Being Dumped by My EX, I Marriied His Older Brother-Chapter 132: Change Your Surname to Lai

Nina Thorne’s lips curved into a smirk. "Having second thoughts? Who was it yesterday who said they would go streaking?"

Several engineers, including Mr. Wagner, all tacitly looked toward April Graham. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

They had all indeed heard her say it yesterday.

The color drained from April Graham’s face. It took her a moment to find her voice. "I... I did say that, but even if you’ve proven Nina Thorne can write code, it doesn’t mean Justin Kane didn’t secretly find someone to help with the system."

’There was no way she, the esteemed daughter of the Graham family and an elite engineer, was going to lose to Nina Thorne. Absolutely not.’

Nina Thorne scoffed. "You’ve really made a habit of backing out, haven’t you? A moment ago, you said all I had to do was write the code. Now you’re changing your story."

"You know, maybe your last name shouldn’t be Graham. It should be Welcher. It suits your character."

Nina Thorne’s voice was calm and unhurried, but her words struck a nerve.

For prominent, wealthy families, face was everything.

Humiliation turned to anger, and April Graham snapped, "Shut your mouth! Any normal person would guess that Justin Kane helped you."

"The engineer who developed this system, Albert Locke, works for The Kane Group in Sylport. He must have told you the solution!"

’Of course! How didn’t I think of that before?’

’I fell right into their trap!’

’Otherwise, why would Justin Kane allow us to compete when he knew I was guaranteed to lose?’

’So that’s what this was all about!’

Hearing this, the onlookers all thought it made sense.

It certainly seemed plausible.

Mr. Wagner heard this and felt something was off. "That’s not right. It was Engineer Locke who said he wasn’t confident, which is why he didn’t come..."

"What do you know! If Mr. Kane says the word, Engineer Locke wouldn’t dare refuse him," April Graham shot him a fierce glare.

Now, everyone else understood.

’No wonder.’

Although Mr. Cheney had been right beside Nina Thorne, her hands had moved so fast that he couldn’t see what she was doing before the system was already back to normal.

So it was impossible to judge whether it was because Engineer Locke had taught Nina in advance, or if she was really that skilled.

Not wanting to offend April Graham, everyone remained dead silent.

Justin Kane’s expression was stern, his lips curling into a scornful smile. "Nina Thorne is right. ’Welcher’ really does suit you."

April Graham’s breath caught in her throat.

"Justin, you can’t just protect her like this. This is obviously unfair."

She didn’t want Justin Kane to be disappointed in her, and she certainly didn’t want to honor the bet.

Nina Thorne wasn’t the type to press her advantage mercilessly.

But she did enjoy driving her victory home. "Since Miss Graham is still unconvinced, how about this: let’s call Engineer Locke and have him say whether he secretly taught me or not."

"If he says no and Miss Graham still doesn’t believe it, we can call the police and have them gather evidence. I’ll cooperate with whatever procedures are necessary."

"All I need is for Miss Graham to honor the bet..."

Nina Thorne lifted her gaze, a faint, cold smile on her face. Then, drawing out each syllable, she said, "Go... streaking."

"Fine by me."

Justin Kane took his phone out of his suit pocket and made a show of dialing.

Things had escalated to a point that seemed far too difficult to control.

Seeing this, April Graham quickly called out to stop him. "No, don’t call."

"Oh? Is there something else you’d like to say, Miss Graham?"

Nina Thorne had no intention of letting this go easily. Otherwise, it would just encourage April Graham to take a mile the next time she was given an inch.

"Or are you going to claim that we colluded with Albert Locke long ago, just to set you up?"

This was exactly what April Graham was thinking.

She really did have that concern.

Especially since blowing this up would only hurt her image.

"I didn’t say that. It’s just... I was just running my mouth yesterday. You can’t seriously expect me to go streaking, can you?"

"What do you propose?"

Justin Kane’s gaze was sharp, his brow furrowed as he stared at her. "Are you sure you want to go back on your word?"

April Graham felt as if a fishbone were stuck in her throat.

She couldn’t seem to catch her breath.

With so many eyes watching, she was already humiliated enough.

’Am I really supposed to strip naked and run through the streets?!’

’What would that do to the Graham Family’s reputation?!’

She finally decided to try and smooth things over. "I apologize for doubting her yesterday. How about this? I’ll give you money. Or, a gift would work too."

"In any case, there’s no way I’m actually going streaking over something so minor."

After saying this, even she looked a little uncomfortable.

Nina Thorne knew she would never actually do it.

"Miss Graham, you may have forgotten, but even if I’m just a ’useless screenwriter,’ I’m still a daughter of the Thorne Family. I don’t need your money."

Nina Thorne lifted her chin, pondering for a moment.

"Apologize to me, and we’ll call the bet settled."

To others, an apology might not seem like much.

But for April Graham, it was different.

She was used to being arrogant and domineering.

In all of Vistara, she was someone nobody dared to provoke, and she was a leader in her industry.

Now, being told to apologize, she was instantly burning with rage. "Nina Thorne, who are you to demand an apology from me?"

"Oh."

Nina Thorne calmly looked at the crowd. "Everyone saw what happened today. I’ll have to trouble you all to be my witnesses later."

"Miss Graham is not only a shameless person who goes back on her word, she has no real ability and loves to look down on people..."

She paused, her smile as cold and sharp as a knife.

"Since she’s admitted as much, I’ll be the bigger person today and let her get away with welching."

Hearing this, the onlookers lowered their heads, trying to stifle their laughter.

’That’s a perfect description.’

’It’s absolutely true.’

In Vistara, the Graham Family was practically synonymous with arrogance.

Not long after returning to the country, April Graham, under the title of "senior engineer," had mocked all the domestic designers in an interview.

She had blatantly called them all trash.

April Graham was about to go crazy with rage. She clenched her fists, glaring daggers at Nina Thorne.

’Bitch!’

’How dare she say that about me.’

"Want to make headlines?"

Justin Kane waved his phone. His words were few, but they were filled with menace.

His attitude showed he was completely on Nina Thorne’s side, ready to stand up for her.

The color drained from April Graham’s face.

Humiliation and anger warred within her. After a moment of struggle, she spoke, her face pale with reluctance. "Fine. I’ll apologize."

"I’m sorry," she said, her expression dark.

The Nina Thorne who had been gaslighted for five years might have let her get away with that vague apology.

But the woman she was today had finally crawled out of that swamp.

She was no longer lost, no longer filled with self-doubt.

Her cool eyes stared at April Graham. "If you don’t want to apologize, then don’t. I’m not forcing you."

April Graham gritted her teeth.

Glancing at Justin Kane, she finally gave in. "Nina Thorne, I’m sorry. My attitude was poor before, and I shouldn’t have doubted you. Is that good enough?!"

April Graham’s face was sullen. Even in her apology, she was full of arrogance.

But right now, in front of Nina Thorne, that arrogance was like a final, flimsy loincloth, barely concealing her resentment.

"Yes, of course it is."

Nina Thorne relented with a brilliant smile.

She didn’t show any arrogant satisfaction from her victory; instead, she was open and composed.

It was as if this wasn’t anything worth celebrating.

Her bearing was that of someone born a winner, which was why her emotions remained so calm and collected.

Justin Kane raised a thick eyebrow, his magnetic voice full of praise. "As expected of Miss Thorne. Truly the air of a master."

"But of course."

Nina Thorne met his gaze and returned his smile with a playful raise of her eyebrows.

The interaction between them was both natural and sweet.

April Graham nearly coughed up blood from anger. She stomped her foot furiously and stormed off.

As soon as she was in the elevator, she immediately made a call. "Tell him that if he dares to run his mouth, I’ll make his entire family’s life a living hell!"

Whatever was said on the other end, her eyes narrowed with a sinister glint.

"I want you to dig up everything you can on Nina Thorne. I want her entire past turned inside out."

Not long after, April Graham stormed out of the tech building in her high heels.

After she got into her red sports car, a call came in. "Miss Graham, how about we meet?"

April Graham frowned. "Cole Kane?"

A laugh came from the other end. "I was starting to think you’d forgotten about me. I’ll get straight to the point: let’s work together. I’ll help you get Justin Kane."

April Graham had heard plenty about him and Nina Thorne.

Before this, she’d even thought Cole Kane was an idiot.

’If he had just married Nina Thorne like he was supposed to, none of this would be happening today!’

But things had already come to this.

If Cole Kane was willing to make a move, it would save her a lot of trouble.

"Deal!"

「-」

Back in the tech building, Nina Thorne was being showered with praise.

Taking advantage of his proximity, Mr. Cheney pestered her, asking how she’d so quickly found the vulnerability the system was being attacked through.

Others chimed in with their own questions.

"Miss Thorne, with skills like yours, why aren’t you an engineer? It’s such a waste."

"What’s a waste? Miss Thorne excels at whatever she does. I’ve even followed a series she wrote. It was fantastic."

"..."

Nina Thorne wasn’t socially anxious, but she definitely didn’t enjoy being surrounded by so many people.

But Justin Kane stood to the side, watching her. His dark eyes were filled not just with admiration, but also with doting gratification.

Noticing her discomfort, Mr. Wagner immediately spoke up to disperse the crowd. "Alright, alright, give Miss Thorne some room to breathe. You’re going to annoy her with all these questions."

The engineers all laughed sheepishly.

As an engineer herself, Nina Thorne didn’t want to see another system malfunction happen again.

That would only hinder the progress of new-energy vehicles.

She looked at Justin Kane. "Actually, I’ve read quite a few of Engineer Locke’s research papers and summarized his findings. You all could take a look at them too."

"Or you could ask Mr. Kane to get the system’s development logs from Engineer Locke for you to review."

Nina Thorne passed the problem directly to Justin Kane.

After all, it would be much more natural for Justin Kane to bring it up with Albert Locke.

Everyone turned to look at him with expectant eyes.

Justin Kane’s brow quirked up. "Alright, I’ll see what I can do."

On the way back, the upward curve of Justin Kane’s lips never once faltered.

Nina Thorne looked at him and frowned. "Why are you staring at me like a creep? Something’s wrong with you."

"I was just thinking about how many other talents my dear Mrs. Kane has hidden away. You’re so incredible," Justin Kane said, his expression turning serious as he looked at her.

Nina Thorne thought for a few seconds.

’In her view, Justin Kane was a master strategist who would never fight a battle he wasn’t confident of winning.’

’Even if he would protect her, he would never have indulged her competition with April Graham, only to secretly ask Albert Locke to help her behind the scenes.’

’The only explanation was that he knew she was skilled in development.’

Meeting Justin Kane’s eyes, Nina Thorne asked with dawning comprehension, "How did you know for sure that I understood computers and development?"

A smile played on Justin Kane’s lips. "Back in the day, your father was a pioneer in new-energy vehicle development in this country. As his daughter, how could you be any less remarkable?"

"Besides, I happen to know that you wrote a development system when you were just nine years old."

Hearing this, the color unconsciously drained from Nina Thorne’s face.

It was as if she’d remembered something terrible.

Her eyelids suddenly began to flutter rapidly. She turned her pale face to the window. "It might be hereditary, but in my opinion, it’s not a good inheritance."

After she spoke, her lips trembling, her body felt as if it had been plunged into an ice cellar, and she began to shiver all over.

Justin Kane clearly sensed the aura around her dim, her trembling body looking terrified.

He froze, then quickly turned her to face him and pulled her tightly into his arms.

He gently stroked her hair, soothing her as he said in a low, husky voice, "Don’t think about the past. Shh, don’t think."

Nina Thorne struggled to lift her head from his embrace. Her reddened eyes welled with tears, looking so fragile it was heart-wrenching.

Her choked voice trembled. "Justin Kane, I killed my mother... It was me..."