Just as she was about to give up, she noticed that a door leading from the bedroom to a small balcony outside
was open.
Loraine pushed it open, and immediately, she was hit by a strong smell of alcohol.
Empty bottles of wine were scattered all over the floor, and on a rocking chair nearby lay Marco, his gaze empty
and fixed on the distance, his face devoid of any emotion and exuding an aura of desolation and coldness.
Loraine’s heart ached and anger flared up within her at the sight of all these. She quickly strode over to snatch
the wine bottle from his hand, and threw it to the ground. It shattered with a loud bang, finally catching Marco's
attention. He turned to look at her, his face blank.
Immediately, the words of reproach Loraine had wanted to throw at him froze in her throat. Instead, she leaned
over, touched his forehead with her hand, and said softly, “Stop drinking. It's not good for your health.”
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Marco gazed at her for a while before letting out a bitter, self-deprecating chuckle.
“You saw the trending story online, didn’t you?”
His voice sounded rough and hoarse.
In response, Loraine nodded silently. Whether the news was true or false was irrelevant to her at this moment. All
she cared about was the man in front of her.
Marco smiled wryly.
“Though I've Long been disappointed in the Bryant family, | never imagined that they would ever stoop so low
and expose this matter for their own selfish gain,” he said bitterly.
Loraine was shocked. “You mean it was someone from the Bryant family that leaked this information? How dare
they do such a thing?”
TFor Thi
Now, the Bryant Group relied entirely on Marco for support. Even if he truly was an illegitimate child, the Bryant
family had to keep this secret hidden for their own good. How could they take the initiative to expose it?
Loraine couldn't understand the reason of exposing.
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Marco let out a bitter laugh. “It’s unlike my grandmother to act this way, but Marina and her mother are
different. They would go to any lengths to work in their favor.”
Loraine silently berated them and gazed upon Marco's drained countenance, her heart aching more intensely.
If not for his concern with his so-called family, Marco, being image-conscious, wouldn't have hidden away in
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmsolitude, drowning his sorrows in alcohol.
She offered him solace by gently patting his shoulder, causing Marco’s eyes to shimmer. His voice raspy, he
confessed, “Loraine, | regret not revealing this to you earlier... | was overly concerned about how you'd perceive
me, and | didn’t want you to think less of me.”
Caught off guard, Loraine took a moment before softly asserting, “Your identity doesn’t define you, and it’s you
as a person that matters to me, not your standing.”
Otherwise, she wouldn't have kept her true self hidden and becpart of the Bryant family.
On hearing this, a spark lit up Marco's otherwise desolate eyes, and he felt a rush of warmth. Unable to contain
himself, he wrapped Loraine in a comforting hug.
Her closeness only fueled his longing for her. Marco allowed himself to be vulnerable before his beloved, closing
his eyes to the world around him.