Being Dumped by My EX, I Marriied His Older Brother-Chapter 64: Living a Married Life

Nina Thorne sensed someone staring at her and turned her head.

Their eyes met.

She saw Justin Kane and smiled at him.

Soon, Justin Kane was standing before her. "Ready to go?"

Nina Thorne smiled and nodded. "Just a second. I’m almost done."

Recalling what had just happened, Nina Thorne asked while packing up, "Have you been here long?"

Justin Kane’s eyes were dark. He replied impassively, "I just got here."

’Just got here, which means he didn’t see it.’

Nina Thorne finally relaxed.

She didn’t want anyone to have seen what she just did.

An assistant editor noticed Justin Kane and immediately informed the director, who was in the middle of a shoot.

Director Aldridge hurried over to greet him, his attitude respectful and fawning.

Justin Kane gave a slight nod and said pointedly, "There’s a black sheep on your crew, Director Aldridge. You should clean house when you have the time."

When Director Aldridge heard this, he saw how close Justin was to Nina Thorne and connected it to the recent incident. Realizing Justin was standing up for her, he nodded repeatedly.

Justin Kane said nothing more. His cold expression and unapproachable aura left Director Aldridge on edge, a strained smile plastered on his face.

After packing her things, Nina Thorne glanced at Justin Kane in surprise.

...

It was a bit cold in the car. Nina Thorne hugged her arms and rubbed them a few times. Justin Kane noticed and personally turned up the thermostat.

"Still cold?" Justin Kane touched her arm. The icy feel of her skin surprised him.

He quickly took off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders. "Why didn’t you say you were cold?"

Hearing his worried tone, Nina Thorne thought he was being overly anxious. "It’s the middle of summer; I’m not cold. The AC was just a little low, that’s all. I can’t have you all adjusting for me just because I feel a slight chill..."

’Besides, they’re both still in suits. They must be sweltering.’

Justin Kane sighed softly. "You haven’t been around that long, yet you’ve already learned to think of others. You never used to be like this."

He would rather she go back to being the carefree, proud person she once was, who always put herself first.

Hearing this, Nina Thorne had to admit that her five years with Cole Kane had indeed changed her a great deal.

Those changes had become marks that would stay with her for a lifetime.

But she wouldn’t resent them.

They were life experiences, a part of the youth she had invested.

Suppressing the bittersweet feeling in her heart, Nina Thorne asked him, "Did you find out what happened last night?"

After hearing his chat with Director Aldridge, she was still worried about whether he’d seen what she did.

Justin Kane met her clear gaze, seemingly guessing her intention. His expression was wise and knowing. "I did. It’s related to someone on the crew."

Nina Thorne’s heart skipped a beat. "So someone really did it on purpose?"

’But who would want to harm me?’

’In my few days on set, I haven’t clashed with anyone except for the actor who was unhappy with his lines yesterday.’

The corners of Justin Kane’s lips lifted. "Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it."

And in truth, Nina Thorne didn’t want to deal with it.

She hummed in agreement, leaned her head back against the leather seat, and rubbed her temples, instantly pushing her suspicions to the back of her mind.

...

The Chinese restaurant was antique-styled, grand, and luxurious.

A waiter led them to a private room.

Inside the room, three men were already seated.

The moment they saw Justin Kane, they immediately rose to greet him, politely inviting them to sit.

One of them suddenly looked at Nina Thorne. "And this is?"

Justin Kane’s brow was prominent. He faintly lifted his eyelids. "Nina Thorne."

"Miss Thorne is young and beautiful, a perfect match for Mr. Kane," another man praised sycophantically.

Nina Thorne offered a slight smile in acknowledgment, her hand in her lap slowly clenching. She felt incredibly awkward.

’I’ve hated these kinds of situations since I was a child. I wouldn’t have come if I’d known.’

Suddenly, a large hand reached for hers under the table, giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

She instinctively looked up, her gaze meeting his deep, dark eyes, which were filled with tenderness.

A warmth spread through her chest, and she found herself calming down.

During the meal, the men began to discuss a project.

The topic was new energy vehicles, and their conversation touched upon issues like batteries and smart systems.

Nina Thorne remained quiet and ate her food, simply because she was starving.

Although they were deep in a heated discussion, Justin Kane barely spoke the entire time, only nodding occasionally.

Despite this, he still made sure to personally place food on Nina Thorne’s plate.

Nina Thorne particularly loved a dish of stir-fried cashews with lotus seeds and lily bulbs; it had a light, sweet, and refreshing taste.

She couldn’t help but have a few extra bites.

"Right now, new energy vehicles make up seventy percent of the market share. If we can solve the problems with smart systems and battery life, we could see another twenty percent increase," said a middle-aged man, full of confidence.

"Good engineers are hard to find. Everyone’s been focused on these issues for the past two years, but there’s been no progress."

"I wonder, Mr. Kane, if you could lead us in cracking this problem?" The man at the head of the group, Mr. Wagner, was thin, but his gaze was sharp, and he projected a powerful aura.

However, compared to Justin Kane, he was still a notch below.

Everyone in the business world feared the mention of Justin Kane’s name. They all knew his methods were ruthless and decisive; once he made a move, the outcome was set.

Rumor had it that Justin Kane was cold, heartless, and cruel in his dealings.

Nina Thorne used to think so, too.

It was only after being beguiled by their two months of married life that she started to see him as gentle, considerate, self-possessed, and responsible.

"I heard the Graham Family’s Jason Graham has already contacted that famous international engineer."

"What’s his name again? Locke... Albert Locke."

Hearing this, Nina Thorne, who was in the middle of eating, froze for a fraction of a second.

At that exact moment, Justin Kane glanced over at her, catching the subtle change in her expression. His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

...

After her shower, Nina Thorne lay on the bed in her room, checking the crew’s group chat messages.

Director Aldridge said the script adjustments were nearly done; all Nina had to do was finish revising the ending, and her work would be complete.

What exciting news.

Nina Thorne smiled and promptly replied: Okay.

Just as she put her phone down, Justin Kane walked in from the living room. "What are you so happy about?"

Nina Thorne told him the truth, grinning happily. "The director said that once I finish revising the ending, I can go back."

"That is good news. We won’t have to live apart anymore and miss out on married life." A faint smile played in Justin Kane’s eyes, his obsidian irises reflecting Nina Thorne’s sweet, smiling face.

Carefree and happy.

He hoped she could stay this way forever.

This was, in fact, one of the reasons he had rushed back from abroad.

When Nina Thorne smiled, her eyes curved like crescent moons, and a pair of faint dimples appeared at the corners of her lips. Hearing what Justin Kane said, she was stunned for a moment, but she didn’t let her mind wander.

’He loves to tease me, just like five years ago, treating me like a little girl.’

’Once I get used to it, I won’t be so easily flustered by him.’

Something occurred to Nina Thorne, and she asked him, "By the way, the new energy market you were going to fight the Graham Family for—is that the automotive industry?"

Justin Kane hadn’t expected her to suddenly take an interest in this. He raised an eyebrow slightly. "It’s more than that. This is the internet age; electronic technology is the biggest market."

"Take new energy vehicles, for example. If we can solve the issues with battery range and smart driving, it would indeed open up a much larger market."

Listening to him, Nina Thorne nodded thoughtfully.

’Smart driving issues?’

’That’s not a problem at all. Neither is battery range.’

She looked at him again and asked, "Jason Graham went looking for Albert Locke. Aren’t you going to?"

"Hm? Do you think I should?" Justin Kane’s dark eyes met hers, his tone probing.

Nina Thorne said nonchalantly, "That’s beyond me. It’s up to you."

She hesitated for a few seconds. "But if Jason Graham is after him, he must be very good. Maybe you should try?"

’Since he’s planning to invest, I’m sure Justin Kane has already looked up information on engineers in this field.’

’If he’s done his research, he wouldn’t just let Jason Graham snatch Albert Locke away.’

"Mm, Nina Thorne has a point." Justin Kane smiled dotingly and reached out to pat her head.

The gesture was intimate, yet it was also like an adult patting a child.

Nina Thorne’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she sighed in resignation.

’He got me.’

’If only Justin Kane could take his heart back from the person he likes, then maybe between us...’

’Forget it, forget it.’

Nina Thorne didn’t dare to think any further.

...

On her last day with the film crew, Jessica Jenkins hugged Nina Thorne, reluctant to let her go.

"You’re going back so soon? *Sob*, I’ll miss you, Nina..."

Nina Thorne couldn’t help but laugh. "We can see each other once I’m back in Sylport."

Jessica Jenkins pouted, resting her head on Nina’s shoulder and looking up at her. "Even if filming goes quickly, that’s still another week."

"I just can’t bear to see you go. Why don’t you wait for me, and we can go back together?"

"Also, you haven’t been staying at the hotel these past two days. I couldn’t even find you when I wanted to chat."

Ever since the incident that night, Nina Thorne and Jessica Jenkins had grown much closer.

For the past two nights, Nina Thorne had stayed at Justin Kane’s place. He said it would be safer with him there.

As it turned out, he was right.

"It’s not very safe over there, after all. You should be careful too," she reminded her.

The memory of that night still made Jessica Jenkins shudder. She nodded repeatedly, forgetting to gossip about who Nina was staying with.

That afternoon, Director Aldridge was very satisfied after reviewing the script. He said fawningly to Nina Thorne, "The revisions are brilliant! That ending is a stroke of genius. We must work together again in the future."

"Also, everything here is basically settled. You can head back to Sylport first. The production will cover your expenses."

Nina Thorne said thank you. Director Aldridge plastered on another smile. "By the way, we’ve dealt with the actor who caused trouble before. Could you please let Mr. Kane know?"

Nina Thorne could see right through him and nodded. "Okay."

As she was getting ready to leave, she asked, curious, "Did the actor say why he hired those drunkards to do that?"

Director Aldridge didn’t understand. "What drunkards?"

’It seems Director Aldridge doesn’t know about this.’

’In other words, Justin Kane didn’t tell me the truth that day.’

’But why would he hide it from me?’

At this thought, Nina Thorne’s heart sank, and she couldn’t help but clench her fists.

After Director Aldridge went back to filming, Nina Thorne’s brow was tightly furrowed when her phone suddenly chimed with a notification.

JT: [All done? I’m coming to pick you up.]

Nina Thorne: [Okay.]

A short while later, she walked out of the film set’s entrance.

She immediately spotted Justin Kane standing by a black luxury car. He was tall and statuesque, his chiseled face looking especially sharp and handsome in the sunlight.

He saw Nina Thorne too and strode toward her, a gentle smile on his lips. "Hungry? I’ll take you out for something good."

Nina Thorne looked at him for a few seconds before following him into the car.

A few minutes after the car started moving, Nina Thorne’s bright face suddenly turned to him, and she asked sharply, "Justin Kane, are you hiding something from me?"