No Trespassing! My Aloof Brother-Chapter 572 - 570: I Overthought It [2nd Update]

Maya began to suspect, suspect that this man might have had some connection with her mother when he was young. After all, he still remembered her mother’s love for pastries even after so many years and could make them well, suggesting he often made them.

James Bennett watched Maya’s probing, turned his head, glanced at her, and seriously asked, "Are you very interested in my story?"

"Yes, indeed! Legendary figures like Brother Bennett surely pique everyone’s interest, and I myself love a good gossip." Maya’s smile was mischievous, as if she was genuinely just interested in gossip and not trying to get information out of James Bennett.

James Bennett stared at Maya for a moment. He was conflicted, conflicted about whether or not to share that not-quite-a-story story with Maya.

Maya looked at James Bennett’s expression, feigning a smile, and raised her eyebrow at him, saying, "If Brother Bennett feels troubled, then never mind."

Maya’s tone showed a bit of temper and disappointment.

James Bennett observed her disheartened mood, took a deep breath, and explained, "I’m afraid it’s not as fascinating as you think and might bore you."

"It’s alright! If you don’t mind, I’m very eager to hear. You have no idea how much my brother Liam admires you!" Maya, trying to hide her curiosity, even brought up Liam.

James Bennett saw her eagerness to learn his secret, so he didn’t beat around the bush and straightforwardly said, "There was once an unrequited love; I don’t know if it counts as a relationship."

"When I was young, there was a girl next door, the same age as me. She was very cute; I liked her a lot since childhood, but she, unfortunately, fell for another man."

"I once confessed to her, promising to cherish her forever, but she only saw me as a brother, saying she never felt any romantic inclination."

"After several entanglements, I felt embarrassed to persist, so I stopped bothering her. But whenever she felt down or argued with her boyfriend, she’d come to sit with me. I’d cook for her, and we’d drink together."

"I thought perhaps when she ended that painful relationship, we might be together."

"Yet here I am, still waiting, and she never came. And among other girls, I never see any possibilities; hence, I’ve always been alone."

Later, as James Bennett spoke, his tone became notably softer, and recalling past events made him a bit sad.

He didn’t tell Maya that despite never having that girl, they accidentally had relations once while drunk, and she accidentally bore him a daughter.

However, their child was standing right in front of him now, and he couldn’t acknowledge her; he could only let her call him Brother Bennett.

Maya listened to the simple yet sorrowful story and felt a bit awkward.

She was uncovering James Bennett’s scars; however, she had too many questions in her mind. Without unearthing his scars, she wouldn’t find the answers.

Then she turned her head, glanced at James Bennett, and cautiously asked, "And now what? How is the girl you secretly loved? Do you still have a chance to be together?"

"No, she passed away later." James Bennett’s eyes reddened when he mentioned her passing.

Maya’s eyes widened hearing the word "passed away," coincidentally, her mother had also passed away.

She speculated, could the girl he mentioned be her mother, Madelyn Hanson?

Thinking this, Maya couldn’t help but tremble, pondering if her morning suspicions were indeed true. Could James Bennett be her relative?

In an instant, Maya felt confused and desperately wanted to know the answer.

However, according to James Bennett’s earlier words, he only had a crush on that girl, so how could they have had a relationship?

She thought, maybe he simply secretly loved her mother, and there was no blood relationship between her and James Bennett.

But all this was just Maya’s hypothesis, unverified speculation.

At that moment, she was desperate for answers, wanting to understand her mother’s past and James Bennett’s past.

Thus, Maya asked directly without reservation, "Brother Bennett, is the girl you secretly loved Madelyn Hanson, my mother?"

Maya’s blunt approach startled James Bennett; he didn’t expect Maya to be so straightforward.

He listened to Maya’s interrogation, suddenly turned around, stared unwaveringly at her yet found that besides expecting an answer, her eyes had some anger.

Suddenly, he remembered what Liam Spencer had said to him last time in the study; he mentioned he had never been part of Maya’s life, had never looked for her, didn’t even know about her existence. Moreover, Maya had depression; if the truth came too abruptly, she couldn’t accept it, and it might cause her to relapse.

"Ha..." Hence, James Bennett suddenly laughed.

He used laughter to mask his emotions, fearing the truth would be too hard for Maya to handle and sadden her.

After laughing, he took a deep breath and pretended unconcernedly, "Maya, when I was young, I did know your mother, but your mother wasn’t the girl I secretly loved. The girl I loved died young from an illness; she never married, and her love had no conclusion."

"So, I haven’t married either, always treating her as my deceased wife."

James Bennett’s explanation embarrassed Maya. Only after James Bennett denied her suspicion did she realize she had been rash.

Yet, when she imagined the man in front of her being her father who never sought her or her mother, her emotions spiraled uncontrollably, impulsively wanting to confront him about marriage, only to find it was a misunderstanding.

So, she awkwardly smiled and said, "Brother Bennett, sorry, I overthought it."

"It’s okay, your straightforwardness is very much like your mother," James Bennett mentioned this for the second time.

However, Maya still didn’t quite understand why, since James Bennett said the girl he loved wasn’t her mother, he knew what her mother liked to eat and could make it?

James Bennett saw that hint of doubt in the girl’s eyes and hurriedly explained, "That girl also really liked pastries, but she didn’t know your mother; otherwise, they certainly would have been great friends."

"Yes! It’s a pity they didn’t know each other." Maya echoed lightly, thinking, so that’s the reason, he wasn’t cooking for her mother, but for the girl he secretly loved.

After learning the truth, Maya breathed a sigh of relief, finally feeling the weight lifted off her heart. Thankfully, she wasn’t James Bennett’s daughter; otherwise, she would surely confront James Bennett with a knife, questioning why he didn’t take responsibility for her mother, why he didn’t give them a home, why he didn’t move her with love, leading to her death?