janice could leave the side hall.
Janice pivoted, meeting his gaze. “Yes.”
Kenneth stood frozen, struck by the unwavering certainty in her response. “Why?”
A radiant smile appeared on Janice’s face, her beauty so transcendent in that moment that Kenneth felt as though he were witnessing divinity made flesh. “Because I chose him—not the other way around.”
“Hmm?” Kenneth blinked, momentarily lost in the labyrinth of her words. By the time clarity returned, Janice had already left.
She chose Aiden?
Kenneth’s brow furrowed as doubt clouded his thoughts. He watched the wine ripple in his glass, mind churning. To his knowledge, Janice and Aiden had been strangers before they got married.
Had they crossed paths before Janice’s return to the Edwards family last year? If not, what lay behind her claim of choice?
Kenneth struggled to reconcile the idea that someone as measured and logical as Janice would succumb to love at first sight. A woman of her caliber surely wasn’t governed by mere impulse or raw emotion.
With a weary sigh, Kenneth emptied his glass. Somehow, it tasted far more bitter now than it had earlier.
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