Regretting the Wife He Threw Away

Chapter 459

After several days of soul-searching, Briony Kensington finally decided to stay in Northborough.

Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't right to keep living at Skybreeze Retreat with James Delaney. Sooner or later, James would get married and start his own family-her staying there could easily be misunderstood by outsiders. They were close as siblings, yes, but without any blood ties, it was all too easy for people to jump to the wrong conclusions.

She didn't want to complicate James's future, especially when it came to finding a partner. The solution was clear: Briony needed a place of her own.

She'd bought that riverside villa in Pearbrook four years ago, but it had sat empty ever since. The location was perfect-close to her design studio, and just a short drive from Little Nina's preschool. School drop-offs and pick-ups would be so much easier.

With her mind made up, Briony started making arrangements for renovations. It was already June; if she pushed the schedule a bit, the work could be finished within six months. By next September, she and Nina would be all settled in.

When James heard about her plan, he couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment. Still, he understood her reasons and didn't try to argue. In fact, he took it upon himself to help Briony find a trustworthy interior designer and a solid construction team.

The Pearbrook house was huge, five stories including the basement. Renovating all that space wouldn't be cheap. Luckily, Briony hardly needed to worry about money. When her marriage ended, Stewart Wentworth had given her a billion dollars in cash, plus the deed to her entire studio building. With those assets, and all she'd earned in recent years, Briony was, by any measure, a wealthy woman.

Having a child to raise made her even more driven. Like most parents, she found herself caught in the endless cycle of working harder and harder, trying to earn more because raising a child was expensive, and she wanted to give Nina the best.

The entertainment company she'd acquired with Mr. Seven had recently taken a hit, thanks to the Rosita Lockwood and Ottilie Kensington scandal. Still, the penalty fees Rosita and Ottilie were forced to pay more than covered the losses. The company used the opportunity to sign a new wave of talent, and the signing bonuses were neatly offset by those same penalty payments.

Meanwhile, Mary had become the company's rising star. Her quick wit and candor on the reality show "Timeless Treasures" especially her comeback to Rosita- had made her an instant hit. Briony decided to shift Rosita's former projects and resources to Mary, investing in her as the company's new leading lady.

ended, Mary had come over to ask for Briony's number, and the two had exchanged contacts. Briony, however, chose not to reveal that she

Mary was clever, perceptive, and a natural actress. As long as she stayed grounded and didn't get swept up in

afternoon, just as Briony was leaving the villa, she glanced at her phone

have you been in touch with Mr.

back as she walked to her car: [Mr. Ellsworth

[I've messaged him, and

Briony paused.

Mary interested

she'd noticed that he and Mary got along surprisingly well. Their personalities were opposites-one calm, the other lively-but maybe that was what

setting him up on blind

that wouldn't be a bad

at all.

IMS

messaged Mary: [Want me to ask him for

Briony, you're

Briony opened Ferdinand's

are

[Not at all. Did