Chapter 1225:
Millie didn’t need to turn around. She felt his presence—certain and familiar.
Brandon took in the lines of her face, the tension in her jaw.
After so many years together, he understood her rhythms—the little things that gave away her mood, the places she went when she needed comfort.
Most kids rushed home to show off good grades, hoping for a parent’s praise. Millie always came here.
This quiet place became her shelter whenever the world grew too heavy. She had never had anyone waiting for her at home.
A soft breeze caught her hair and tossed it gently across her cheek as Brandon watched, feeling the space between them grow heavy.
His thoughts drifted back to a night long ago, after their worst fight—voices raised, eyes red with tears. Rain had lashed the streets as she stormed out.
He’d run after her, worried sick, and found her kneeling by her father’s grave. She hadn’t spoken. She had just let the tears fall, shoulders shaking.
Brandon could only stand a few feet away, rain pouring down on both of them, offering his silent company while she grieved.
That night, he had heard her voice crack as she pressed her forehead to the cold stone and whispered, “Dad…”
She was speaking to James—the father she missed more than anything.
“I wish you were here,” she blurted, her voice thin with longing.
Years had passed since then, but the memory surged back with a fresh ache.
Now, as Brandon studied Millie, he saw how much she had changed—her features more refined, her gaze steady and guarded.
“I’ve seen how you’ve been handling things,” he said at last.
“You’re even more decisive than you were before. Ruthless, sometimes. Honestly, I admire it.”
Millie pressed her lips together, then finally let go of the car door. She turned to face him, making it clear she was waiting for whatever he needed to say about Babette.
𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖊 𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 gⲁ𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀⧴ℭ𝗈𝗺
Brandon caught her mood at once.
“Babette’s been sheltered all her life. She pushes too far sometimes because she doesn’t understand consequences. I’m just asking that you don’t take things too far with her.”
A storm of emotions flickered across Millie’s face.
She had never intended to destroy Babette. Starting a war with the Watsons in Crobert would be reckless, no matter what was at stake.
But letting Babette walk all over her wasn’t an option, either. If someone kept testing her patience, they would have to face the fallout.
All this drama was just a clash between two young people—it would never grow into something bigger.
Besides, Millie was barely older than Babette herself. She had only turned twenty-five not long ago.
Maybe the hardships she’d weathered just made her seem older than her years.
“Is that really all you wanted to say?” Millie asked, her voice calm but searching.
Brandon gave a single nod.
.
.
.