Being Dumped by My EX, I Marriied His Older Brother-Chapter 17: Betrothed Before Birth

Nina Thorne’s mind went blank, and a blush instantly bloomed across her cheeks. "I—I just remembered, I haven’t sent my article to the office yet. I’m going to go do that..."

She scrambled to her feet and fled upstairs as if escaping.

A smile tugged at the corners of Justin Kane’s lips.

But when he remembered the divorce she had mentioned on the phone, the smile in his eyes faded.

Nina Thorne returned to the bedroom.

Just as she picked up her phone, a call came in from Old Master Kane. "Nina, it’s been too long. Grandfather has missed you."

"Tomorrow is your birthday. I’ll make your favorite dishes, so you and Cole Kane must come back for dinner."

Old Master Kane chuckled, his words dripping with affection. "You silly girl, you’re always wrapped around Cole Kane’s little finger. Ever since you two got your marriage certificate a while ago, you haven’t even come back to see me. You absolutely must come back tomorrow. I really want to see you."

Both families had known about the plan to register the marriage on their anniversary.

Old Master Kane had been under the impression that they had successfully registered.

Of everyone in the Kane family, Old Master Kane was fondest of Nina Thorne.

’It’s time to face certain things,’ Nina Thorne thought.

She agreed. "Okay, Grandfather, I’ll definitely be there tomorrow."

Old Master Kane was finally satisfied. Nina chatted with him for a little longer before hanging up, then tapped open the last text message from Cole Kane:

"I’ll be waiting for you at the Civil Affairs Bureau at ten tomorrow. I’ve already made a concession, so you can stop making a scene."

Nina Thorne frowned, overcome with a wave of self-doubt. ’How on earth did I ever fall in love with Cole Kane?’

She was so lost in thought that she didn’t notice Justin Kane had returned to the bedroom.

In fact, he had entered a few seconds before she hung up the phone.

To him, her pensive silence could only mean one thing: the contents of that text message were making her regret marrying him.

"Mrs. Kane."

Justin Kane’s eyes darkened, and his voice turned cold. "There’s no medicine for regret in this world, and I have no desire to be divorced in my prime."

The sudden voice made Nina Thorne jump.

She whipped her head around to face Justin Kane, taking several deep breaths to compose herself. Her eyes, full of reproach, glared at him.

’Does this man not make a sound when he walks?’

Justin Kane’s cool voice sounded again. "For now, at least, I have no intention of getting a divorce."

Nina Thorne looked at his cold, stern face. He was a far cry from the gentle, considerate man he’d been over the past few days.

Not wanting to be misunderstood, she explained, "I’m not thinking about a divorce."

"Hm?" Justin Kane’s gaze fell to her phone, his expression seeming to ask, ’Then what do you call this?’

’Proof of her regret?’

Nina Thorne understood instantly. "He can send what he wants. It has no effect on me."

She picked up her laptop, her gaze open and direct. "Justin Kane, the foundation of a marriage should be trust."

With that, Nina Thorne walked to the sofa at the foot of the bed and sat down. She placed the laptop on her knees, flipped it open, and powered it on, her proud demeanor clear as she refused to spare him another glance.

An unusual light flickered in Justin Kane’s shadowed eyes. He hadn’t seen that proud look on Nina Thorne in many years.

Before she was seventeen, Nina Thorne had been known in their social circles as a sunny, confident young heiress.

At some point, she had become anxious and insecure, like an abandoned child with no sense of safety.

From then on, her reputation within their circle soured. She was branded as jealous, willful, and spoiled.

Over time, Nina Thorne lost her self-assurance, and with it, her confident, flamboyant air.

Justin Kane reined in his thoughts and came to her side. His voice softened. "I’m sorry. That was my fault."

Nina Thorne was a firecracker with a notoriously short fuse.

But her anger flared up as quickly as it faded.

She glanced up at him and grunted in acknowledgment.

Justin Kane frowned. ’Just a grunt?’

’Her spoiled little heiress attitude is really back.’

A hint of a smile appeared in Justin Kane’s deep-set eyes. "Did Grandfather ask you to go over tomorrow?"

Nina Thorne had been about to tell him anyway, so she nodded. "He still doesn’t know we’re the ones who got the marriage certificate. Are you planning to tell him?"

Justin Kane met her questioning gaze, trying to read her expression, but came up empty. "You decide. Whatever your decision, I’ll have your back."

Those words sent a flutter through Nina Thorne, and her mind nearly started racing again.

’Then again,’ she thought, ’this was always Justin Kane’s style.’

He was always swift and ruthless, acting as if there was no problem on earth he couldn’t solve.

In the past, he had been a man of few words, and when he did speak, his words were venomous.

But since their reunion, he had become gentle and considerate, calm and composed, almost making Nina Thorne forget what he used to be like.

"Okay." Nina Thorne reined in her thoughts and nodded again.

"I’ll go with you tomorrow," Justin Kane said, his voice warm and deep, incredibly reassuring.

Nina Thorne figured it would be good to have him there, so she nodded and said, "Okay," one more time.

「The next day at noon, the two returned to the Kane family’s ancestral home.」

The butler, Mr. Jones, was somewhat surprised to see them arrive together.

But he didn’t dare let his imagination run wild, respectfully stepping forward to greet them. "Eldest Young Master, Miss Thorne."

Nina Thorne nodded. "Where’s Grandfather?"

"The Master is in the study. He said for you to go find him as soon as you arrived."

Nina Thorne agreed, glanced at Justin Kane beside her, and then quickly headed for the study.

Mr. Jones looked at Justin Kane, a respectful smile on his face. "Eldest Young Master, I didn’t expect you to return today."

For the past few days, Old Master Kane had known he was back in the country and had been trying to see him, but Justin had always found an excuse to put him off.

He never expected Justin to come back of his own accord today.

Strangely enough, the Second Young Master, Cole Kane, who was supposed to be here, was nowhere to be seen.

...

Nina Thorne knocked on the study door. A voice from inside called out, "Come in."

She pushed the door open, walked to the desk, and called out softly, "Grandfather."

Old Master Kane’s face lit up when he saw her. "My girl, you’re back! Come, I have something for your birthday, and a wedding gift as well."

After speaking, his expression faltered. "Where’s that rascal, Cole Kane?"

The smile vanished from Old Master Kane’s face in an instant. He began to scold, "That boy... He’s a married man and he’s still as unreliable as ever! Did he let you come back here all by yourself?"

"Grandfather..." Nina Thorne’s expression was hesitant.

Having navigated the business world for decades, there was no one Old Master Kane couldn’t read. He immediately sensed that something was amiss.

He rushed over to Nina Thorne, his face etched with concern. "My girl, what is it? Did that rascal Cole Kane bully you? You tell me. I’ll beat the living daylights out of that boy."

Nina Thorne took a deep breath. Looking at him with a calm yet apologetic expression, she said, "Grandfather, I didn’t get the marriage certificate with Cole Kane."

Old Master Kane was stunned. "What do you mean? Tell me what happened, quickly."

Nina Thorne nodded obediently and told Old Master Kane everything, down to the last detail, about how she’d been stood up on the day of the marriage registration.

Nina Thorne lowered her head in guilt. "I’m sorry, Grandfather. I wasn’t able to discuss this with you beforehand."

"But the fact is, Justin and I are the ones who registered the marriage. If you’re going to blame someone, blame me."

She kept her head down, bracing herself for a reprimand.

After a long moment, Old Master Kane suddenly burst into hearty laughter. "Well, I never... I truly never would have expected this..."

Nina Thorne looked up, bewildered. ’Never expected what?’

’Mr. Kane wasn’t even angry?’

Shaking his head, Old Master Kane laughed and patted her on the shoulder. "This is destiny, you two."

Hearing this only confused Nina Thorne more. "Grandfather, what do you mean?"

Old Master Kane chuckled. "To tell you the truth, your grandfather and I had originally intended to betroth you to Justin before you were even born. But later, Justin’s father worried the age gap between you was too large, so the engagement our two families had planned was called off."

"I always thought it was such a pity. Who would have thought that you, my girl, would end up dating that rascal Cole Kane instead?"

Old Master Kane showed no sign of objection, his laughter growing even heartier. "To think that after all these twists and turns, it’s still you and Justin in the end. It’s destiny... all of it is destiny..."

Nina Thorne was completely floored. ’There was a story like that behind it all?’