Betrayed Then Back For Blood (Briar Jennings) novel Chapter 12

hapter 12

Since Briar came with Edgar earlier, her motorcycle was still back at the Jennings family. To get to Wade Mansion, she’d need to call a cab.

But just as she stepped outside and pulled out her phone, a black Bentley rolled up to the curb.

The driver was Brandon, one of Ashton’s bodyguards she’d seen at the Wade Mansion. The car stopped right in front of her, and the back window rolled down to reveal Ashton, laptop open on his lap.

“What a coincidence, Miss Jennings,” he said, gl

glancing up from his screen. “Where are you off to? Want a ride?”

Briar’s lips twitched. She was sure he already know

exactly where she was going.

She gave him a dry smile. “What a coincidence.”

She had just told him she’d be coming to treat Griffin, so obviously she wasn’t going anywhere else.

This whole act of his–pretending to run into her–felt old–school.

Still, Ashton was good–looking. Briar had a soft spot for pretty faces, so even though his move was kind of cheesy, she gave him a warm smile and answered honestly, “I was just about to grab a cab to your place.”

“Perfect. I’m headed home too. Want to ride together?” he offered with a grin.

Briar nodded. “Why not?”

Anyway, a free ride in a Bentley was way better than a cramped cab.

Brandon hopped out of the driver’s seat and opened the door for her. “Please, Miss Jennings.”

“Thanks,” Briar said, sliding in like she belonged there. As she sat down, she happened to catch a glimpse of Ashton’s laptop screen–investment documents tied to Shoneport University.

She reacted immediately–he wasn’t bluffing when he said he had money tied up in the school.

Ashton didn’t try to hide anything. He wrapped up whatever he was working on, then shut the laptop and reached for his briefcase.

“This just came in–your acceptance letter from Shoneport University,” he said, handing her an elegant envelope and a thick welcome packet.

“Thanks,” Briar said, taking it and opening it right away. She’d grown up overseas, so this was her first time seeing a university acceptance letter from

Dasmieca.

The packet was surprisingly fancy. The first thing inside was a stunning photo of Shoneport University’s main gate, followed by 3D layouts of all the department buildings. Since her major was traditional medicine, those buildings were highlighted–they looked clean, professional, even kind of pretty.

Briar flipped through everything carefully before tucking it all into her backpack.

Ashton didn’t say much during the ride. He only asked a few quick questions about Griffin’s condition.

Briar noticed him glancing at her from time to time, but his looks weren’t weird or uncomfortable–more curious than anything–so she just ignored

them.

They pulled into the Wade Mansion before 11 AM. Like last time, a group of people had gathered in the yard. But this time, it wasn’t Griffin’s oldest son’s family. It was the second son’s group waiting out front.

It seemed that the family had worked out a rotation, taking turns watching over Griffin until he got better.

Briar followed Ashton into the yard, and right away, a dozen pairs of eyes locked onto her. No one was even looking at Ashton anymore. And one girl in

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Chapter 12

the crowd, Emily Wade, her stare held the weight of suspicion, as if she believed Briar brought trouble in with the wind.

Briar wasn’t dressed up, just in casual clothes, but she’d worn a little makeup earlier for her Jennings Group meeting. It brought out her features, making her even more striking than she’d been here before.

From the very first glance, Emily felt a surge of quiet hostility toward Briar, driven by a woman’s innate sense of jealousy.

On top of that, Briar’s sudden appearance had ruined her parents‘ plan to hire Wyatt for Griffin’s treatment.

“Ashton, is she the miracle doctor who did acupuncture on Grandpa?” Emily asked, forcing a smile. “She’s so young. Can we really trust her? I mean, I’m about to become Wyatt’s student. Why don’t I treat Grandpa instead?”

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