Pampered by my three brothers: the return of the neglected heiress

Chapter 1357: Taken at 32

Grace's eyes dilated as she briefly held her breath, her brows rising in surprise. There, standing not far from her vantage point, was Haines. He was leaning against the wall across from her, tapping his cane on the floor.

DING!

As the sound of his phone faded, he caught a figure from the corner of his eye. Slowly, Haines turned his head and met Grace's gaze. He peeled his back from the wall, saying nothing as he stared at her.

After a moment, Grace resumed her steps and stopped two paces from him. "You came?" she asked almost playfully. "I just sent you a text. Didn't know I'd get a response so soon."

A shallow breath escaped Haines, his mouth parting. But no words came out. Are you sick?

Since when?

Who else knows?

You should tell Penny.

Does your mother know?

And... why one month? How long do you have left?

There were countless questions Haines wanted to ask her. So many questions, but little to no answers. And all he could do was stare, trying to mask the sympathy in his eyes. To be honest, he didn't even know why he was here. All he remembered was thinking about Grace's cancer, and now... here he was.

Grace tilted her head, her brows rising. "Hello?" she called playfully. "You're just staring at me, and I'm fighting the urge to check if I have a booger in my nose."

"One month," Haines blurted out, his jaw clenching as he immediately regretted saying it.

"Hmm?"

"One month, and it's over," Haines continued, knowing he couldn't take those words back. It was the least he could do. A month was nothing to him. But perhaps, it meant the world to her.

wrong-not just the age gap but also the reason behind his agreement. And if she knew why he was agreeing, she would probably reject

between Grace's brows, confused.

said, checking his wristwatch. "After one month, exactly at this time,

I miss you, so don't expect any calls from me. We'll have four dates. Four Sundays," Haines continued in one breath. "Lastly, no one has to

are my conditions. If you

II

II

again, her eyes

her strong suits, so she heard him loud

date me for a

"Yes."

want from me is

know them," he said. "I would have asked for a contract, but I'll settle for a trust collateral. I don't want them worrying. You're Penny's friend, and I don't intend to ruin

She bit her bottom lip to suppress a

her chest, smacking her lips. "Four dates is too little,

"I'll attend your birthdays."

"You'll celebrate them with me on top of

"Yes."

she hummed, considering his words. "Then I'll choose when and where

thought for a second before nodding. "Fine. Let me know

She winked at him. Then she checked her wristwatch, smiling as she looked back at him. "Two minutes before my 32nd birthday

other, her mouth slightly curled, eyes glinting with amusement. Haines, on the other hand, just stared, unsure whether what he was doing was foolish or the right thing. But one if he could offer even a little comfort to a dying person, then he

knew for

he had already given his youth, his heart, and everything to someone

****

The next day... freewebnovel.com

usual morning grogginess was absent. She simply