"It's nothing major. I can handle it myself." She said goodbye to Mrs. Vance.
Mrs. Vance kicked her son's leg and leaned close to warn him: "Miles, keep pushing your luck and you can go live with that woman. Drop the Vance name entirely. Calling you her brother is already the biggest concession we're making."
Molly was putting on her coat in the foyer when Miles walked over, his jacket draped over his arm.
Once, this kind of compromise from him would have made her ecstatic.
Now, she just found it tiresome.
She didn't want his company, but she needed a driver. Without dwelling on it, she handed him the keys.
In the car, they didn't exchange a word—same as before.
Molly spent the entire two-hour drive on calls, dealing with work. She didn't stop once.
Miles glanced at her. A strand of hair had fallen against her cheek. From his angle, he could just make out the elegant slope of her nose, the vivid red of her lips.
When they arrived, Molly was about to get out when she remembered him. Covering the phone's mic, she said, "Thanks. And don't forget to get the brooch back—brother."
Miles's expression went cold. He let out a derisive scoff. She'd slipped into her role fast enough.
He stayed in the car, watching through the window as a crowd surrounded her.
He pulled out a cigarette, bent his head to light it, and sent Felix Henson his location—asking him to pick him up. He wasn't waiting for her.
Less than a minute later, Felix's voice call came through. "Bro, your wife becoming your sister—is that actually true?"
"Who told you?" Miles's voice was frigid.
"Your mom. She wants to throw Mol—I mean, your sister—a matchmaking party at the old estate this Saturday. Asked me to round up some decent-looking, reliable guys." A pause. "Bro, Molly's gorgeous. You two were never together together? Don't you think that's a waste?"
Miles ground his teeth. "And how would you know that?"
Felix didn't hold back. "Your mom again. She said, 'A wife that beautiful and he makes her his sister—is Miles an idiot?' The whole circle's talking. The going theory is you've got... performance issues."
Why else would a man keep a wife that stunning at arm's length?
Miles hung up and exhaled slowly.
Felix took two hours to arrive. Miles had planned to nap in the car, but the constant flow of vehicles through the industrial park grated on his nerves.