Rebirth Revenge Is Everything (Ariana) novel Chapter 644

Earl knew he was losing his composure.

When he first married Kendra, she had made it clear their union was one of mutual benefit—a practical arrangement he'd agreed to willingly. Though aware she didn't love him, he'd secretly hoped time might kindle affection. But over two decades, Kendra's unwavering politeness remained as frostily proper as their wedding day. The bitter irony wasn't lost on him; perhaps he should never have entertained such delusions.

Still, he consoled himself—at least she was here, by his side. That was what truly mattered. Yet news of Eliseo's son returning had unraveled his carefully maintained calm. Memories surged of the torment he'd endured when their daughter Irene married that boy, though he'd never let it show. The divorce had been an unexpected relief... even if Kendra had remained characteristically detached throughout.

This explained why other patriarchs would rage over a daughter's failed marriage while he'd offered only understanding. The world mistook it for paternal devotion, unaware his relief stemmed from severing that cursed connection between Kendra and... him.

But now Eliseo's son was returning. Earl's jaw tightened as ominous premonitions coiled in his chest.

Noticing his strained expression, Kendra arched an elegant eyebrow—her silent inquiry hanging between them like autumn mist.

She pursed her lips slightly before responding, "The Moore Group and the Harper Corporation have a cooperative relationship. It's perfectly normal for their heir to personally negotiate the project—it shows how much they value this partnership. What exactly are you trying to say?"

Earl hesitated, his gaze lingering on Kendra's furrowed brows and the look of exasperation on her face, as if he were being unreasonable. He couldn’t possibly voice his true thoughts outright.

So he took a roundabout approach. "I’m just concerned that the Moore Group might have ulterior motives. After all, in previous projects, Bran, as the heir, rarely showed up in person to negotiate. Now that he’s here himself, could it be... he has another agenda? Like, say, reconciling with Irene?"

He could easily imagine Eliseo entertaining such an idea.

But there was no way he’d let that happen!

Earl gritted his teeth inwardly.

Kendra, however, seemed to catch on instantly. She frowned in thought before replying calmly, "That’s unlikely. The marriage alliance between the Moore and Harper families was purely for business synergy. Both Irene and Bran agreed to it. Now that they’re divorced, the projects between the two companies are still running smoothly, so there’s little value in remarrying."

Unless, of course, they’ve rekindled something in private.

That, she couldn’t say for sure.

Perhaps they had reconnected—young people’s emotions were always fickle. If Bran wanted to remarry because of that...

Well, it wasn’t entirely impossible.

Earl had known Kendra for so many years that he could practically read her thoughts just by her expression. Quickly, he added, "That’s what I think too, but what if Bran really does want to reconcile?"

Kendra: "..."

Earl pressed on, "At the end of the day, we can’t make decisions for our daughter. If she still had feelings for that Bran kid, why would they have divorced? Besides, Irene told me not long ago that she already has a sweetheart."

As far as Earl was concerned, as long as his daughter didn’t get entangled with the Moore Group again, she could marry anyone she wanted!

He simply couldn’t stand that man’s scheming ambition!

Even if his own marriage was now nothing more than a hollow formality, Earl was determined to hold onto it.

Kendra: "..."

Earl, however, didn’t see it as a big deal. After all, this was just a business marriage, and right now, he was desperate to get his daughter married off—as long as it wasn’t to Bran, anyone would do. So he was quite satisfied with this arrangement. Besides, Irene liked the guy, so the fact that he was already married with three kids hardly mattered.

Kendra's expression turned icy.

She shot Earl a dark, withering look, her face twisted in displeasure.

She truly hadn’t expected this—Irene had fallen for a married man? Breaking up a family? A homewrecker? Hah… what an accomplishment.

Earl took one glance at Kendra’s expression and knew things were bad. He hurried to explain, "It’s not like that. Our daughter was in love with him back in college, but they had to separate because of the arranged marriage with Bran. Now that she’s back, she wants to reconcile, and the man feels the same. Once he finalizes his divorce from his previous business-marriage partner, they can be together."

Kendra: "..."

Suddenly, Kendra laughed—a cold, mirthless sound. "Let’s set aside the fact that he’s already married. Even if their feelings run deep, that doesn’t excuse meddling in someone else’s life. And even if we ignore *that*—when Irene married Bran, I asked for her opinion. Why didn’t she tell me then that she was in love with someone else?"

Though Kendra was known for her frosty demeanor and detached nature, she had never forced Irene into an arranged marriage.

Before the union with the Moore Group, she had explicitly asked if Irene was willing. If not, it wouldn’t have been an issue.

And Irene had agreed—without ever mentioning a boyfriend she still loved.