"Uncle Yates, I’d like to speak with Second Senior Brother. Would it be alright if I spoke with him alone for a mont?"
After Kaden Xavier had left, Wren Wynter looked toward Isaac Yates and asked softly.
Even though Shaun Quinn had told her to call him Shaun, she was still more accustod to calling him Second Senior Brother.
"Alright. I’ll leave you two to talk." Isaac Yates gave Shaun Quinn a aningful look.
Wren Wynter led Shaun Quinn out of the villa, but the image of Kaden Xavier’s somber eyes as he left lingered in her mind.
It wasn’t until they reached the gate that Shaun Quinn noticed sothing was wrong with Wren Wynter and quickly pulled her to a stop.
"Sothing’s on your mind."
Wren Wynter snapped out of it, shook her head awkwardly, and gave a forced laugh. "No, Second Senior Brother. You’re imagining things."
An unhappy expression crossed Shaun Quinn’s face, his brow deeply furrowed.
When he fell silent, Wren Wynter asked in confusion, "Second Senior Brother, what’s wrong?"
"You said you’d call Shaun."
Wren Wynter froze. ’So that’s why he went quiet.’
She chuckled softly, clasping her hands behind her back and looking at Shaun Quinn, her captivating eyes twinkling.
"So that’s what my dear Second Senior Brother is upset about. But I’m just so used to it, and it feels more natural... more familiar. I don’t think I can change."
After all, it had been over a decade.
Shaun Quinn t Wren Wynter’s gaze, then abruptly looked away, a faint blush creeping up his fair skin.
He turned away awkwardly and started walking off quickly.
Wren Wynter hurried to catch up, falling into step beside him.
"Second Senior Brother, there’s sothing I need your help with."
"What is it?" Shaun Quinn stopped, his face still flushed.
"I want you to help find the person who murdered Grandma Xavier."
Shaun Quinn knew exactly how important Old Madam Xavier was to Wren Wynter.
Her passing had been a huge blow to Wren.
"I’m sorry for your loss."
He didn’t know how to comfort Wren, and after struggling for a long mont, he could only manage those few words.
"Grandma was so good to . I can’t let her murderer walk free."
"But what about Kaden Xavier?"
"I don’t trust him," Wren Wynter said earnestly. "Second Senior Brother, I trust you. Please, help ."
Maybe it was her earnest gaze, or maybe it was his own protective instinct, but he agreed without a mont’s hesitation.
"Alright. I’ll help you."
A small smile touched Wren Wynter’s lips as she looked at Shaun Quinn.
Shaun Quinn suddenly took Wren’s hand. "I’m taking you sowhere."
Shaun Quinn led Wren Wynter to his car, and they drove to a cliff on the outskirts of the city.
Wren was stunned.
She had been in The Capital for quite so ti, yet she never knew a cliff like this existed here.
"How did you ever find this place?"
"I stumbled upon it by accident when I was a kid. After my mother passed away, I started coming here alone a lot. It’s quiet, no one bothers you, and I don’t have to see Maximus Yates’s vile face."
At the ntion of Maximus Yates, a look of revulsion always crossed Shaun Quinn’s face, as if there were a blood feud between them.
But Wren found it impossible to imagine that a man as kind as Uncle Yates would do sothing to harm Shaun’s mother.
’There must be so kind of misunderstanding.’
Wren walked over to Shaun and sat down beside him.
From this spot, you could see the whole of The Capital spread out below.
As night fell, the entire city began to glitter with multicolored lights.
"Wren, I heard from our teacher that he arranged for you to be a substitute instructor at A University."
Wren smiled faintly. "I did. Since I graduated from A University, I guess you could call it giving back to my alma mater."
Shaun suddenly stood up.
Wren was so lost in the view that she didn’t even notice he had gotten up.
Not until beautiful fireworks suddenly blossod against the dark night sky.
Her face lit up with surprise, and she clasped her hands together, the gloom in her heart vanishing in an instant.
Excited, she turned to share her joy with Shaun, only to find he wasn’t there.
"Second Senior Brother, where are you?"
A wave of panic hit Wren as she searched for any sign of him.
Forgetting the fireworks completely, she frantically started to run back down the path.
But she didn’t get far before she ran right into a solid, human wall. A sharp pain shot through the bridge of her nose, and she stumbled backward, losing her balance.
"Ah!" Wren cried out.
But the person was faster. A slender hand wrapped around her slim waist, pulling her securely against him.
Through the dark night, the moonlight revealed a handso, almost bewitching face. A few strands of hair danced across his forehead in the breeze, framing long, deep, almond-shaped eyes.
She didn’t know if it was just her imagination or if the atmosphere was playing tricks on her.
But she felt that the way Shaun was looking at her was full of deep affection and gentleness.
"S-Second Senior Brother... where did you go?"
Wren abruptly pushed Shaun away. The intimate atmosphere made her heart race, and a blush crept up her skin.
"To set off the fireworks."
Seeing her push him away, a flicker of disappointnt crossed Shaun’s eyes, but he quickly masked it.
Wren turned to him in astonishnt.
’He was the one who set them off?’
"I know you’ve been heartbroken since Old Madam Xavier’s passing, but you have to keep moving forward." Shaun said slowly, his eyes on the fireworks blooming in the sky. "Wren, once we find the killer, co away with ."
"Second Senior Brother, you..."
"I still prefer it when you call Shaun." A rare smile touched his lips. "Wren, I missed my chance three years ago. Now that three years have passed, I don’t want to miss it again."
The sudden confession sent Wren’s heart into a frenzy.
Only then did she realize that the tenderness and deep affection she’d seen in his eyes hadn’t been a fignt of her imagination.
Wren’s throat felt dry. She wanted to say sothing, but she didn’t know where to begin. Her mind was a complete ss.
All she could hear was the frantic pounding of her own heart, each beat like a drum, scattering her thoughts.
"Second Senior Brother, I..."
Shaun had been prepared for anything when he said those words; he would accept whatever response Wren gave him.
"You don’t have to answer right away. I believe that one day, you’ll need to take you away from all this. When that ti cos, all you have to do is say you’re willing."
Wren was speechless, at a complete loss for words. It was so bad that she barely rembered how she even got back down the mountain.
She didn’t register anything else Shaun said, numbly allowing him to drive her back to View Gardens.
Even after arriving back at View Gardens, Wren was still in a daze.
Seeing her looking so lost and dazed, Butler Chandler grew concerned and stepped forward.
"Miss, is sothing wrong?"
Wren snapped out of it and forced a smile. "It’s nothing. I’m just going to go to my room."
’She still couldn’t believe it. Second Senior Brother was in love with her!’
’They had been together for so many years. How had she never once realized how he felt?’
’Did their other senior brothers know?’
Wren buried her face in her hands and let out a long sigh.
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