Chapter 276

Nicholas Hayes watched the two figures walk away, and the warmth in his eyes disappeared in an instant, replaced with a cool indifference that didn’t match his usual gentle and courteous persona. There was even a trace of gloom flickering beneath the surface. All he did was deliver a bid confirmation—was that really worth all that over-the-top reaction from Alexander Barron? In his mind, he and Alexander were brothers in arms. Now that he's married, what’s the big deal about wanting to meet his friend’s wife properly? And that last comment from Alexander—what was that supposed to mean? Was that his way of drawing a line? Like saying, “You're just a regular buddy in my book. So if you get too close to Sarah Knight again, there's gonna be trouble?” Nicholas treated Alexander like family, but clearly, Alexander saw him as nothing more than a potential threat to a woman. As the young master of the Hayes family, Nicholas had always had a strong sense of pride. Now, he was convinced Alexande