Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled novel Chapter 286

"She's Oscar's sister, and she's married with kids. You should treat her like family." I idly remarked while bending down to scratch the head of the little dog.

"Sounds simple." Neil scoffed, "You've got tons of houses. Why did you have to bring her here?"

I shot him a look, "I just thought it would be easier to take care of her. Is there a problem with that?"

Neil replied with a poker face, "Yes, there is. She's a married woman. Why does she need your care? You're just stirring up trouble for me."

"Neil, can't you show a little compassion?" I couldn't help but raise my voice.

"So, if I suggest moving her to another place, that means I lack compassion?" Neil laughed in annoyance, "You really know how to put someone in a spot."

I did feel a bit selfish. I only thought about how I could take care of Hannah, completely ignoring the inconvenience it might cause Neil. So I decided to keep my mouth shut.

Just then, the little dog started barking.

Neil tugged at its ear, "Quiet."

I swatted his hand away, "You're abusing the animal!"

Neil fell silent.

Just a gentle tug was considered animal abuse? He must've thought it was absurd too.

After noticing my indifference, Neil got up and headed upstairs. I followed him immediately. If he was going to his study, I could try to sneak a peek at his password.

If he used facial recognition, then I would just follow him into the study.

I no longer felt embarrassed in front of Neil. We both knew our relationship was purely a transaction at this point.

"What are you following me for?" Neil turned to look at me as we reached the door of his study.

"Do you have books in your study?" I asked.

Neil gave me a confused look, like he was wondering if I was an idiot. "Irene, haven't you been in my study before?"

I had, but not often. Back then, I was only interested in Neil himself and not what was in his study.

I was caught off guard. Just then, the door opened. The dog in my arms suddenly wriggled free and dashed into the study.

Did it know what I was up to?

"I'm going after the dog!" I said and rushed into the study ahead of Neil.

Neil followed and closed the door behind him.

The study was huge. Two entire walls were lined with bookshelves. There were also various oil paintings and art pieces others had gifted to Neil. He didn't want to find a place to display them, so they were kept in the study.

Pretending to look for the dog, I scanned the desk, hoping to find some clues. But the desk was cluttered with papers filled with dense writing. I couldn't make heads or tails of any of it.

Neil sat down to work. He was usually very focused when working, but today he was disrupted by me.

His eyes occasionally darted towards me. After a while, he asked, "Are you looking for the dog or something else?"

"Just the dog! I don't want it to disturb your work." I replied calmly.

"Really?" Neil pulled out a file from the desk, "I thought you were looking for this. It's internal information about your father's case."

I stiffened. I stared at the file in Neil's hand, at a loss for words.