John glanced at his father, curiosity in his voice. “Dad, when will Skylar be done with her work?”
Alexander checked the time and answered, “She won’t be finished before noon at the earliest. She’s completely immersed in her work, and Frank needs that painting restored urgently.”
“That long?” John looked over at Skylar, who was so engrossed in restoring the painting that she didn’t even seem to notice his gaze. There was something about the way she focused, so intense and dedicated, that made it hard for him to look away.
She was beautiful enough to have coasted through life using her looks, yet here she was, pouring her efforts into something much more meaningful. It was admirable, and it made John pause for a moment.
A sudden idea crossed his mind, and he snapped a photo of her with his phone. “Dad, I’ve got some free time today. I’ll wait in the lounge.”
“Sure, go ahead,” Alexander said, turning to leave. “I have some work to do. If you have time, talk to Caleb. Tell him to get over Skylar, or maybe find some decent women for him to meet.”
Though Alexander acted like he didn’t care about Caleb’s situation, John knew better. He gave his father a nod. “Got it. I’ll have a word with him.”
Once his father left, John sent the photo he had taken to Joe with a simple message: No wonder you chose to marry Skylar. I think I’ve found the reason.
Joe’s gaze remained fixed on the photo as he read the message. Paul, still discussing work matters, noticed Joe’s intense focus on the phone and wondered if there was an issue. He cleared his throat, “Is there a problem with the proposal? I can ask them to redo it.”
Joe didn’t answer right away. The silence stretched on, making Paul uneasy. “Should I have them change it?” he asked again, but his attention seemed divided.
Finally, Joe looked up at him. “Start from the beginning.”
Paul blinked, taken aback by the abrupt request. “Okay…” he muttered and repeated what he had just said, though his thoughts kept drifting. What had Joe seen on his phone? What was so captivating about it?
Ten minutes later, Paul left the room. As soon as he did, Joe unlocked his phone again, focusing on Skylar’s photo. He quickly typed a reply to John: Delete that photo. Keep your eyes to yourself.
John, sitting in the lounge and enjoying a rare break with a cup of coffee, didn’t expect to get a response from Joe so quickly. He read the text, nearly spitting out his coffee in shock. “I have a fiancée. I’m just admiring. Nothing more.”
Seconds later, Joe’s reply came: She’s not for you to admire.
John stared at his coffee, now completely uninterested in it. He put the cup down and immediately called Joe. “I thought you didn’t care about her. Why are you so jealous?”
Joe, standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, let out a deep sigh. “I’m not jealous.”
John was momentarily speechless at the sudden shift in tone. “Yeah, sure. Whatever. I deleted the photo. I was thinking of asking Skylar to talk to Caleb so he can get over her.”
Joe’s response was terse. “Get Caleb to give up.”
John couldn’t help but sense the quiet fury in Joe’s voice. Caleb had no idea what he was messing with. How dare he try to take something that was already Joe’s?
Meanwhile, Caleb lay on his bed, flipping through a beginner’s book that Alexander had given him. He had been able to grasp the material when he was younger, but now it felt like it was all in a foreign language. He scratched his messy hair, frustration building.
“It’s so tough!” He muttered, fighting the urge to tear the book in half.
His thoughts wandered to Skylar. She was so skilled, so accomplished in her work, and here he was—struggling to make sense of a basic book. All he knew how to do was joke around with his friends and entertain people on live streams. It seemed like everyone else was moving forward, while he was stuck.
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