PAMPERED BY MY THREE BROTHERS: THE RETURN OF THE NEGLECTED HEIRESS Chapter 1362: Stay out of my life

Mr. and Mrs. Davis had no idea

Mr. and Mrs. Davis had no idea how hard Finn had been working to change people’s lives. He might not call it his purpose, but he didn’t want them to remain as miserable as before.

Take Cassandra, for instance. The woman who had once been like family to him—when he had no one else—had died because of him.

His parents had no idea that breaking off the engagent was the least he could do for her. After all, he hadn’t been able to protect her in the past, nor had he been able to make her happy.

Seated in his car, Finn let out a deep sigh. He had walked away from his parents without ever looking back, knowing that if this was the sacrifice he had to make to be with Nina, then so be it.

"I can’t believe they brought up Cassandra," he muttered in disappointnt, snapping his eyes toward the restaurant where Nina was. "Did I co too early?"

Checking the ti, another sigh escaped him. Nina knew he would have dinner with his parents before picking her up from Grace’s birthday celebration, but the dinner had lasted no more than fifteen minutes.

"I’ll just wait for her," he murmured, leaning back in his seat.

Finn closed his eyes, trying to push away the lingering bitterness from the conversation with his parents. Yet, the more he tried, the heavier his heart felt.

A sharp exhale slipped from his lips as he reopened his eyes.

"I should call her and tell her about my parents’ ridiculous idea," he whispered, picking up his phone. He quickly searched for Cassandra’s na in his contacts, but when he found it, hesitation flickered in his gaze.

The mory of the night Cassandra got drunk resurfaced in his mind. His jaw tightened.

"That was just the alcohol," he breathed. "She probably doesn’t even rember it."

Trying to convince himself, he was about to press call when an incoming call appeared on his screen. Seeing the na, he imdiately answered—it was the investigator he had hired to find out who had sent the dead bird to Nina.

The gift itself wasn’t the only problem. Whoever had left it had managed to sneak into her apartnt.

There were too many dangerous possibilities. It was a matter of security. Even though they had moved into his place, Finn needed to know who was responsible.

He answered, "Did you find the person responsible?"

There was a pause before a man’s voice responded.

"Yes."

For a second, Finn’s breath hitched. His grip on the phone tightened.

"Tell everything."

The investigator’s voice remained steady. "We caught the person who snuck into the apartnt at a bar. He was quick to give up the na of the person who hired him."

"Who is it?" Finn asked, but the investigator hesitated. That hesitation alone told Finn everything.

When the investigator finally spoke, Finn understood why.

"Cassandra Smith. Senator Smith’s granddaughter."

For a mont, Finn’s entire world stopped.

"What did you just say?" he breathed in disbelief, wondering if he had misheard. Maybe he was imagining things because he had just been thinking about Cassandra. "Who ordered him to do it?"

"The na he gave us is Cassandra Smith. Our guy has proof of the transaction."

Finn remained silent as the investigator filled in the details.

"Send the full report," he said finally.

Without waiting for a response, he ended the call.

Finn stared blankly through the windshield, his mind refusing to accept what he had just heard.

There was no way Cassandra would do that.

They weren’t romantically involved, but they were friends.

And friends... shouldn’t do that.

But then—

DING!

Finn flinched slightly when his phone pinged again. Looking down at the screen, his heart pounded against his ribs.

It was a ssage from his investigator. Attached was the report and the proof Finn had asked for.

He opened it, his breath catching as he scrolled through the stolen photos of Cassandra. She had been photographed during the transaction. Most likely, the person she hired had been planning to use this evidence as leverage—either to blackmail her once his payout ran dry or to protect himself in case things went south.

Either way, this was undeniable proof of Cassandra’s involvent.

And worst of all—she was smiling.

"Why...?" he whispered, his heart sinking. "Why would she...?"

His words faded into silence as a chilling realization struck him.

Wasn’t the night Cassandra called him the sa night Nina received that gift?

The night Cassandra had tried to seduce him?

The night he had convinced himself it was just the alcohol?

Then it hit him.

"She planned it," he blurted under his breath, his complexion turning pale.

Anger wasn’t the first thing he felt.

Disappointnt. Dismay. Utter disbelief.

Before Nina, Cassandra had been one of the most important people in his life. She still was. Even without romance, he had cared for her. He had looked after her.

It was why he had been so cautious when Cassandra introduced him to Jonathan. He hadn’t wanted her to beco Jonathan’s pawn. It had been obvious that Jonathan had made his move to use her as a shield.

And yet... she would do this?

To Nina?

To Finn?

Why?

Why would she do such a thing?

---

[PRESENT TI]

Finn had spent all night thinking.

And though he had tried not to let it show, Nina had noticed—because Nina always noticed.

But after a full night of thinking and half a day of deliberation, he had made his decision.

The "why" didn’t matter.

Finn had promised Nina—and her family—that he would protect her. Even if it ant going against his parents.

Even if it ant going against... a longti friend.

Cassandra had known how much Nina ant to him. And yet, she had done the unspeakable.

His frustration inevitably turned into anger.

"I’m sorry that took a while," Cassandra said as she sat down across from him. She smiled, slightly out of breath. "I tried my best to get here as fast as I could..."

She trailed off when Finn slid a brown envelope across the table.

A deep crease ford between her brows as she picked it up. Confused, she opened the envelope.

And then—

She froze.

At the sa ti, his cold voice filled the private dining room.

"You don’t have to tell why," Finn remarked as he rose from his seat, his eyes glacial. "Just stay out of my life."