Love's Cunning Ruse novel Chapter 82

"Are you chatting up your ex-wife online?" Dylan moved closer to Hayden as he said it, peeking at Kieran's messages. He burst into a fit of laughter, his face red with amusement. "Wow, that's so you!"

Kieran didn't hide his phone, instead he looked up at Hayden and asked, "When did you get back?"

"Just now." Hayden shrugged off his suit jacket and tossed it on the couch, revealing a crisp white shirt underneath. He had a brooding aura about him, even dressed in clean-cut attire – just like Kieran.

Hayden took a seat in the sofa across from Kieran, lighting a cigarette and asking, "Did Bertha really kill herself?"

"Why don't you ask QuadDylan?" Kieran suggested, looking at Dylan.

Before their older brother Lucian's unexpected death, Dylan had insisted they call him "QuadDylan" since elementary school.

Lucian was six years older than Kieran, naturally taking on the role of their leader.

Hayden was younger than Lucian, ten months older than Kieran, and Dylan was two months older than Kieran. But Kieran had made his stance clear – he didn't want to be the youngest, he wanted to rank the third. If not, he would refuse to acknowledge the ranking.

For some reason, Dylan agreed, allowing them to call him QuadDylan. At first, they didn't think much of the ranking and nickname, but it eventually became a habit.

They were carefree in their youth. Hayden was more outgoing back then, and Kieran wasn't that quiet.

Dylan remembered Hayden's parents were both police officers, very righteous people. Hayden was no different, always ready to stand up for what was right. Back then, Dylan could freely joke around with Hayden and even use his nickname occasionally.

Who could have foreseen Hayden's parents being murdered, which was believed to be a revenge killing, and Hayden getting adopted, losing contact with Lucian, Kieran, and Dylan?

Not long after, when Kieran was twelve, his mother had a sudden mental breakdown and killed Kieran's father. Lucian was eighteen that year.

On the day of Lucian's college entrance exam, Kieran's mother had her episode, killing his father in front of him and setting their house on fire.

Lucian rushed home after turning in his test early. The fire was already severe. Without giving it a second thought, he ran into the burning house and saved a barely alive Kieran, injuring his legs in the process and losing the ability to walk.

After this tragedy, only Kieran, Lucian, and their grandmother remained in the household. All the company affairs fell on eighteen-year-old Lucian's shoulders.

Kieran was raised by Lucian from age twelve to twenty-one. After the tragedies in Hayden's and Kieran's families, the Pierson family sent Dylan, who had just graduated middle school, abroad to study.

Although Dylan and Kieran kept in touch, he didn't know much about what had happened over the years.

He only knew that Hayden and Kieran had reunited. After reuniting, he learned that Hayden was adopted by gang leader Miles Simson. Hayden later worked with the National Security Agency to take down Miles, and had been busy dealing with the gang issues Miles left behind, keeping him occupied.

Today was the first time Dylan had seen Hayden in person since they had grown up, aside from online. To be precise, his helicopter landed directly on the lawn of his villa, and he was brought to Noblewood Retreat.

Hayden clearly knew more about what had happened over the years, or he wouldn't have asked about Bertha's cause of death right off the bat.

Dylan finally replied to Hayden, "On Bertha's body, there were no signs of a struggle before she died, no signs of resistance. Other than the injuries from the fall, there were no other human-inflicted wounds. Whether it was suicide, we can't determine from the autopsy."

"What about the kid?" Hayden asked, blowing out a circle of smoke that slowly dissipated in the air.

Kieran stepped forward, snatching the cigarette from Hayden's hand and stubbing it out in the ashtray. "The kid's with Joyce."

"What does that mean?" Hayden's gaze sharpened as he looked at Kieran, "Does Joyce know the truth?"

Kieran shook his head, "Not yet. But we've kept her close, so we can keep an eye on her. It's a bit more reassuring that way."

"Let her hate you for now, before everything's been figured out." Hayden said seriously.

Kieran gave Hayden a look, and let out a reluctant laugh. "She's not mad at you, so you wouldn't care."

Finally, the quiet Dylan spoke up, "If I'd known all this would happen, I wouldn't have studied abroad. Listening to you guys talk is like hearing a weird code, I don't understand a single thing."

"I'm tired. I'm going to rest." Hayden stated, standing up to leave.

"Wait." Kieran suddenly stopped him.

Hayden paused, waiting for Kieran's words. "Just wanted to give you a heads up, Annalise Hansen has been asking about you since she came back to the country a week ago."

"Who's Annalise?" Hayden asked calmly.

Dylan helplessly pointed at Kieran to answer for him, "His aunt, Annalise. The woman who has been into you for over a decade."

"Oh."

Kieran glanced at Hayden speechlessly, "She's my relative after all, so don't be too harsh when you turn her down."

What Kieran meant was not to hurt Annalise too badly when rejecting her.

After a moment of silence, a brief reply came from the door, "I'll try my best."