As the sole daughter of the Thorne family, Nina Thorne was showered with endless affection.
Her mother always told her that she was the apple of the Thorne family’s eye, their precious darling, and that they wanted her to be the happiest person alive.
Her grandfather adored her and couldn’t bear to see her suffer the slightest grievance. Since she had no interest in managent, he handed over the Thorne family’s businesses to professional managers.
He worried that one day he’d be gone, with no one to keep her company, take care of her, and cherish her. So, he wanted to see her marry a reliable man with his own eyes while he was still alive.
Nina Thorne was the one who chose Cole Kane. Old Master Kane didn’t like him, but because Nina did, he kept a strict watch over him without ever directly telling her of his disapproval.
To marry Cole Kane, Nina Thorne had even said defiant words to her grandfather: if she couldn’t marry Cole Kane, she would never marry at all.
Her grandfather finally relented and agreed.
In the end, Cole Kane trampled all over her heartfelt devotion, making her seem pathetic and ridiculous.
Her grandfather hadn’t been wrong about him. Cole Kane was not soone worthy of her trust.
Today, Justin Kane had protected her once again.
Nina Thorne stared at Justin Kane for a long while. Instead of answering, she asked, "Justin Kane, will you be a good husband to ?"
Justin Kane’s eyes narrowed slightly. He turned his head to et her gaze, his voice deep and raspy as he said, "I will."
A ray of sunlight stread through the car window, landing on his face and making his deep-set eyes seem gentle and tender.
Nina Thorne gazed into those dark eyes as if she were being pulled in, sinking uncontrollably into their depths.
After a mont, she finally, slowly said, "Okay." As she gradually pulled her gaze away, she saw his hand, with its long, slender fingers, resting on the center console.
Justin Kane’s arm was resting lightly on the armrest, his hand hanging down casually. Veins traced the back of his hand, exuding raw, masculine power.
Nina Thorne was srized. As if compelled by so unseen force, her hand unconsciously reached out. The mont her index finger touched the back of Justin Kane’s hand, he turned to look at her from the driver’s seat.
Nina Thorne hastily tried to pull her hand back.
But Justin Kane was faster. He caught her hand, his fingers sliding down to lace tightly with hers.
"If you want to hold my hand, you can do it anyti." Justin Kane’s lips curved into a teasing smile as he squeezed her hand a little tighter.
The warmth from his palm seed to shoot straight into her heart.
Nina Thorne’s heart sped up. She stole a glance at him, wanting to say she hadn’t ant to do that, but then she looked at their intertwined fingers and gave up on explaining. As she lowered her head, the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but lift into a small smile.
Forty minutes later, after they arrived back at the villa, Nina Thorne finally rembered to ask, "Things got pretty unpleasant today. What about your mother?"
If it were just a matter of her calling off the engagent, things would have been much simpler.
But now it was different. She and Justin Kane were husband and wife, so they had to consider the feelings of his parents, Felicia Yates and Ethan Kane.
Justin Kane humd softly. He reached out to brush a stray strand of hair from her forehead before replying, "What do you want to do about it?"
Nina Thorne sighed and shook her head. "I just want to call off the engagent, but it’s obvious your mother won’t agree so easily."
Nina Thorne had always been well aware that Felicia Yates wanted the Thorne family to back Cole Kane.
Back then, the Thorne and Kane families were equally matched in power, neck and neck.
After her father passed away and her grandfather grew older, he no longer had the extra energy to manage the company. So, he simply stepped back and hired professionals to run it.
anwhile, under Justin Kane’s managent, the Kane Group had surpassed the Thorne Family. So now, while the Thornes were no longer a match for the Kanes, they were still the second most powerful family, right behind them.
The two families had cooperated for many years and were titans of Sylport’s business world.
Felicia Yates had always doted on Cole Kane. Her refusal to agree to the broken engagent was all because she didn’t want to give up the Thorne family’s wealth.
Justin Kane raised his hand and gently ruffled her hair, an incredibly doting gesture. "Then leave it to ."
Nina Thorne stared at him, stunned. For a mont, she felt a rush of emotion—and a flutter in her heart.
Her heart wouldn’t stop pounding.
It wasn’t just this ti. Recently, Justin Kane’s gentleness, his protectiveness, and his kisses... not only did she not find them repulsive, she even felt a little... anticipation.
She suddenly recalled the ti she nearly drowned at the age of ten. Just as she was about to sink beneath the lake’s surface, a boy had pulled her ashore. She heard his clear, crisp voice comforting her, "Don’t be afraid. You’re okay now."
That day, just from hearing his voice, her heart had fluttered.
When she ca to, the first thing she saw was the boy looking at her.
The boy was handso, with a bright and energetic smile. He was thrilled to see she was awake.
That boy was Cole Kane.
Cole Kane had saved her.
That day, she let Cole Kane into her heart.
’What I feel for Justin now is that sa love at first sight... no... it was my heart fluttering at the sound of a voice.’
She had loved the voice of the boy who spoke to her as he rescued her.
Even though ten years had passed, she still rembered it clearly.
That voice was like a ray of light, illuminating Nina Thorne’s entire adolescence.
But the boy who had saved her ended up abandoning her, pushing her into an abyss.
Collecting her thoughts, Nina Thorne smiled calmly at him and nodded. "I trust you."
"Was there ever a ti you didn’t?"
Nina Thorne hadn’t expected him to press further, but it didn’t stump her. "No, I’ve always trusted you."
Justin Kane followed up on her words, asking, "Always?"
Nina Thorne was at a loss for words.
Justin Kane’s lips curved as he asked again, "Since when?"
He stood before Nina Thorne, his gaze fixed on her. He leaned in slightly, his dark eyes holding a probing look.
His handso face had distinct features and a deep brow bone. He exuded an air of nobility and refined elegance, making him impossible to ignore.
Nina Thorne froze, holding her breath.
Her heartbeat, which had just returned to normal, began to race again.
Nina Thorne’s cheeks felt like they were on fire. She quickly stepped back to put so distance between them.
She stamred, "Since... since we first t."
Justin Kane’s deep eyes shifted slightly. He took a step closer, looking at her aningfully. "So, that would be ten years ago."
Nina Thorne looked at him and humd softly in agreent, though she felt that he was acting a bit strange.
’What’s wrong with ten years ago?’
’That’s when we t.’
’Co to think of it, on the day Cole Kane saved by the lake ten years ago, Justin Kane was there too.’
’If I rember correctly, Justin was eighteen at the ti.’
’At eighteen, he was already strikingly handso, with perfectly proportioned features. His upright posture and poised deanor all spoke of an excellent upbringing.’
’He seed cold and aloof back then. Ten years later, his aura has simply matured into sothing more steady and composed.’
"So you were paying attention to back then?" Justin Kane looked very interested in the topic, the curve of his lips lifting even higher.
Nina Thorne didn’t know what was with him today. He was more talkative than usual, and damn it, he was so insistent on getting to the bottom of things.
Still, it wasn’t like she had anything to hide. "Back then, even though you were always cold to and liked to pick on , you were famous in our circle as a genius. Anything you handled would turn out perfectly."
"A genius?"
Justin Kane smiled faintly. "Is that what you thought too?"
His face was handso, and when he smiled, his peach blossom eyes looked even more affectionate and alluring.
The cool scent of cedarwood wafted from him—crisp and refreshing, yet with a hint of allure.
Nina Thorne had never liked the sll of cologne, but she liked his scent.
It was as if she were completely enveloped by him. His scent lingered in the air she breathed, making her cheeks grow even hotter.
She didn’t dare look at him, her eyes darting away. "Justin Kane, what’s gotten into you today? Is what I think really that important?"
Nina Thorne wanted to escape.
Justin Kane suddenly grabbed her wrist and blurted out, "It is."
Nina Thorne froze again, staring at him in a daze for a long ti...
’Did he say my thoughts are important?’
’Or... that I’m important?’
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