NovelUSAChapter 272 Gwyneth shook her head stubbornly, refusing to take it, and just as adamantly refused to explain why. Eventually, she made up sflimsy excuse, insisting Max take her to find her dad and Violet.
The moment Marcus saw Max and Gwyneth together, he frowned slightly.
Those two could never be in the sroom without bickering. Neither would back down, and every encounter seemed to end in a shouting match. Marcus dreaded the inevitable argument, knowing it would ruin everyone's mood.
But after watching them for a while, Marcus was surprised to find something had changed. Max led Gwyneth around the house like a gracious host, showing off every corner of the villa. Gwyneth, for once, followed quietly, letting him take the lead. Max even offered her his favorite snacks and toys, generously sharing what he loved. Gwyneth, in turn, was nothing short of polite-a far cry from the tantrum-prone child Marcus remembered. "Gwyn's really changed," Marcus remarked, settling onto the couch. Across from him, Violet and McNeil sat side by side.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtJust then, Isaac and Curtis arrived. Isaac glanced at the empty space beside Marcus, a mischievous grin on his face.
"Weren't you supposed to bring your girlfriend tonight? Still not ready to introduce her to us? Con, it's just the two of us-what, do you think we'd scare her off?" Violet shot Isaac a look, then glanced at Marcus. There was no way he'd actually invited Victoria, right? She'd bet anything Victoria wouldn't show up. After all, they were McNeil's friends.
Victoria had been married to McNeil for years, and McNeil had never so much as introduced her to his friends. If Victoria really showed up here tonight, it would just be embarrassing for her.
"Maybe Marcus is just too protective of his girlfriend," Violet teased, "Doesn't want to show her off to the group." McNeil sat stiffly beside her, tension showing in his posture, though no one seemed to notice.
"That's not it," Marcus replied, swirling his glass of red wine. "She's just a bit shy." But as he spoke, his mind wandered to Victoria-her sweet smile, the gentle way she played with Max. He'd never truly wanted to marry a woman before, not even when he'd had feelings for Violet. With Violet, the idea of marriage had never seriously crossed his mind.
Marcus was the type who, once he set his sights on someone, went all in. When he realized Violet was with his friend, he'd barely felt any disappointment at all.
Meeting "Fannie" had made him re-examine his old crushes; looking back, he realized his feelings for Violet were mostly sparked by the competition-she'd been so popular, every guy wanted to win her over. It wasn't about love, just the thrill of the chase.
But when Violet chose McNeil, they all silently agreed to stay friends, never letting jealousy or resentment get in the way. It was as if their teenage infatuations had never happened.
McNeil's eyes were cold as he downed his wine in one gulp. "You seem to know her well, but she won't even show up for your party. Are you sure she wants to be your girlfriend?" The pointed remark drove a wedge between them. Marcus already felt defeated by Victoria's distant attitude, and McNeil's jab only made it worse. His face darkened.
"You're not her. How do you know she doesn't want to be with me? She's great with kids, and I like that about her." Isaac, noticing their empty glasses, signaled the butler to refill them.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"What are you two talking about?" Isaac asked, laughing. "Are you speaking in code or something?"
Curtis, more observant than most, picked up on the tension. He wasn't usually interested in his friends', personal lives, but he remembered McNeil the sway the last tCurtis mentioned his crush, Ms. Turner. Maybe McNeil was just going through something he certainly acted like a man nursing a broken heart. Violet, sensing the awkwardness, tried to change the subject. But Marcus smirked and turned to her.
"Violet, haven't you been keeping Mr.
Langford satisfied lately?" he, teased, his meaning clear to the men in the room, who struggled to keep straight faces.
McNeil's sharp retorts and bad mood had been obvious all evening, and Marcus suspected iX was due to trouble at home-maybe their love life had hit a rough patch, and McNeil was acting out. McNeil shot the three snickering men a cold stare, while Violet's cheeks flushed a deep red.
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