Reborn, She's Back for Revenge novel Chapter 183

There weren’t really any good places to eat near the suburban office. Marcus drove toward the city, but barely ten minutes into the drive, Edith told him to pull over.

Edith asked, “Mind if we add one more to our lunch?”

Marcus didn’t mind at all.

Edith got out of the car and crossed the street to the special school. Turned out, their route from the suburbs back to the city passed right by Shaun’s school–what a coincidence.

Since she had taken the day off anyway, Edith thought she might as well have lunch with Shaun. She hardly ever got to spend any real time with him.

Before long, Marcus saw Edith walking out of the school, holding the hand of a little boy. He remembered that Edith had four little brothers. He’d only ever met two so far–Zachary and Joseph.

Zachary and Joseph could really drive him up the wall sometimes, but there was nothing Marcus could do— they were Edith’s family, after all. He just had to grin and bear it and sometimes even bend over backwards to keep them happy.

Marcus couldn’t help but observe Shaun a bit more closely. He noticed the smears of paint on Shaun’s clothes and the art supplies tucked securely under his arm.

Shaun had gotten hooked on drawing recently. No matter where he went, he took his paints and sketchbook along, like they were his own personal security blanket.

Edith helped Shaun into the car, then turned to Marcus and said, “This is my little brother–you can just call him Shaun. And Shaun, this is Marcus.”

Shaun stared at Marcus without a word, his grip on Edith’s arm tightening. He could speak now, but rarely did. He hardly talked even to his own family–let alone to Marcus, someone he’d just met.

Marcus kind of understood how Shaun was, so he spoke gently. “Hey, Shaun, what do you want to eat? I will take you wherever you like.”

Shaun just stayed silent.

Edith suggested, “Let’s just go to the closest restaurant.”

Marcus nodded and drove them to the nearest restaurant.

The restaurant was seriously fancy, with elegant surroundings and live piano music drifting through the air.

Shaun whipped out his sketchbook and a set of paints as soon as he sat down, diving right into his latest masterpiece.

Marcus asked, “Hey, Shaun, can I borrow a sheet of paper and something to draw with?”

8:46 Fri, Sep 19

Chapter 183

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Shaun glanced over at Edith, and when she nodded, he pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Marcus. He searched through his colored pencil box for a moment, then picked out a blue pencil to go with it.

Marcus was a bit surprised. Blue was his favorite color. People always said blue was the color of sadness, but for him, it was the color of wide–open skies.

Whenever he was feeling low, just a glance at that endless blue overhead could blow all his troubles away.

His childhood days at the orphanage left a deep mark on him. At first, it was all heartache and pain. But little by little, he got used to the place.

He and the other kids just messed around every day, acting carefree because that was all they could do.

When they were in a good mood, the director would hand out candy to everyone.

But when he was down, he’d stretch out on the grass with a piece of straw in his mouth, just staring up at the blue sky and the clouds drifting by overhead.

Marcus set to work, and with just a couple of swift strokes, he sketched out a stretch of sky. He started with a soft wash of light blue, then deepened the shade little by little.

The deeper blue had lost that faint touch of sadness and instead radiated a vast, serene beauty–like the sky was endlessly wide and peaceful.

Without pausing, he shaded in a pale, gentle layer of grass beneath the sky. There, he drew a boy lying down, showing just the curve of his side profile, his big eyes turned up toward the sky, a blade of grass hanging from his lips.

The kid looked like he had a world of secrets bottled up–but at the same time, he seemed utterly carefree, as if nothing could weigh him down.

Marcus finished the painting in under ten minutes.

Edith was a bit taken aback. She hadn’t known Marcus could draw.

Shaun, on the other hand, was completely blown away. At the special school, he only had therapy classes–no art lessons at all. He’d taught himself to draw, and his style was pretty dark and moody.

But when he saw Marcus’s painting, it was like someone had punched a hole through the gloom above him, letting the light pour in.

Shaun rummaged in his pencil box and handed over a black colored pencil–his favorite. Nearly every drawing he did had to have some black in it.

Marcus took it and, with a few swift lines, sketched several wild geese crossing the sky. With just a couple of strokes, he brought the geese to life, wings outstretched as they soared off into the endless distance.

Now, the whole picture seemed to open up, full of that boundless, wide–open feeling.

Edith exclaimed, “That’s fantastic.” She turned to Shaun and asked, “What do you think of it, Shaun?”

8:46 Fri, Sep 19

Chapter 183

Shaun nodded.

Marcus looked just like a kid getting praised–his smile couldn’t have been any bigger.

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While the three of them were enjoying one another’s company–chatting and laughing–two people walked

into the restaurant.

This was the only fancy spot anywhere nearby, so Jonathan picked it for him and Hallie to grab a bite first.

The staff led them to a semi–private booth surrounded on three sides by lush greenery, shutting out much of the hustle and bustle from the main dining hall.

Hallie had just settled into her seat when, through a gap between the plants, she caught sight of the three people sitting by the window. She froze, completely stunned.

She’d always thought Marcus was just toying with Edith. But in this moment, seeing the way he looked at her -with that soft, deep affection–Hallie felt a cold chill run through her.

She realized, almost in disbelief, it wasn’t a game. Marcus was really pursuing Edith. He was actually in love.

“What has you looking so captivated?” Jonathan asked and followed her gaze. When he saw Marcus, his face immediately darkened.

Back in Bonrea, Marcus was the definition of a head–turner–guys and girls alike couldn’t help but stop and gawk. Jonathan had lost count of how many of his past girlfriends got starstruck every time Marcus walked by, just standing there, totally unable to look away.

He never imagined that even after coming to Sunspire, he still couldn’t escape living under Marcus’s overwhelming presence.

Annoyed, Jonathan yanked Hallie over and sat her down on his lap, his hand creeping under her shirt, getting more possessive by the second. He leaned in and whispered, “Do you know them?”

Hallie’s heart skipped a beat. She thought, ‘No way I’m admitting I know Edith. What if Jonathan decides to go over and talk to her? That would be a nightmare.’

As much as she refused to admit it, Hallie knew the ugly truth–Edith wasn’t just prettier; her figure was on another level. It infuriated Hallie. She feared the powerful backer she’d worked so hard to land would be snatched away by Edith.

Hallie lowered her head and mumbled softly, “That man gave a speech at our school before. I heard he’s some important figure from Bonrea, so I just glanced at him a bit longer, If you don’t like it, I won’t look again.”

Jonathan gave a cold snort and gave her waist a sharp squeeze, sneering, “Important? He’s just living off the Larson family name. Without the Larsons backing, he’s nothing at all.”

Hallie gazed up at Jonathan with adoring eyes and said, “Of course, he’s nowhere near as impressive as you, Mr. Quinn.”

Jonathan loved the way she looked at him, and his hand started to wander even more boldly.

8:47 Fri, Sep 19

Chapter 183

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Hallie had barely experienced this kind of thing before, so she couldn’t handle his bold moves at all–she practically went limp against him, boneless in his arms.

Just then, a waiter came by with their food, but Jonathan told him to wait outside for a bit.

After they were done, the waiter came in without meeting their eyes and set the steaks down on the table.

Hallie, who had just been in Jonathan’s lap, was now quietly seated across from him.

She couldn’t help but feel that, now that they’d done it, Jonathan had suddenly turned distant. It was like he was already getting bored with her and would probably toss her aside soon.

She took a bite of steak and said softly, “Mr. Quinn, the SATs are coming up soon. I really want to study in Bonrea–my biggest dream is to get into a good college.”

Jonathan’s eyes held a flicker of approval. When he was her age, school had never crossed his mind. More importantly, he figured a girl truly serious about her studies would devote herself to them–not waste energy chasing him.

With his status, finding women had never been a problem; what he dreaded was ending up with someone needy and clingy.

Jonathan thought, ‘This girl is perfect–focused on school, with clear ambitions. Probably won’t get clingy. If I want her, I just have to call, and she’ll come over. No mess, no complications.

‘A clean arrangement I can keep running for a while and see how it goes.’

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