Chapter 2326
Grant was not unfamiliar with the kind of gaze directed at him. He categorized all of them under one term awe. Yet with Bella, he disliked it when she looked at him with fear.
"Mr. Grant, why are you here?" Bella steadied herself, avoiding his deep eyes.
"I heard from Grandpa that you would be coming tonight, so I came to wait for you," Grant said, gazing at her tenderly.
The crowd was stunned.
What did this mean? Was it a subtle yet public confession?!
Could it be that even Young Master Grant had feelings for Bella?
She had once been his younger brother's woman. Did he truly not care or feel repulsed?
In an instant, the reporters, who sensed the ambiguous atmosphere, surged toward the two like sharks toward blood.
Grant's gaze turned intense as he lifted his arm, encircled Bella's shoulders, and pulled her into his embrace.
Although he appeared gentle, his posture at that moment was unyieldingly assertive, almost exuding a domineering aura that allowed no interference.
Bella's slender shoulders trembled while nestled within Grant's hold. She felt as if countless tiny ants were gnawing at her.
She wanted to free herself from his embrace, but the crowd pressing in around them restrained her, leaving her with no choice but to follow his lead.
When she looked up, her chest tightened suddenly. She saw Justin's sad and aloof figure standing a few steps away, gazing expressionlessly in her direction.
Their gazes met. Bella's eyes turned moist, emotions stirring beneath the surface.
Though only steps apart, it felt like there was a wide chasm that separated them.
Bella's rosy lips trembled, almost calling out his name.
If he took even one step toward her, she would run to him without hesitation, without a second thought.
Yet in the next moment, Justin turned away indifferently, as if he had seen nothing, and left resolutely.
A flood of disappointment washed over her, chilling her to the bone. Her reddened eyes glistened with unshed tears.
"You saw him, didn't you?" Grant leaned over, his lips close to her ear.
His low, soft voice was audible only to the two of them.
"What do you want to say?" Bella's voice trembled uncontrollably.
"Ms. Thompson, I have told myself more than once that if Justin regretted it and wanted you back, I would withdraw without hesitation and help reunite you two." Grant looked down at the woman in his arms, his gaze deepening. "But now, it seems I was worrying for nothing."
Bella bit her lip, and she shut her eyes tightly in pain.
Elsewhere, Justin walked alone along the corridor, his hand braced against the wall. He felt as though his heart had become a ransacked house, stripped bare piece by piece.
Under the guise of noble intent, his older brother had taken it apart bit by bit. By the time he realized it, his heart was in shambles, nearly emptied.