Chapter 148

Chapter 148

Leanne hopped into the car and casually told Jake, “Go to Golden Grove Manors.”

Curtis glanced over with his eyebrows raised. “Back to the old haunt, huh?”

The days she’d spent at Crystal Cove Villas were a mix of false bliss and harsh reality, which she had no desire to revisit.

She had moved there temporarily because of Derek’s threats. Since the danger he posed was gone, considering she felt more at home in Golden Grove Manors, it was time to return to her sanctuary.

“Curiosity killed the cat, you know,” Leanne shot back, evading his question.

As Leanne finished her sentence, she suddenly remembered Curtis, in this very car, once said the same thing to her..

Back then, he still sarcastically called her “Mrs. Richardson”, but now, he was nothing more than her almost-ex-husband.

It felt like history repeating itself.

190

She wondered if Curtis remembered his words. He just said with a snarky tone, “What’s with the teenage rebellion, divorcing and all?”

Leanne didn’t feel like engaging in conversation. She turned to gaze out the window, but her phone buzzed with a new message, drawing her attention back inside.

Curtis’ gaze lazily swept over her screen, catching a glimpse of the flashy emojis. It wasn’t Jeremy.

His eyes landed on the group chat’s name.

“Stonebridge’s top three stunners?” he mused, finding the odd connection to her quite

amusing.

Leanne quickly tilted her screen away. “It’s not cool to snoop on someone’s phone,” she chided.

Selina had created the chat group, and they bombarded it daily with their banter, from yesterday’s leftover-tasting takeout to the trending topic of a pop star caught cheating, whom they nicknamed “Curtis.”

To them, Curtis had somehow morphed into the epitome of an absolute jerk.

ge a little.

Each time Leanne opened the chat and saw that name, she couldn’t help but cringe She wondered what had been going through Selina’s head when she came up v

with that

name.

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Chapter 148

With his legs crossed, Curtis was unusually free from the constant calls and laptop work.

Leaning back, he asked with a half-smile, “Out of you three, you might be the top stunner’ but what about the other two?”

Leanne retorted, “Mind your own business.”

When they stopped at Golden Grove Manors, Leanne stepped out of the car and leaned in to thank the driver. “Jake, I appreciate the lift today.”

Jake was flattered by her politeness, quickly responding, “Ma’am, it’s all part of the service.”

Curtis chuckled from the back. “You sure know how to express gratitude. Why are you thanking my driver instead of me directly? Do your patients thank the scalpel after surgery?”

“Not always. Sometimes, patients thank the scissors,” Leanne quipped, ready to close the car door.

Lounging in his seat, Curtis teased her, “I give you a ride home, and you don’t even invite me in for a coffee?”

Leanne shot back. “I’m out of coffee at my place.”

Stumped, Curtis watched Leanne shut the door and walk away.

“Sharp-tongued,” he muttered, “I wonder who she got that from.”

Jake glanced at him through the rearview mirror with a knowing look.

Watching her disappear into the lobby, Jake hesitated before speaking, “Mr. Curtis, I might be out of line here…”

Tired from the day’s activities, Curtis massaged his temples. “If you know it’s inappropriate, why say it?”

Jake fell silent.

But Curtis’ curiosity got the better of him. “What were you about to say?”

Jake was ready to back out, but noticing Curtis’ relaxed demeanor, a change from his recent moodiness, he decided to speak up.

“You might want to have a heart-to-heart with Mrs. Richardson. She’s not one for tough. talk, you know.”

Curtis didn’t take offense to Jake’s bluntness, merely grunting in acknowledgment, “Heart-to-heart, huh? She’s tough as nails, that one.”

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