Chapter 526

Ending the call, Elissa turned around and saw Rowan standing quietly by the patio doors. She was genuinely surprised.

He knew it was Frank calling, yet he hadn't even tried to shamelessly eavesdrop.

He just stood there, watching from a distance.

When she answered the phone, she had fully prepared herself for him to act like a clingy menace.

While she didn't interfere in his life, she honestly didn't mind when he intervened in hers.

In fact, a small part of her loved it.

When they were younger, Rowan used to micromanage her life just like this.

She had never personally opened a single love letter that was supposed to be delivered to her, nor had she ever seen what was written inside them.

Rowan had intercepted and destroyed every last one.

That was right around the time she realized her feelings for her 'older brother' had crossed a line they shouldn't have.

Because she hadn't been angry when he played interference-she had been secretly thrilled.

Thrilled by the possibility that it meant he cared for her.

But back then, Rowan would just put on a stern face and scold her like an

overbearing patriarch: *Our little Nine is too young for this. Those punks are up to no good. Listen to me, ignore them and focus on your medical studies.*

He had acted exactly like a strict elder.

He had acted like she was nothing more than a little sister.

Now, before Elissa even reached him, Rowan casually asked, "Done? Grandma

went inside. Let's go eat."

He looked entirely unbothered.

As if he couldn't care less about what she and Frank had just discussed.

*Such a faker.*

Elissa scoffed internally and decided to call out his bluff. "Stop pretending. You have

a question written all over your face."

Rowan raised an eyebrow. "What question?"

Elissa hit the nail on the head. "It says 'what did you guys talk about."

II

Rowan wet his lips, not even bothering to change the subject. He owned up to it with absolute shamelessness. "Yeah. Is that a problem?"

He would never control her.

But he also couldn't entirely suppress his own jealousy.

What was wrong with being territorial over his partner? What kind of man could be perfectly chill about a rival circling his woman?

Seeing how self-righteous he looked, Elissa's eyes curved into happy crescents. "No problem at all."

To prove she wasn't just patronizing him, she wrapped her arms around his bicep softening her tone as they walked toward the dining room. "Old Mrs. Atwater rapt feeling well freed to go to Atwater Manor tomorrow to check on her."

She deliberately left out the part about Frank offering to deliver cookies. She had already shot him down, so there was no point in mentioning it and annoying Rowan.

To her surprise, Rowan didn't object. "Want me to go with you?"

"No, it's fine."

Elissa knew how demanding his schedule was and didn't want to drag him away from work. "You don't need to rush home for lunch either. We can just eat dinner together."

"I have a dinner meeting tonight. I won't be back in time."

Rowan chuckled softly. "That's why I came back to make up for it now."

"Oh."

Elissa's smile vanished as she pretended to be offended. "So I was just flattering myself."

She made a show of trying to pull her arm away.

Rowan smoothly hooked an arm around her waist, pinning her to his side so she couldn't move an inch His voice dropped to a low,

magnetic rumble. "I don't

dinner plans tomorrow night though How about I pick you,

any

from Atwater Manor when I'm done with work?"

"No... that sounds great."

Elissa originally wanted to decline since her car was parked at the clinic. She could

easily drive herself straight to the manor and didn't need a ride.

But she ended up agreeing anyway.

It was easier than dealing with another bout of his jealousy.

Rowan pinched her cheek gently. "Is that a no, or a yes?"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Just as Elissa eagerly agreed, she noticed Janice glancing their way from the dining

table.