My Unchosen Ex Chases Reborn Me (Soren and Fiona) novel Chapter 72

hapter 72 Brothers Collide

Chapter 72 Brothers Collide

After all, the art of making one’s wife smile was a craft worth mastering.

Yet Soren kept no companion at his side. He was scrupulously proper, though women–from the grand entertainers at Zephyr’s Estate to the humble serving girls–seemed drawn to him the way moths pursue candlelight.

“I’ve no lady beside me, so I can’t teach you anything,” Soren replied, the chill in his eyes impossible to miss.

The sharp edge in his tone sliced cleanly through the warm spring air.

In earlier days, Soren would never have reacted so curtly, but certainty now weighed on him: in another life, Fiona had belonged to him. That knowledge tightened every muscle in his shoulders.

“Why such a fierce reaction, Soren? I know you have reservations, but glaring at a young lady borders on bullying, Callum said, frown lines carving his forehead.

To Callum, anything less than fairness felt like picking on the defenseless.

“In my eyes, Fiona is kinder and gentler than any lady I have met. She’s every bit as admirable as Ms. Roxanne–perhaps more,” he declared, loyally planting his banner in Fiona’s camp.

If Soren bad–mouthed her again, Callum was ready to settle things the way brothers always had–with fists. They had traded blows before; he doubted he would lose this time.

“She may already carry someone else in her heart,” Soren said, the image of Xavier flitting across his mind. Without another word, he pivoted on his heel and strode away, cloak snapping behind him.

Callum’s frown deepened until it etched a permanent slash between his brows.

Still, he heeded the warning. Quietly, he sent feelers and soon discovered that Xavier’s concern for Fiona bordered on devotion.

Because Xavier served the Zonfrillo Estate, Callum felt it was unjust to steal what might be another man’s happiness.

Yet frankness was in his bones, so he penned Xavier a courteous letter, laying bare his own intentions.

Xavier responded with a letter of his own: “First, I serve Lord Soren for Ms. Fiona’s sake, so

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Chapter 72 Brothers Collide

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you should keep your distance, Mr. Callum. Second, Ms. Fiona will never consent to you.”

Callum didn’t have to hear Xavier say the words to his face. The moment Xavier mentioned- his voice smooth, unhurried–that Fiona would never consent to Callum’s suit, Callum heard the quiet certainty of a man who already knew the answer.

He could only draw one conclusion. Xavier and Fiona must share a closeness deeper than rumor had ever suggested.

Incense curled through the stone cloisters of Frostenden Temple, soft bells tolling in the distance when Fiona stepped onto the terrace.

Callum waited beneath a cypress arch. His expression was tangled–half wounded pride, half boyish melancholy–so much so that he reminded her of a pampered young lord nursing his first heartbreak.

He did not step toward her.

That is just as well, she told herself, one less refusal I must fashion into polite words.

“Fiona, what a stroke of fate!” Naomi chirped, trotting up between Winnifred and Callum. “Here we are crossing paths yet again.”

“Lilith and I are simply collecting a protective amulet for our grandmother,” Fiona replied, her smile measured though genuine.

“Callum, isn’t it an extraordinary coincidence?” Naomi pressed, eyes sparkling.

“Pilgrims stream through Frostenden Temple by the hundreds each day. Encountering someone you know is nothing remarkable,” Callum answered without looking her way.

With that, he sliced away any notion of cosmic affinity.

Naomi blinked, bewildered by her brother’s sudden frostiness. Only yesterday, he had blazed like a midsummer sun around Fiona. Now the light was gone, and she could not guess what game he played.

Fiona offered a small curtsy. “Mr. Callum, Naomi, Lilith and I must hurry back to the estate. We’ll leave you to your devotions.”

With that, she shepherded Lilith through the red–lacquered gates and vanished into the forest of prayer wheels.

“If you behave like this, Fiona will certainly overlook you,” Naomi huffed. “No lady in the world falls for a block of granite.”

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10:24 Sat, Oct 11

Chapter 72 Brothers Collide

“Fiona and I

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