Marrying A Secret Zillionaire: Happy Ever After Novel

Chapter 1017: Dolores came to a halt after only a few steps. The earnestness in Dustin's voice had stripped away whatever annoyance had flickered within her. Truthfully, she hadn't been upset-she only wanted to hurry him out of the room. As she stood still, Dustin followed suit, his tall figure coming to a steady stop right beside her. For the briefest moment, Dolores had the strange sensation of being wrapped in his arms, though he hadn't moved a muscle. Lately, Hester's meddling had made it nearly impossible for Dustin and Dolores to have a proper conversation.

Recognizing this, Dolores decided she no longer wanted to keep her distance from him intentionally. With a mischievous grin, Dolores teased, "You're always so quick to defend Collin. Someone who didn't know better might think you two were brothers or something." Seeing Dolores' mood lighten, Dustin let out a quiet sigh of relief, his own expression softening into an easy smile. "Naturally, Collin and I have a solid bond," he replied warmly. Dolores didn't dwell on it, responding offhandedly, "You're always so loyal to Collin, following his every word without question.

I haven't seen him go out of his way for you much in return." She playfully tapped Dustin's forehead and continued, "You need to think for yourself sometimes. Sure, Collin's older and technically your boss, but that doesn't mean you should just do whatever he says without considering your own needs." Dolores meant to gently nudge Dustin to prioritize himself instead of constantly putting Collin's feelings first. But her words inadvertently stirred memories of Hester's recent biting comments, mocking Dustin for not measuring up to Collin.

Hester hadn't just mocked him-she had also belittled Dolores. Your favorite stories are on gⱯlnσνes․cøm "Dustin, what's on your mind?" Noticing Dustin's sudden distraction, Dolores worried her remarks about Collin might have upset him. "Okay, I'll lay off talking about Collin. You really do stick up for him no matter what." Dustin snapped out of his thoughts, a swirl of emotions flickering in his gaze. "That's not it..." he said, lowering his eyes briefly before meeting Dolores' gentle features. Hesitantly, he added, "You're calling me out, but aren't you the same with Linsey?

You're always there for her, doing whatever she needs. These days, you've been helping with Zenia and Zander, and today you even dropped everything to come to the hospital with her to check on Gorman, setting your own work aside." Dolores blinked, then laughed softly. "What are you getting at? Linsey and I have been best friends for years-practically sisters. Helping each other is just what we do." She was about to mention that she had been on vacation recently when her phone buzzed in her pocket. "Hang on, I need to take this," she told Dustin. Glancing at the screen, she saw Glenda's name.

"Ms. Davidson, sorry to disturb you. Zenia and Zander are asking for their favorite picture book, but I can't find it. Zenia said you read them a bedtime story last night to help them fall asleep," Glenda said. . . .