Being Dumped by My EX, I Marriied His Older Brother-Chapter 9: A Hug Should Be Fine, Right?

The next morning, Nina Thorne woke up to find herself practically draped all over Justin Kane.

Like an octopus, her arms and legs were pinning him down. The situation was beyond awkward.

Nina Thorne was stunned.

’How could I sleep in such a wild position?’

Luckily, Justin Kane wasn’t awake yet. Nina carefully retracted her limbs, terrified of waking him. She held her breath, lips pressed tightly together.

She remembered Justin teasing her before they went to bed last night. "Wifey, are you ready to sleep with me?"

Nina’s face instantly flushed red. She retorted, "Is your mind always in the gutter?"

Justin joked back, "Don’t blame me. I’ve been alive for twenty-eight years and I finally have a wife, you know?"

"If we can’t sleep together, a hug should be okay, right?"

There was nothing wrong with a married couple hugging.

But they used to be at odds, and now they were suddenly husband and wife. Their relationship was incredibly awkward.

Nina thought for a moment, scooted closer to him, and warned, "Just hugging. Don’t get any other ideas."

Who would have thought that after waking up, she’d look like the one who needed the warning?

Nina pulled back her arms and legs, thinking she’d been quiet enough. She sat up, planning to make a quick escape before being discovered, but she felt a gaze fixed on her from behind.

Her back stiffened. She slowly turned around, and her toes curled in embarrassment.

Justin Kane was propped up on his hand, his deep eyes gazing at her. The corners of his lips were turned up in a slight, teasing smile.

"If you wanted to hug me, you just had to ask. We’re husband and wife, after all."

"No, no, no..." Nina’s cheeks grew hot as she frantically waved her hands. "You’ve misunderstood."

After saying that, she didn’t dare look at Justin’s reaction and fled to the bathroom to wash up.

Watching her hasty retreat, the curve of Justin’s lips widened, and a soft laugh escaped him.

’Silly girl, so easy to tease.’

After freshening up, Nina got a call from the media company telling her to come in for a meeting.

She changed into a simple, white, knee-length dress and went downstairs. She saw Justin Kane sitting at the dining table and walked over.

Justin was looking at his phone. His profile was refined and smooth, his features sharp and three-dimensional. He was breathtakingly handsome. A dark suit accentuated his noble and stern demeanor, giving him an icy air that seemed to keep everyone at a distance.

A Western-style breakfast was set out in front of him, but he hadn’t touched it. It seemed he was waiting for her.

Across from him was another Western-style breakfast and a glass of milk.

A light, fresh scent drifted through the air, growing stronger as she approached.

The next moment, Nina Thorne arrived at the other side of the table.

Justin Kane looked up at her, his pupils reflecting her graceful figure.

She wore a simple, white, knee-length sleeveless dress, revealing her fair, slender arms.

The dress was cinched at the waist, outlining a delicate waist that one could encircle with a single hand. Above her long neck, her bright and beautiful face looked gentle and elegant, yet it didn’t lack a certain charming allure.

Nina exuded a faint, fresh fragrance, making her seem like a pure and noble jasmine flower.

The combination of purity and sensuality was what drove men wild.

"Going out?" Justin Kane asked, putting down his phone. His voice was deep and magnetic.

Nina hummed in agreement and pulled out a chair to sit. "The company called a last-minute meeting to discuss future trends in the film and television market. Attendance is mandatory."

Although she was just a junior screenwriter, she worked for OmniCorp Media, one of the top five media companies in Sylport.

Justin Kane mulled it over for a moment. "Do you need a ride?"

Nina said, "No, it’s okay. I’ll just grab a cab."

"Have the driver take you." Justin’s voice was gentle, but his tone was imperiously firm, leaving no room for refusal.

Nina looked at him, still feeling awkward about what happened that morning. She subconsciously nodded and said, "Okay."

In the end, she only had the driver drop her off near the company and walked the rest of the way.

Nina did this to keep her and Justin’s marriage registration a secret.

After all, if word got out, it would be pretty shocking...

...

At the meeting, the producer led a discussion on recent market trends.

Vertical short dramas had recently taken the country by storm, and the producer wanted to create scripts for several genres: period pieces, transmigration stories, and modern-day "overbearing CEO" romances.

There were eight screenwriters on the team. Nina Thorne was assigned the modern "overbearing CEO" genre and given half a month to submit a first draft.

At eleven in the morning, the meeting concluded.

Misty Hughes, also a screenwriter, was assigned the period piece and complained endlessly. "I’m so sick of writing these, Nina! Why don’t we ask the boss if we can switch?"

Nina not only liked the "overbearing CEO" genre but was also good at writing it. She smiled faintly and mercilessly rejected the idea:

"Don’t even dream of it. Just get to work."

"Fine," Misty Hughes said, slumping her shoulders and letting out a whimper.

She glanced at the time and made another suggestion, "Before we get swamped with work, how about we go get a big meal?"

"Sure, my treat."

Nina Thorne put away her pen and notepad and was about to get up and leave when her phone chimed with a notification.

She opened it, and a message from Justin Kane popped up: "Dinner tonight?"

The corners of her lips lifted unconsciously as her fingers flew across the nine-key phone keypad. "Okay."

Misty finished packing up her things and saw Nina beaming at her phone, her gossipy nature instantly kicking in.

"You’re smiling like a lovestruck fool. Boyfriend?"

Nina Thorne put down her phone. ’Was I smiling?’

But Misty had always known she had a boyfriend; she just didn’t know it was Cole Kane.

’If Misty found out I dumped Cole and married his brother, I can’t even imagine how she’d react.’

"You’re so nosy. Let’s go."

...

「A Western Restaurant.」

After the meal, Nina went to the restroom before they left.

As she was washing her hands, a pungent yet familiar perfume assailed her nostrils. A moment later, a figure appeared beside her, also washing her hands.

"Nina Thorne, you and Brother Cole have been fighting for so long. Isn’t it enough? Do you really need him to coax and beg you?"

Serena Kane pulled a paper towel from the dispenser in front of her and dried her hands, her words dripping with provocation and sarcasm.

"I know you don’t like me, but even so, I’m still the little sister Brother Cole dotes on the most. Why must you make things difficult for me?"

Nina stared at Serena Kane’s perfectly made-up face in the mirror and retorted icily, "I was wondering what that foul smell in the air was. Turns out you’ve put a laxative in your mouth, since you spew shit every time you open it."

Serena’s expression turned ugly. "Have you no class? Don’t be so vulgar."

"If you’re going to act ugly, don’t blame me for speaking ugly."

Nina turned her head and looked at her with disgust. "You know perfectly well why you went abroad three years ago."

"Serena Kane, do I really need to remind you what you felt for Cole three years ago, and what you did?"

Serena’s face cycled through shades of white and green. Furious, she threw the damp paper towel in Nina’s face.

"Stop spewing nonsense! You just can’t stand that Brother Cole cares about me."

"Besides, if you hadn’t used your dead parents to make Brother Cole pity you, he never would have gotten together with you! You’re just as shameless as your short-lived parents!"

A surge of fury erupted in Nina’s chest.

Her parents were her reverse scale—her absolute sore spot.

She suddenly grabbed a handful of Serena Kane’s hair, shoved her head down into the sink, and turned on the faucet, blasting her with water.

Serena immediately let out a piercing shriek.

She tried to struggle but couldn’t push Nina away.

"Nina Thorne, are you insane?!"

Cole Kane had appeared at the doorway at some point. With a sharp reprimand, he rushed in and shoved Nina aside.

Nina’s back slammed hard into the corner of the counter, and the sharp pain made her break out in a cold sweat.

Cole didn’t notice her distress. Seeing Serena’s hair soaked and her makeup a ruined mess, he pointed an accusing finger at Nina and raged:

"Nina Thorne, why would you do this to Serena? What on earth did she do wrong?"

Before Nina could speak, Cole gritted his teeth and said, "Is it because I didn’t get the marriage license with you that day? Is this your way of getting revenge on her? You’re nothing but a spoiled, willful, and malicious woman!"

Cole’s words were like sharp knives stabbing viciously into Nina’s heart.

She clenched her fists, her eyes turning red as she stared at Cole Kane.