Being Dumped by My EX, I Marriied His Older Brother-Chapter 138: Going Public

Cole Kane clicked on the image to zoom in, and a sharp pain stabbed through his chest.

It felt as if he had lost something vital, sending him into a panic. He immediately pushed Serena Kane aside, jumped into his car, and started the engine.

The car roared as it shot onto the road, vanishing in an instant.

’Nina Thorne, how dare you marry someone else!’

Serena Kane had just glimpsed the screenshot and knew this was bad. She immediately called Felicia Yates.

"Mom, this is bad. Nina Thorne got married."

Felicia Yates had just returned to the villa and was stunned by the call.

"Who did she marry? It’s only been three months. Did she already find someone to take her?"

"I’m afraid... it might be Big Brother." Serena Kane’s heart was in a turmoil.

While she didn’t want Nina Thorne to get back together with Cole Kane, she wanted to see her with Justin Kane even less.

Justin Kane was, after all, the most outstanding man in all of Sylport.

’What makes Nina Thorne worthy of him?’

’She should just stay a useless rich girl, a useless screenwriter!’

Felicia Yates’s heart skipped a beat.

She remembered that Justin Kane had posted something similar before. The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became. "Investigate it," she ordered frantically. "Go and investigate it now."

This was far more terrifying than the news of Nina Thorne getting married!

In the Kane Family, Cole Kane was already completely under Justin Kane’s thumb.

If it was true that Nina Thorne and Justin Kane were married, then it was all over.

Just then, Ethan Kane walked in from outside. Seeing her, he laughed heartily. "Felicia, in a couple of days, we’re going back to the old family estate for dinner."

Felicia Yates snapped out of her shock. Seeing him so happy only made her expression darken.

"What are you so happy about?"

Still worried about what she had just learned, Felicia Yates asked casually, "Is the Old Master announcing some good news?"

"Not the Old Master. It’s Justin." Ethan Kane was in high spirits. His son was finally going to announce his marriage.

"Justin is bringing his wife home to meet the family. You should prepare a proper welcome."

Felicia Yates was flabbergasted.

’What a coincidence!’

She had just found out about Nina Thorne’s marriage, and now her "dear eldest son" was about to announce his.

With her heart in her throat, Felicia Yates asked, "Who did he marry?"

Ethan Kane waved his hand dismissively, maintaining an air of mystery. "Don’t ask. Just get a nice gift ready. You’ll find out in a couple of days."

With that, he headed upstairs.

Felicia Yates gritted her teeth in anger. ’Justin Kane actually went and got married without telling anyone.’

’All these years, he’s never once shown me, his mother, any respect!’

’But seeing how happy Ethan is, the woman Justin married probably isn’t Nina Thorne.’

’Otherwise, for a man who cares so much about his reputation, finding out his younger son’s ex-girlfriend married his older son...’

’...would have made him angry enough to have a stroke.’

’It must be a coincidence. Just a coincidence.’

-

Nina Thorne prepared a gift and drove to her aunt and uncle’s home in the eastern villa district.

Along the way, her phone buzzed incessantly with calls from Cole Kane.

She rejected several in a row before he finally stopped.

The car pulled into the villa’s courtyard, and Nina had just stepped out.

when her aunt and uncle came out to greet her warmly.

"Nina, you’re here! Come, let your auntie have a look at you."

"Oh my, you’ve gotten so thin. You’re just skin and bones."

Her aunt, Sharon Lawson, dressed in an elegant cheongsam, pulled Nina close, looking her over from left to right, her heart aching so much she almost cried. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Mark Lockwood sighed helplessly. "What are you doing? Nina coming for dinner is a happy occasion. Don’t put pressure on her."

"Yes, yes, you’re right. It’s my fault."

Sharon Lawson took Nina’s hand and led her inside.

"The food is all ready. Let’s go in and talk."

Nina quickly said, "I brought you gifts. I need to get them."

"You shouldn’t have! Just treat this as your own home. You don’t need to bring gifts."

Sharon Lawson knew Nina’s personality. "It’s fine. Let your uncle have someone bring them in. You go on inside."

Nina nodded obediently. "Okay," she said softly.

Seeing how much she had changed, Sharon Lawson felt a pang of sadness.

Once inside, Sharon Lawson pulled Nina to sit on the living room sofa and showered her with questions about her well-being.

"Are you hungry? We can eat right away."

"You must have suffered a lot over the years. It’s all my fault for not being able to take good care of you."

"And what’s this about your social media post? Weren’t you and Cole Kane broken up? How did you get married?"

"..."

Faced with Sharon Lawson’s barrage of questions, Nina didn’t know which one to answer first.

The butler and a few maids came in carrying large and small bags filled with nutritional supplements.

Mark Lockwood’s expression was stern. "You really shouldn’t have. Why did you spend so much money on all this? Don’t do this again next time."

Saying this, he took his seat at the head of the table.

Then he glanced at his wife, as if to ask, ’Did you find anything out?’

Sharon Lawson shrugged and shook her head.

Nina could tell they wanted to talk about something.

Her aunt and uncle were easy-going and fun-loving.

But during her years with Cole Kane, whenever she posted on social media, she would always set her posts as "not visible" to the group she labeled as "relatives."

She was afraid they would see her melodramatic posts and disapprove of Cole Kane.

"Uncle, Auntie, I did get married."

Nina decided to be upfront, smiling at them.

Mark Lockwood and Sharon Lawson were startled. They exchanged a look, their expressions complicated.

It was a mix of helplessness and sorrow.

Mark Lockwood sighed. "Fine, fine. If you’re married, you’re married. You always liked Cole Kane so much..."

The curve of Sharon Lawson’s lips was stiff. "That’s right, Nina. As long as you’re happy, your uncle and I will support you."

"But if that boy dares to bully you, I’ll have your uncle beat him up!"

Nina felt a warmth spread through her. Fearing they would continue to misunderstand, she explained, "It’s not Cole Kane. It’s Justin Kane."

"I know, Justin Kane..."

Mark Lockwood froze, looking at her in disbelief. "Who did you say?"

Sharon Lawson was even more shocked, rendered speechless.

Nina briefly explained the situation to them, then lowered her eyes apologetically. "I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. That was thoughtless of me."

She paused. "Justin’s birthday is in a few days, and we plan to announce our marriage that night. I hope you and Uncle can come."

"Yes, of course!"

Mark Lockwood slapped his thigh in excitement. "I always said our Nina was a smart girl! Justin Kane is young and promising, a man destined for great things. Excellent."

Sharon Lawson, however, frowned, not quite convinced.

"Everyone in our circle says Justin Kane is ’The Reaper.’ He’s ruthless in his dealings. I’m afraid he might not know how to cherish someone."

Afraid she might have upset Nina, she quickly added, "But it doesn’t matter. As long as he’s the one our Nina chose, your uncle and I will support you."

"And it’s like I said before: if he dares to bully you, you come back and tell us. We’re your family, and we’ll have your back!"

Sharon Lawson squeezed Nina’s hand, her eyes welling with tears as she spoke with deep affection.

Looking at her loving aunt and uncle, Nina felt a lump in her throat, and her eyes reddened.

’There are still people in this world who love me.’

She smiled gratefully through her tears. "Thank you, Uncle. Thank you, Auntie."

She stayed until nine o’clock that evening before preparing to leave.

Before she left, she made a point to mention the issue of the missing surveillance disk data to her uncle.

Mark Lockwood frowned. "That sloppy crew. I’ll fire them."

"Don’t worry. I’ll have them search again tomorrow."

"Thank you, Uncle."

Nina let them see her to the door, then drove back to the villa.

Surprisingly, Justin Kane wasn’t back yet.

When it was past eleven and she still hadn’t received a text from Justin, she couldn’t help but call him.

Suddenly, a familiar ringtone sounded from outside the bedroom.

The next moment, Justin Kane opened the door and walked in.

He was impeccably dressed in a suit, his tall and slender figure striking. His face was as heart-stoppingly handsome as ever.

"You’re back."

Nina quickly walked over to him. She didn’t smell any alcohol.

Instead, a faint, somewhat familiar scent of women’s perfume reached her nose.

"My dear Mrs. Kane, staying up so late just for me?" Justin Kane leaned down and pecked her on her red lips.

As he got closer, the perfume scent became stronger and more familiar.

But she couldn’t remember where she had smelled it before.

"Did you cheat on me?" Nina asked with a frown.

Justin Kane put on an aggrieved expression. "Is my dear Mrs. Kane testing me? Making accusations out of thin air?"

Nina’s face was cold. "Don’t try to deny it. I can smell it. You have a woman’s perfume on you."

Justin Kane’s eyes didn’t flinch. He looked at her with admiration. "Mrs. Kane has a sharp nose. I had a business dinner tonight, and it’s true a woman threw herself at me."

"However, I did not accept her advances. I didn’t let any other woman get near me."

Nina’s probing gaze lingered on his face for a few seconds. She knew he was the type of person who disdained lying.

She burst out laughing. "I wasn’t accusing you of anything. You must be tired from your dinner. Go take a shower and rest."

A smile touched Justin Kane’s thin lips. "How wonderful. My Mrs. Kane is so perceptive."

"You’re exaggerating."

Nina urged him to go shower.

He agreed, then said in a gentle voice, "By the way, the day after tomorrow, we have to go back to the old family estate for dinner. We’ll take the opportunity to tell them about our relationship."

Nina wasn’t surprised.

It was only proper to formally meet with the Kane family before the public announcement banquet.

She saw no problem with it and replied obediently, "Okay."

Justin Kane’s eyes were gentle as he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

He turned and entered the bathroom.

The moment the door closed, the warmth in his deep eyes vanished, replaced by a dark, sharp glint.

「Two days later.」

Nina Thorne and Justin Kane returned to the Kane family’s old estate together.

The main hall was already filled with members of the Kane family.

Several uncles and relatives from branch families had also been told to attend.

They were all curious to know who the woman Justin Kane had married was.

"I used to think Cole would be the first to get married. I never expected Justin to just quietly go and get his marriage certificate."

"I know, right? Especially after Cole caused that whole embarrassing spectacle. Hopefully, Justin’s marriage can restore some of the Kane family’s dignity."

"Honestly, what was Cole thinking, getting caught up in a scandal with his own sister."

"I wonder which family’s daughter managed to catch Justin’s eye..."

Cole Kane’s face was grim as he secretly ground his back teeth.

’It had better not be Nina Thorne!’

He had been calling her desperately for the past two days. The calls went through, but she rejected every single one.

That was even more cruel than being blocked or simply unreachable.

There was no greater torture.

Now, he could only hope that the woman who would soon walk in with Justin Kane was anyone but Nina Thorne.

Felicia Yates was thinking the exact same thing.

Just then, Mr. John came in from outside and announced happily, "The Eldest Young Master is back."

The bustling hall immediately fell silent.

All eyes turned in unison toward the entrance.

A moment later, the tall, handsome figure of Justin Kane walked in.

A graceful and elegant figure was beside him, her arm linked intimately with his.

Her face was fair and radiant, both stately and stunningly beautiful, and yet... so familiar.

As the crowd got a clear look at her face, they all turned pale with shock.

Oh my god!

Isn’t that... Nina Thorne?!

Cole Kane shot to his feet, his pupils dilating. His eyes were wide with a shock so profound it looked as if they might fall out of his head.