Chapter 296: Don’t Come Looking For Me
Brooke stepped out of the elevator, fully dressed, she was meeting with Julian later that night to spend some time with him before going abroad for a trip with Thane. She ran into Hannah, who had just gotten back from her day job, exhausted.
"Mrs Grayson." She greeted, fixing her slouch.
Brooke widened her eyes, "Hannah? I didn’t know you liked this style." She delicately pointed out, her eyes scanning the outfit Hannah had on.
Hannah’s cheeks flushed bright red, "I don’t want to talk about it." She said, "I must look like shit next to you." She furthermore added, after just realizing how well dressed Brooke looked.
Brooke half smiled, "Thank you for helping me, it’s dangerous being around Cassie, but you’re helping me anyway. Thank you."
"There’s really no need to thank me." Her tone dropped, "I’m still at fault for the whole Tara situation."
Brooke wanted to remind her she did nothing wrong, but Thane stepped into the house, fresh from running an errand. On command, Hannah retired to her room, leaving the couple alone.
A sigh escaped Brooke’s lips, "She’s still awkward with me, how do I let her know that it isn’t her fault?"
"Brooke, it isn’t your business if she feels bad, she abused your trust, and has to pay the price for it. Granted, she got off the hook because of how kind you are, having her do this is the bare minimum." Thane said, he then proceeded to take off his jacket and hang it on Brooke’s shoulders.
"You’ll catch a cold." He said, his tone soft and coaxing. He held his hand out and led her to the awaiting car. Helping her to her seat, he sat her in front, then circled to the driver’s seat.
"Mr Grayson?" The driver looked at him, confused.
"I’ll be taking her out tonight. You can rest." He said dismissing him.
Brooke watched the driver walk away, "Aren’t you tired? You’ve been working all day, you should be relaxing. I can meet with Mr Julian by myself." She insisted.
Thane’s hand fell on her thigh, "It’s okay, I love spending time with you."
"Are you sure it’s not about Mr Julian?" She pried.
"And why would it be about him?" Thane replied, driving out of the area.
"Well, you don’t seem to like him very much."
Thane stole a glance at her, "I’d say it’s the other way around, he doesn’t seem to approve of me."
Brooke cocked her head, "Approve of you? Why would you need that?"
"I never said I needed it, and if we’re being honest, I’m not a fan of that man." Thane expressed his thoughts.
Brooke rolled her tongue around her mouth. Thane’s words seemed odd to her, especially since she felt safe around Thane and Mr Julian, she felt they would naturally get along.
For the rest of the drive, they talked for about different things, Brooke was careful to navigate the conversation from anything that would steer towards Julian. She felt grateful that Thane was already allowing her see Julian, though he was clearly against it.
They arrived at Julian’s mansion, this time Thane came inside with Brooke in tow. Brooke half expected to see Cassie and her mother but was stunned that he was all alone in the house.
"It’s so good to see you." Brooke said whilst receiving his embrace.
Julian pulled away and gently patted her head. "Congratulations on finishing your movie. I sent a bouquet."
"You did? But there wasn’t a note or anything, why didn’t you call to tell me?" She asked.
Julian led them both to have a seat, he signalled the maid to pour them glasses of wine, but Thane refused it.
"We’re not staying long." he said looking at Julian.
Brooke frowned inwardly, why was Thane acting so abrasive towards this sweet old man?
"I see." Julian turned to Brooke, "What did you come here to see me for?" He suddenly asked.
Brooke searched her head for answers. Why did she want to see him? It wasn’t like he was family, she barely knew him either, they were both strangers.
"I’m going abroad on vacation, so I won’t be around for a while. Before I left, I wanted to see you, and make sure you’re alright." She tucked her hair behind her ear, "The last time we spoke was at the funeral." Her tone dropped.
"Yes, so it seems."
Brooke took a deep breath, "I just want to let you know, that just because me and Cassie have bad blood between us, doesn’t mean that I hold a grudge against you. I genuinely think you’re a good person," she reached for his hand and gave it a tight squeeze, "And I want you to know that I’ll always be here for you, if you need someone to talk to." She raised her gaze to his, only to see he had his eyes directed at Thane whilst he spoke.
Before she could raise a brow, Julian withdrew his hand.
"Mr Julian-"
"Brooke, I’d much rather prefer it if you didn’t come looking for me anymore. It’s just like you said, you and Cassie have bad blood, I don’t want to pick sides, and even if I had to..." he took a pause, as though finding the right words to say.
Or rather the courage to say them.
He looked Brooke dead in the eye and said, "I’d pick my daughter."
Brooke’s heart broke. "I’m not asking you to choose, I know Cassie is your daughter, I’m just saying you don’t have to feel guilty over what happened between the both of us in the past." She tried to explain.
"No Brooke, you don’t understand. My daughter is pregnant, she’s also getting engaged, I don’t want to upset her anymore by meeting with the woman she hates. You and I have nothing to do with each other, so please, don’t come looking for me anymore." He told her, then got up.
"I think the both of you should leave." He announced.
"But wait-"
Thane cut her off, he got up and stretched his hand out to her, "Brooke, we’ve got what we came here for, let’s leave." He said firmly, his tone leaving no room for arguments.
She looked at Julian who for some reason looked awfully sad, and then at Thane who seemed indifferent to the situation.
"Alright." She replied, taking his hand. She turned to Julian, who could not even look her in the eye. "Goodbye, Mr Julian." She said to him, then turned to leave.
"Wait-"
Brooke sharply turned her head, hoping he had said something, at least she thought she heard him say something. But when she turned around, Julian looked away, discarding her thoughts.
Thane wrapped his arm around her, pulling her to his side, shielding her view of him. He leaned in, "Brooke, let’s go." He said into her ear.
"Oh, right." She responded in a distant tone, then followed him out of the house.
Author’s Note: Today’s upload will still happen, sorry for dropping this late.