Remarried Wife: Mr. Ex, We Will Never Reconcile!-Chapter 113: Vera Sheridan, Am I Just "Being Kind" to You?
Noah Grant’s gaze swept past Ian Kane like an icy blade, his steps unwavering as he walked straight across the room towards Vera Sheridan, who sat stiffly at the table.
The pen tightly clenched in Vera’s hand was steadily taken away by a hand with distinct knuckles.
A mature male scent mixed with a strong tobacco smell enveloped her, warm and dry, swiftly surrounding her.
"Vera, look at me." Noah Grant’s voice was warm and deep, imbued with a force that brooked no dissent.
Vera slowly raised her head.
Their eyes met.
The dark shadows under her eyes, barely concealed by a thin layer of powder, instantly tugged at Noah Grant’s heart.
The man’s Adam’s apple shifted slightly. "This matter, from beginning to end, is not your responsibility, nor should you bear the consequences."
As he finished speaking, he picked up the two agreements on the table without looking at them and expertly tossed them into the trash can beside him.
A soft "pop" echoed in the silent room, sharply piercing the air.
Vera trembled.
Ian Kane’s action of rubbing his ring abruptly stopped, his eyelids narrowing dangerously as a cold sneer curled at the corner of his lips: "Seducing a married woman and willingly taking responsibility, Barrister Grant, you’re quite the man!"
His voice was laced with icy coldness, each word deliberate, "Such responsibility merits a—disgraced reputation."
Ian Kane’s sinister gaze was fixed on the hand Noah Grant had placed on Vera’s shoulder, as the glaring photo of the hospital room kiss suddenly flashed into his mind!
Jealousy flared like poisonous vines, instantly tightening around his heart. Without the slightest hesitation, he grabbed his phone and dialed Jasper Crowe’s number.
"Send the photos out." The order was sharp and firm.
Upon hearing this, Vera’s face turned deathly pale, her body tensing as she tried to break free and stand up.
Noah Grant’s broad palm, through thin clothing, pressed steadily on her shoulder, silently quelling her panic.
Through the receiver, Jasper Crowe’s voice came, noticeably strained:
"Kane, Noah Grant... has obtained the evidence chain of our malicious shorting of the Kane Group’s stock price. It’s a complete cycle."
The air seemed to freeze.
Ian Kane’s jaw tightened into a sharp line, his gaze as lethal as a poisoned arrow, aimed across at Noah Grant.
Noah met his gaze, his eyes calm and deep as an abyss.
A silent confrontation, tightening every inch of the air.
"Send them out!" Ian Kane’s eyes churned with ruthless determination, the words squeezing through his clenched teeth.
At this moment, a steady and authoritative voice, with the unique penetration of someone long in power, came clearly through the receiver:
"Ian." Kane Crowe’s voice wasn’t loud, yet it weighed down all the restless air like a heavy iron, "I understand how you feel. But the bigger picture is important, consider the long term."
He paused, each word bearing substantial weight, "Don’t act impulsively and destroy the hard-won foundation we’ve built."
Ian Kane’s teeth ground together, his jaw a cold, hard line about to shatter, malevolence rolling off him in waves, pressing heavily around him.
He maintained the pose of holding his phone, his knuckles twisted and white from exertion.
After what seemed like an eternity, he finally forced out a heavy, "...Okay," from between his tightly clenched teeth.
He slowly raised his eyes, stabbing a fierce look at Noah Grant, a mocking curve on his lips, a smile icy and dead to his eyes.
Leisurely, he adjusted the slightly wrinkled cuff of his suit.
"Tsk, our ’embodiment of justice,’ Barrister Grant." He bit heavily into the words "embodiment of justice," laced with utmost irony.
"To keep that bit of unsightly ’integrity,’ for the sake of The Grant Family’s face..." he leaned slightly, eyes filled with blatant disdain, "are you willing to sell even the responsibilities and beliefs within your bones as bargaining chips?"
Noah Grant’s hand on Vera’s shoulder remained motionless.
Under Ian Kane’s gaze, blazing with jealousy and hatred, this stance was the loudest declaration of war.
He slowly raised his eyes, his gaze deep, calmly reflecting Ian Kane’s face laden with hostility and obsession.
The man’s thin lips moved slightly, "Ian Kane, I told you before—"
He paused, meeting Ian’s eyes, firmly declaring, "I, Noah Grant, have never needed to pretend to be some kind of saint!"
Upon hearing this, Vera’s body tensed almost imperceptibly.
From their dialogue, she vaguely pieced together a general idea.
Noah Grant had used some extraordinary means, possibly even touching the gray areas, to restrain Ian Kane’s destructive madness.
This brought about Ian Kane’s deep-seated mockery.
Yet Noah Grant... not only did he not deny it, but he also openly acknowledged his lack of ’sanctity’ with an almost rebellious attitude.
The air was thick and tense.
Ian Kane’s eyelids drooped slightly, obscuring his gaze, the corners of his lips twitching.
Then, he lowered his crossed long legs and stood up.
His gaze swept over Noah Grant’s hand resting on Vera’s shoulder, lingering for a moment, his eyes pitch-black.
He didn’t say anything further, only casting a deeply significant look at them, before turning, bringing the unresolved anger with him as he strode out.
The heavy door clicked shut, sealing away the last traces of Ian Kane’s hostile energy.
Vera let out a long breath.
To divorce smoothly, without burdening Noah Grant, this outcome couldn’t be better.
Feeling the searing gaze that couldn’t be ignored, Vera Sheridan recalled that photo, the Grant Family’s matriarch... Her nerves tightened once again.
...
The mediation room suddenly plunged into a taut silence, leaving only the faint cicada cries from outside the window and the blurred hustle and bustle of the city.
Vera gently removed Noah Grant’s hand from her shoulder, stood up, and walked to the table to pack her bag.
She kept her head down, her profile was cold and tranquil, enveloped in a faint aura of aloofness that silently divided them.
But she couldn’t block Noah Grant’s intense gaze from following her every move.
Vera braced herself, discreetly cleared her throat, and broke the silence, her voice naturally sounding as though she was exchanging pleasantries with him.
"Senior Grant, weren’t you flying to Bernheim last night? Why did you suddenly come back?"
"Vera."
Noah Grant’s Adam’s apple rolled heavily, his voice low as if squeezed out from the depths of his chest, carrying an unprecedented solemnity and a hint of hoarseness worn by grains of sand.
"I’m sorry."
Before boarding last night, he received a call from his third brother, Nathan Grant, only then learning about the photo and that Ms. Morgan had presumptuously approached Vera!
Vera’s movements in packing her things paused almost imperceptibly, then resumed as usual.
She raised her eyes, her gaze calmly meeting his deep eyes.
There seemed to be heartache, guilt, burning anger, and intense concern.
She instinctively wanted to look away.
"I’m sorry, it’s clearly my fault, yet my mother came looking for you, it’s outrageous..." Noah Grant’s voice wavered, his heart full of indignation at Ms. Morgan’s presumption and harm to her.
And his self-reproach and heartache for Vera.
She had just suffered harm from Ian Kane’s mother’s hypocritical and snobbish attitude.
Last night, Ms. Morgan’s words, to her, were like additional scrutiny and pressure.
Especially under the impact of that photo.
He understood why she swallowed the grievance alone—for escaping, for avoiding suspicion, for not wanting any entanglements with him.
Vera took a very light breath, pressing all surging emotions deep down inside.
The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, almost imperceptibly, showing even more detachment.
"Senior Grant, you don’t need to apologize."
Her voice remained steady, with no hint of resentment, only a deliberate "understanding."
"Ian Kane’s goal has always been me, forcing me to turn back."
She slightly turned her face aside, her gaze falling on the blurred street scene outside the window, avoiding his overly intense gaze.
"I’ve dragged you down..."
Vera paused, her voice even softer, "If the girl in the photo were someone else, Ian Kane wouldn’t bother dealing with you."
"Vera!"
Noah Grant suddenly grasped her slender wrist, though his grip wasn’t forceful.
"Between us, what do you mean by dragging down?"
His gaze burned brightly like a torch, locking onto her, his voice warm and deep.
Vera was startled by the almost consuming flame in his eyes.
Instinctively wanting to back away, her body was already blocked by the sofa backrest.
She took a silent breath, steeling herself to draw a clear line between them.
"You’re just being kind, helping me with this case..." She took a deep, surreptitious breath, her voice carrying an almost undetectable tremor, "You didn’t need to wade into this mess for me."
She intentionally emphasized the words "kind," highlighting that theirs was merely a relationship of lawyer and client.
"Kind?" Noah Grant seemed as if those words pierced his heart deeply, repeating them hoarsely, as if chewing a bitter fruit.
In a flash, he suddenly leaned forward!
The tall figure of the man bore down with intense pressure and a searing masculine aura, instantly engulfed her.
Completely trapping her in the small, airtight space formed by the sofa and his body, leaving her no room to escape.
One hand still tightly clasped her wrist, while the other braced against the sofa backrest beside her.
His warm breath carried a rich tobacco scent, spraying rapidly, scorchingly on her lips, cheeks, and even her sensitive ears.
The overly intimate searing breath made her body shudder all over.
Vera widened her eyes in shock, forced to meet his eyes burning with pain, desire, and a near uncontrollable possessiveness.
Within them lay naked, suppressed love accumulated over the years, an unstoppable torrent in this moment.
Vera’s chest heaved.
"Vera..."
His voice carried a near shattering hoarseness, with each word seemingly rubbed on scorching sand, in your heart, am I just ’kind’ to you?"
As he spoke, the man’s hot lips almost grazed hers.
Their breaths collided, instantly disrupting each other’s heartbeats.
