Being Dumped by My EX, I Marriied His Older Brother-Chapter 4: Broke Up with Him

Thankfully, the ringing of her phone saved Nina Thorne from her awkward predicament.

"Hello?"

Her heart pounding, Nina Thorne scrambled to answer the call.

The teasing voice of her model and best friend, Macy Lynch, came from the other end. "So, how did it go? My dear Miss Thorne got her marriage certificate yesterday. Couldn’t you wait to get down to business last night?"

The voice coming from the phone was quite loud.

Nina Thorne remembered Justin Kane was still in the room and quickly glanced over. Fortunately, he had already reached the door and stepped out.

"We got the certificate."

Nina Thorne breathed a sigh of relief. "We didn’t."

"You dated for five years, and the most you’ve done is share a few little pecks on the lips. You’ve never even properly touched each other..."

Macy Lynch gasped. "Don’t tell me you waited until you were officially married to find out your husband has trouble getting it up?"

Macy was so worked up that her voice grew even louder.

Just then, Justin Kane opened the door and came back in, catching the very last part of the sentence: "...husband has trouble getting it up..."

He glanced at Nina Thorne, the corners of his eyes lifting in a subtle challenge.

’He can’t perform?’

Hearing the door open, Nina Thorne looked over. Her breath caught the instant she saw him.

Macy, oblivious to what was happening, continued giving her advice. "That’s a serious problem. He needs to see a doctor right away."

"If it’s not treatable, you need to really think about whether you can accept a platonic relationship..."

Her face burning, Nina Thorne hurriedly ended the call.

Her lips twitched into an awkward smile. "What are you doing back?"

"Forgot my watch." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Justin Kane quickly retrieved a mechanical watch from the walk-in closet. He walked over to Nina Thorne, fastening it around his wrist as he approached.

Once the watch was on, he reached past her, planting a hand on the vanity and effectively trapping her against his chest.

Justin Kane leaned down, his face inches from hers. "As for whether I have trouble getting it up," he murmured, his breath warm against her skin, "we can just test that out tonight, can’t we?"

Nina Thorne sat rigidly, her body tense. She blinked a couple of times. "I didn’t say that."

A faint smile played on Justin Kane’s lips. "Mrs. Kane, wait for me. We’ll find out for sure when I get back."

Without giving Nina Thorne a chance to explain, Justin Kane turned and strode out of the room again.

Nina Thorne let out a breath and called Macy Lynch back. "You’ve got it all wrong."

"What did I get wrong?"

"You hung up on me just now, are you mad?"

"Was it because I said Cole Kane can’t get it up?"

Macy Lynch was like a burst dam, questions and complaints pouring out of her.

Nina Thorne took a deep breath. "It’s not Cole Kane. It’s Justin Kane."

Fearing another misunderstanding, she added, "The person I married yesterday was Justin Kane..."

"What?" Macy exclaimed.

「Ten minutes later...」

After hearing Nina Thorne’s story, Macy Lynch unleashed a torrent of curses on Cole Kane and Serena Kane.

Her language was foul.

After venting, Macy finally felt better. She quickly comforted her friend, "That’s exactly what you should have done! Let him regret it. If he doesn’t want to be your husband, he can be your little brother-in-law."

"Nina, your taste in men has improved by leaps and bounds. Justin Kane is the president of the Kane Group—handsome, rich, and scandal-free. He’s infinitely better than Cole Kane. But..."

"He only married you because you were a convenient choice to stop his family from pressuring him. You two have no romantic history, and you never really got along before. Isn’t that going to be..."

Even though Macy didn’t finish, Nina knew what she was trying to say.

"It’s fine. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement," Nina said, her gaze dropping.

’Yesterday, I got married out of spite, but today, I’ve come to terms with it.’

’I’ve fulfilled my father’s last wish. It doesn’t matter if we get divorced or stay together.’

"Alright, if you say so. I’m sending you a wedding present, so keep an eye out for it."

"What is it?" Nina asked.

Macy didn’t say. Someone on her end was rushing her to a commercial shoot, so she hung up.

Nina was left speechless.

’What a busybody!’

...

「Kane Group Headquarters.」

「Top-floor President’s Office.」

After a meeting, Justin Kane sat at his desk, his back ramrod straight. His dark suit accentuated his dignified, composed air and gave him an intimidating presence.

Without looking up, he instructed his executive assistant, Ben Cheney, "Pick out a pair of wedding rings for me. Also, prepare a share transfer agreement."

Ben Cheney nodded respectfully. "Yes, Mr. Kane."

He lingered. Justin Kane looked up at him. "Something else?"

Ben Cheney said, "Old Master Kane knows you’re back. He called my phone and said you’re to go to the family estate for dinner tonight."

Justin Kane’s eyes darkened. "You may go. I’ll handle it."

Ben Cheney left the office.

Justin Kane made the call. Before he could even speak, a furious tirade erupted from the other end. "So you’ve finally decided you’re too big for your britches, have you? You come back to Sylport without a word to me, completely unreachable. Do I need to make an appointment to see my own grandson now?"

"Please, Grandfather, calm down. I was dealing with jet lag last night and didn’t get a chance to call," Justin said, his long, slender fingers tapping lightly on the desk.

Old Master Kane snorted. "Don’t give me your excuses. I’ve told you many times over the last three years:

when you came back to Sylport, you were to find someone, settle down, get married, and have children..."

"Don’t you dare forget."

Hearing his grandfather’s reminder, Justin recalled something, and a flicker of warmth passed through his eyes.

"Don’t worry, Grandfather. I remember very clearly."

His lips curved into a half-smile. "I guarantee you’ll be satisfied."

...

Meanwhile, Cole Kane was finally sobering up.

With his eyes half-open, he fumbled around on the bed before finally pulling his phone out from under the pillow.

He saw that it was already afternoon. All sleepiness vanished, and he shot upright.

’There was a meeting this morning. How could Nina Thorne not have called to remind me?’

Just then, his assistant rushed in. Seeing Cole awake and sitting up in bed, he lowered his head. "Mr. Kane..."

"What took you so long?" Cole demanded. He had several missed calls on his phone, all from his assistant.

"I thought you were busy with something important, so I didn’t dare to disturb you," the assistant explained. He had actually come to tell him that Justin Kane was back.

Before he could say anything, however, Cole asked coldly, "Where’s Nina Thorne?"

The assistant froze, then shook his head.

’How would I know?’

For the past five years, he had never needed to worry about important meetings. Miss Thorne always personally took responsibility for reminding Cole.

Cole Kane had long grown accustomed to this.

It was always the case.

Even when Nina was sick, she would always call him an hour ahead of time to coax him out of bed.

’In these small ways, Nina had never once let him down.’

’This time, she dared to give him the cold shoulder over a trivial matter like not getting the certificate.’

’He’d spoiled her too much.’

With a dark expression, Cole Kane dialed Nina Thorne’s number.

But after a single ring, the call automatically disconnected.

He tried again, with the same result.

’She blocked my number!’

Cole’s expression turned even fouler.

He tried sending her a message, but the screen showed it was rejected, accompanied by a red exclamation mark...

Fine.

Just great.

A cold fury rose in Cole Kane’s eyes. ’I’m not going to indulge her this time. If she wants me back, she’ll have to get rid of that princess attitude!’

...

「As the sun set.」

「The Silvercroft Villa.」

In the bedroom, Nina Thorne sat cross-legged on the window seat with a laptop balanced on her legs, her fair, slender fingers tapping rapidly across the keyboard.

She hadn’t gone anywhere all day, choosing instead to stay home and work on her screenplay.

As a screenwriter, two of her scripts had been adapted into web series. Their viewership numbers were decent, but not spectacular.

They weren’t smash hits, but they didn’t flop, either.

Her phone suddenly rang. She glanced at the caller ID before answering, "Grandpa."

"My dear girl, you haven’t come to visit your grandpa in ages. You got your marriage certificate yesterday, didn’t you? Find some time to come visit, and bring that boy, Cole Kane, with you..."

Nina froze for a few seconds before answering honestly, "Grandpa, Cole and I broke up."

Hearty laughter came from the other end. Master Thorne was clearly used to this. "What happened? Did he cause trouble and make you angry again?"

Her grandfather’s reaction suddenly brought back a flood of memories, and a wave of bitterness washed over Nina.

Her voice was laced with bitterness. "Grandpa, it’s for real this time."

After a pause, Nina said, "I broke up with Cole... and married Justin Kane."

Outside the bedroom door, Justin Kane overheard her. His hand, poised to open the door, froze in mid-air. His eyes became dark and unreadable.