Chapter 68
Sydney spoke evenly. “I promise I won’t tell Caleb myself. But if he guesses or hears it from someone else, I can’t control that.”
Adeline had no intention of changing the clause. “If you lon’t tell him, and I don’t tell him, who else could he hear it from? Sydney, the Hampton family’s money doesn’t grow on—”
Her sentence broke off when Sydney’s phone suddenly rang. Caleb’s name flashed on the caller ID.
Sydney answered immediately.
Caleb’s steady voice came through. “Sydney, why are people saying we’ve already divorced?”
She stayed where she was, letting Adeline hear every word.
Adeline’s expression darkened, and she silently warned her to keep quiet.
Sydney’s voice stayed calm, free of guilt. “Who’s spreading that? I can’t get divorced on my own, can I?”
“Where are you?”
“At the Hampton residence, having tea with your mother,” she said sweetly.
That eased him. He checked the time. “I’ll swing by and pick you up once I’m done here.”
“Okay,” Sydney agreed without hesitation.
After hanging up, she turned to Adeline with a pointed look. “See? I didn’t say anything.”
Adeline inhaled sharply and called the butler to summon the lawyer for an immediate clause revision. Once the contract was signed, Dorothy’s voice echoed from the living room.
Adeline quickly reminded her, “Grandma’s blood pressure has been unstable. I haven’t told her about the divorce yet. Don’t let anything slip.”
Sydney nodded and went out to keep Dorothy company over tea.
Dorothy had always liked her. She held Sydney’s hand and chatted endlessly.
After a while, Sydney took her pulse and offered gentle advice. “Grandma, with your underlying conditions, you really need to watch what you eat. Go easy on oily and rich foods.”
Dorothy feigned annoyance playfully. “Oh, now you’re talking just like Adeline! Stop nagging your grandma!
A voice came from the entrance, “Grandma.”
Caleb stepped inside, his tone warm and respectful “Sydney’s just worried about your health.”
Caleb stood tall and graceful, dressed in a charcoal gray suit that made him look every bit the refined gentleman. His sharp, handsome features made people
use
For a moment, Sydney felt caught off guard. It was hard to reconcile this version of Caleb with the man emotionally entangled with her sister–in–law. The contrast felt jarring.
Dorothy was not in the mood to listen to their fussing After a short while, she waved them off.
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Chapter 68
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Outside the Hampton residence, Sydney’s expression grew distant. She did not want to return to Viridian
Garden.
As she unlocked the car and prepared an excuse to slip away, Caleb opened the passenger door, slid in, and said in his familiar gentle tone, “Sydney, we need to talk”
Sydney guessed what this was about. She looked at him calmly, her eyes docile. “Talk about what?”
“Syd, sometimes you really need to be mindful about how close you get to other men,” he said.
“Hmm?”
“Your relationship with Marcus has stirred a lot of gossip at the clinic, hasn’t it?” he questioned.
Sydney blinked, stunned. She had expected this to be about the divorce, not Marcus.
She and Marcus barely interacted outside work before the Storia business trip. They had almost no private contact. The clinic wasn’t exactly full of gossipers.
‘Oh, right. Penelope is part of the clinic now,‘ she thought.
Caleb looked at her like she was a clueless child, adopting a concerned husband tone. “Syd, you’re a married woman. As my wife, I don’t ask much from you. Just steer clear of rumors and whispers. Okay?”
Chapter 69
+15 BONUS
Chapter 69
