Being Dumped by My EX, I Marriied His Older Brother-Chapter 114: Exposure

"For the past ten years, he’s been pretending to be the one who saved your life. Are you really content with being deceived for so long?"

Serena Kane turned and walked closer to her, her smile growing more confident. "I can help you expose his lies."

"So? Are you ready to cooperate?"

Nina Thorne’s expression was cold. "The same old trick? You’ve pulled this one before."

"This time is different."

"How is it different? Serena Kane, you can’t be trusted."

Afraid Nina wouldn’t agree to cooperate, Serena Kane said anxiously, "I want Cole, and you’re in my way!"

Hearing this, Nina Thorne watched her with suspicion.

Back at the hospital, she had vaguely overheard a conversation between her and Cole Kane.

Although she hadn’t heard it clearly, she’d gathered that it seemed to be related to the incident ten years ago when she fell into the water.

Regardless, she wanted to find out if Cole Kane had been lying to her.

Ten years ago, was he really the one who saved her?

"Tell me, what kind of cooperation did you have in mind?" Nina Thorne looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

Serena Kane’s red lips curled into a smug smile as she leaned in and whispered something in her ear.

After she finished, her eyes filled with calculation as she said, "When the time comes, I want you to leave him completely and never contact him again."

Nina Thorne’s lips curved into a smile. "You don’t have to remind me. I can’t wait to cut all ties with him."

Just as she finished speaking, a man’s delighted voice called out, "Nina Thorne..."

Both women looked over at the same time.

Cole Kane, with his hair styled handsomely, was hurrying over, leaning on a crutch.

"I came to pick you up for dinner."

After speaking gently, Cole Kane looked at Serena Kane beside her, his expression turning sour.

"What are you doing here?"

Serena Kane was so angry she clenched her fists.

’Cole would never have spoken to me with this kind of attitude before. Not since it came out that I drugged him three years ago.’

’Everything has changed.’

The stark contrast made Serena Kane burn with hatred, but she didn’t dare show it and had to force a smile instead.

"Mother asked me to come talk to Nina Thorne, to put in a good word for you. She wants you two to get back together quickly, so here I am."

"Brother, don’t look at me like that. I genuinely hope you two can patch things up."

"Besides, I also came today to formally apologize to Nina Thorne. It was all my fault back then, and it affected your relationship."

Serena Kane said this with apparent sincerity, but inside, she was seething.

’Hope they get back together?’

’She couldn’t wait for them to become enemies and never, ever get back together.’

Nina Thorne admired her ability to lie so effortlessly.

’Still, this works out.’

She couldn’t be bothered to deal with Cole Kane, and she also wanted to test the plan Serena had just proposed.

’Is Cole Kane really my savior or not?’

Cole Kane’s expression softened. "You’re right, you should apologize. If not for you, Nina Thorne and I wouldn’t have broken up."

"Nina Thorne, look, even Serena knows she was wrong and came to apologize. Let’s just get back together..."

Nina Thorne didn’t give him a chance to finish. Her gaze swept over him coolly. "I won’t be staying for dinner. You two can eat."

She turned and walked away.

"Nina Thorne..."

Cole Kane tried to follow her but was pulled back by Serena Kane.

"What are you trying to do now?" Cole Kane shook off her hand, his face full of displeasure.

Serena Kane suppressed her feelings and deliberately misled him. "Some things take time. You can’t rush them."

"Even if Nina Thorne loves you deeply, you still have to show the right attitude and let her see your sincerity."

Cole Kane mulled it over for a moment. "What should I do?"

"Well, all girls like romance."

Serena Kane gave him a suggestion, "You need to create some romance. Take her to places that hold memories, remind her of the good times you had in the past."

"Then things will naturally fall into place. You’ll not only get back together, but you can also make things irreversible."

Cole Kane remembered Felicia Yates’s advice and felt he really should step up his efforts.

Serena Kane’s suggestion seemed good, so he said with a pleased expression, "See, it takes a woman to know what a woman really wants."

"Alright, then give me some ideas. It’ll be your way of making up for what you did."

’Now that Justin Kane is married to some other woman and isn’t in Vistara, this is my chance to win Nina Thorne over.’

’Once things become irreversible...’

’...even if Nina Thorne finds out I wasn’t the one who saved her ten years ago, she’ll be angry, but there’ll be nothing she can do about it.’

Nina Thorne returned to the area near her hotel and got an order of crab roe wontons to take back to her suite.

She quite liked them.

The flavor was exquisite, and the broth suited her southern palate.

Nina Thorne was sitting on the sofa, savoring the wontons. After just a few bites, Justin Kane called.

"Are you done with work?"

Justin Kane’s voice was as gentle and magnetic as ever.

Nina Thorne’s eyes curved into a smile. "I just got back to the hotel with a bowl of wontons. You called right as I started eating."

"My dear Nina has become so self-disciplined, remembering to eat on time."

"Of course. So what’s my reward?"

Holding her phone, Nina Thorne’s lips unconsciously curved into a happy smile. Her eyes crinkled when she laughed, making her look sweet and relaxed.

"A reward?"

Justin Kane’s tone was serious. "How about I reward you the same way Mrs. Kane rewards me? It’s my turn to reward you."

Nina Thorne couldn’t help but think of their passionate night, and a scalding blush instantly crept up her cheeks.

She chided him playfully, "You’re the one getting all the good stuff."

"You flatter me."

Justin Kane let out a low chuckle. "Thank you, Mrs. Kane, for acknowledging my business tactics."

"..."

’I wasn’t praising him, okay?’

Soon, his tone on the other end became serious again. "I have to attend a new system trial tonight, so I might be back late. I wanted to give Mrs. Kane a heads-up."

Justin Kane was dutifully reporting his schedule.

Nina Thorne felt very gratified.

’This is the kind of marriage she wanted.’

’Mutual respect, care, and most importantly, showing you care.’

’This way...’

’...even if Justin Kane didn’t love her, and was only with her out of a sense of duty, she would still be committed to making this marriage work.’

In her view, marriage was never about passion. It was about knowing and cherishing each other, supporting one another through thick and thin in the quiet, ordinary days.

"Okay, you go get your work done. I’ll stay at the hotel and revise the script." Nina Thorne smiled with contentment and hung up.

After spending the afternoon organizing the script, Nina Thorne stretched languidly.

A message came through on her phone, and she swiped to open it.

Jessica Jenkins: "Nina Thorne, can we really not even be friends?"

"I’m so sorry about what happened. What can I do to make you forgive me?"

"..."

Nina Thorne hadn’t really taken the last incident to heart.

Strictly speaking, she had just cut her losses in time, taking back the affection she hadn’t yet invested.

Life is like a train journey; people are bound to get on and off along the way.

For her, Jessica Jenkins was someone who had been blocked at the door before she could even get on board.

Nina Thorne thought for a few seconds before replying, "Don’t overthink it. I’m not blaming you."

This would be the last time she responded to her about this matter.

Jessica Jenkins replied instantly: "Nina Thorne, you finally replied to me."

"Can we meet? Also, you helped me, so I want to treat you to a meal to thank you properly."

"Even if we can’t be friends in the future, at least our acquaintance won’t have been for nothing."

Jessica Jenkins sounded so sincere that Nina Thorne didn’t have the heart to refuse.

"Okay."

Jessica Jenkins was thrilled.

There was no time like the present, so she asked her out to dinner at a restaurant.

This was because the cast and crew would soon be starting table reads and filming, leaving them with basically no free time.

Nina Thorne readily agreed.

Before heading out, she called Justin Kane. "I’m going out for a bit to have dinner with a friend."

"A friend?"

Justin Kane’s languid tone was probing. "Someone I know?"

"An actress from the production, Jessica Jenkins," Nina Thorne answered honestly.

"Alright, go ahead. Be safe."

Justin Kane advised, his deep, magnetic voice full of concern.

"Okay."

Nina Thorne obediently agreed.

Having prepared herself, she took a taxi straight to the restaurant.

The Western restaurant had a quiet ambiance, with soft, lyrical music playing.

Jessica Jenkins extravagantly ordered many expensive dishes and a bottle of good vintage red wine.

"It’s just dinner, you don’t have to spend so much," Nina Thorne said, her expression mild.

"You helped me out so much. Treating you to a meal is nothing," Jessica Jenkins said politely.

Nina Thorne curved her lips into a small smile.

She opened her purse, took out two pills, and swallowed them with some water.

Jessica Jenkins was surprised. "Nina Thorne, are you not feeling well? Why are you taking medicine?"

Nina Thorne took a sip of water. "You misunderstood. They’re vitamins."

Jessica Jenkins breathed a sigh of relief.

Soon, a waiter brought the red wine and asked if they wanted it opened to breathe.

While she was talking to the waiter, Nina Thorne got up to go to the restroom.

A message came from Justin Kane: "Mrs. Kane, I’m done with my business. Should I come find you?"

Nina Thorne’s calm eyes blinked a few times. She replied, "No need. Just get some rest since you’re done. I’ll be back soon."

JK: "Uh-huh, then I guess I’ll have to be obedient."

Nina Thorne smiled as she read his message.

After washing her hands, she got a call from Serena Kane. "Nina Thorne, you’ll know the truth you’ve been looking for very soon."

Nina Thorne pulled a paper towel to dry her hands. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, her expression cool and composed, she said, "You’d better be right."

"..."

Nina Thorne returned to the table. The dishes they had ordered had mostly arrived.

Jessica Jenkins greeted her enthusiastically, raising her wine glass to toast Nina Thorne. "Nina Thorne, thank you for helping me."

"You’re welcome."

Without hesitation, Nina Thorne raised her glass and clinked it against hers.

Then, she tilted her head back and took a sip.

After seeing her drink, a flicker of emotion crossed Jessica Jenkins’s eyes.

The two of them ate and chatted.

Near the end of the meal, Jessica Jenkins transferred the remaining 300,000 to her.

Night had already fallen by the time they left the restaurant.

Dazzling lights illuminated the bustling city.

The endless stream of traffic on the roads told the story of a million people hurrying on their way.

Jessica Jenkins stared at Nina Thorne for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Nina Thorne, can I give you a hug?"

"Of course."

Nina Thorne met her gaze and smiled.

Jessica Jenkins then opened her arms, hugged her, and patted her on the back. "Nina Thorne, I hope you won’t blame me for this in the future."

She said this with genuine feeling.

Nina Thorne lowered her eyes and didn’t respond.

Soon, Jessica Jenkins released her, said goodbye, and got into a car and left.

Moments later, a white luxury van pulled over, and Cole Kane got out.

"Nina Thorne, I’m taking you somewhere."

Cole Kane held out a bouquet of red Damask roses to her. "You said you love red roses, so I picked these especially for you."

Nina Thorne took the flowers and glanced up at him. "Where are we going?"

"You’ll know when we get there." Cole Kane’s eyes were full of affection as he tried to be mysterious.

Nina Thorne agreed openly. "Alright."

Then, she followed Cole Kane into the van.

The vehicle drove off in the same direction Jessica Jenkins had gone.

In her car, Jessica Jenkins was on the phone. "I’ve done everything you asked me to. You can’t go back on your promise."

"Don’t worry, those videos will definitely not be leaked."

On the other end, Serena Kane’s triumphant, sinister laugh echoed. "Tonight, I’m going to make her... wish she were dead!"