After her rebirth

After swapping numbers, Maximilian and Katniss were about to head out when Desmond called out, "Hey, bro."

"Yeah, what do you want?" Maximilian's tone was anything but friendly.

"Dad wants to see you. He's been thinking about you a lot lately," Desmond said, hesitating before finally getting the words out.

Gabriel had mentioned this several times, but Desmond hadn't passed it on to Maximilian until now. Seeing him in person, Desmond forced himself to push through the awkwardness and bring it up.

Maximilian gave him a casual glance and nodded, "Got it."

He didn't agree or refuse, just acknowledged he'd heard it. This left Desmond a bit confused. He wanted to say more, but Maximilian was already leading Katniss away. Brynn asked, "Is that your brother? Maximilian? And Katniss is his wife?"

She had been chatting with Katniss earlier, and Maximilian had been standing by her side. She could guess their relationship, but the fact that Katniss was Maximilian's wife still shocked her.

"Yeah," Desmond answered, feeling a bit uneasy.

Brynn didn't know much about the Manners family, which was why she could ask such a question. If Brynn knew that Katniss had once been Desmond's fiancée, she would be even more surprised.

Brynn sighed, "Impressive people always seem to end up with impressive partners."

Desmond didn't like this comment, but he had to admit that both Maximilian and Katniss fit the description.

However, thinking about what Katniss had done to Clara, Desmond couldn't help but feel a deep-seated dislike for her. If it weren't for Katniss, he and Clara wouldn't be in their current situation.

"You should keep your distance from her. She may be a skilled doctor, but her character is questionable," Desmond warned Brynn.

Brynn immediately retorted, "She saved my friend's life. How could her character be questionable?"

She was quick to defend Katniss.

"She also harmed my friend. I know her character is questionable," Desmond said flatly.

"What do you mean she harmed your friend? Tell me, and I'll see who's really at fault," Brynn insisted, pulling Desmond towards a corner sofa. Desmond had no choice but to follow.

Once they sat down, he was reluctant to speak, as the matter involved Clara.

"It's not a big deal, no need to bring it up."

He feared that if he said too much, his situation with Clara would be exposed.

"You're just making things up because you can't come up with anything," Brynn said confidently.

Desmond looked at Brynn, remembering how gentle she had been when they first met. But as they grew closer, Brynn's controlling nature became more apparent. They weren't even engaged yet, but Brynn already treated him like her husband.

He suddenly remembered that Brynn had once secretly used his phone to block Clara. And when he last saw Clara, he had impulsively promised her that Brynn would apologize for it.

He had been so confident when he made that promise, but now he had no idea how to handle it.

He could only ask Brynn, "Did you mess with my phone?"

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After asking, he suddenly had an idea.

"Why are you changing the subject?" Brynn felt guilty, as she had indeed used Desmond's phone.

"Did you block Clara using my phone?" Desmond asked.

"How did you know? Did you contact her through some other means?" Brynn immediately questioned.

Desmond felt a headache coming on and said irritably, "I didn't. I just saw her in the blocked contacts. The only person who could have done it is you."

Brynn snapped, "If you didn't want to contact her, why were you looking at the blocked contacts?"

She didn't believe Desmond's excuse.

"I accidentally blocked a friend today and had to unblock them. That's when I saw it," Desmond explained, adding, "That friend is a guy."

"So what if I blocked her? She's your ex, and I'm your current girlfriend. I don't want you contacting her. What's wrong with that?"

Brynn was unapologetic, feeling justified since Clara and Desmond still had unresolved issues.

"You need to apologize to Clara," Desmond said sternly, making it clear he wouldn't budge.noveldrama

Brynn exploded, "Why should I apologize to her?"

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"Clara asked me to find a doctor for her mother, and I did. But because you blocked her, I couldn't contact her, and her mother missed out on timely treatment. She's still in the hospital," Desmond explained, using a noble-sounding reason while looking seriously at Brynn. "This was your fault. Apologize to Clara, even if it's just for my sake." Brynn stomped her foot in frustration.

"How was I supposed to know her mother was in trouble and you were helping her? She's your ex, and you're still so involved."

"Even if she wasn't my ex, her mother is like a family elder to me. I would still help her," Desmond said helplessly. "So, by blocking Clara, you caused my elder to miss the best treatment window."

"Fine, I'll apologize if what you said is true. But I'll only apologize to her mother, not to her!" Brynn was willing to own up to her actions, as long as Desmond could prove his claims.

Desmond was about to say something when Brynn interrupted, "I'll have someone check on her mother's situation right now. If you're telling the truth, I'll apologize myself."

With that, Brynn stormed off, clearly upset.

Katniss, unaware of the argument between Desmond and Brynn, continued to meet new people with Maximilian.

She spotted Clara in the distance, talking to Lucas, who looked displeased.

The Manners family business was none of her concern.

However, seeing Clara and Lucas's expressions gave her a bad feeling.

She thought it was probably because Clara always caused some drama whenever she appeared.

So now, whenever Katniss saw Clara, she instinctively felt defensive.