Balfour received a scolding from his sister, which promptly put him in line, though he still shot her a playful tease. âThe guy just came back, and youâve started taking his side already?â
Ellinor snorted. âHeâs my husband; if I donât defend him, who will?â
Balfour chuckled at his sisterâs feisty response. He was relieved to see her in good spirits. âOkay, okay!
I wonât dare speak ill of Mr. Blanchet anymore. Only words of praise from now on, is that acceptable?â
Ellinor grunted in agreement. âYou better not harass him.â
Balfour felt unfairly accused. âMy dear sister, you have too high an opinion of me. Iâve never been able to get the better of him; heâs always been the one to pull the rug out from under me.â
âWell, then you need to pull up your socks!â Ellinor fired back at him.
This made Balfour laugh. âYou ungrateful little thing! You really are choosing your husband over your brother. I want to pay you a visit and check on my beloved brother-in-law in passing. How does that sound?â
Ellinor contemplated it before declining. âNot now, some other time. Iâll set aside time for you to treat him to a meal.â
Balfour twisted his mouth. âWhy so harsh, sis? I need to ask for permission to invite him out to dinner?âBooks Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updatesâ¦
Ellinor raised an eyebrow. âOf course! If you donât want to, then forget it. We are quite busy lately anyway.â
Balfour quickly acquiesced. âNo, no, Iâd love to! Thank you in advance for your generosity. I am at your disposal.â
A small smile appeared on Ellinorâs face. âGreat! Wait for my call.â
With that, she hung up.
On the other end of the line.
Balfour shook his head in bemusement. His sister had eyes only for Mr. Blanchet.
After dismissing his subordinate, Theo approached Ellinor carrying a few dozen delicacies. âWas that your brother on the phone?â
Ellinor nodded. âHe heard about what happened and wanted to come over. I didnât let him.â
Theo offered her a gentle smile as they walked towards the elevator. âWhy not? He could have visited Marlinie too.â
Ellinor frowned. âI didnât want him to because Mom is here.â
The elevator doors opened, and they stepped in. Theo asked, âWhy?â
With no one else in the elevator, Ellinor pursed her lips before saying, âMy mom only wants to see me.
She didnât want to see anyone from the Howard family, which is why she transferred here.â
Theo nodded in understanding. âAlright. Letâs treat your brother to a meal then. Heâs been quite helpful behind the scenes.â
Ellinor agreed. âI told him weâd dine out, but heâs the one whoâs treating us, not the other way around.â
Theo laughed, his usually stern eyes curving in amusement. âYouâre so protective of me. Youâre even thinking of saving me money?â
Ellinor shot him a look. âIâm defending you; arenât you happy? If not, you can pick up the tab.â
Theo smirked. âIâll listen to you. If you want me to pay, Iâll pay. If not, I wonât spend a dime.â
Ellinor laughed, but then noticed Theo was carrying a lot of gifts with his injured arm. She then quickly reached out to relieve him. âLet me help you. You shouldnât move your arm too much.â