Chapter 31
Chapter 31
Zack grinned, pulling a medical patch from his pocket with a sneaky flourish. “Grandma, you’ve got to try this! It’s like magier
He’d gone to Sylvia’s house that afternoon and asked Ruby for it, just for Liana.
Liana shook her head, her voice tired. “Zack, no medicine helps me anymore. Don’t worry about it.”
Her mind wandered to Sylvia. Only Sylvia’s patches had ever really worked.
But since the divorce, Liana had checked every pharmacy and found nothing.
“Grandma, just try it!” Zack begged, his eyes big with hope. “It might actually help!”
Liana sighed, unable to say no to his eager face. She peeled open the patch’s wrapper and lay on the couch, letting Zack place it on her sore lower back.
The second the patch touched her skin, a cool, calming feeling spread through her waist.
The swollen, aching pain seemed to fade, replaced by a relief she hadn’t felt in years. She let out a soft sigh of comfort.
Half an hour later, Liana carefully sat up from the couch, testing her back. The sharp pain was gone.
“Zack, where’d you get this patch?” she asked, her voice full of surprise.
Zack grinned wide, pumped that it worked.
He paused, then said, “Grandma, it’s from my friend’s mom. But they can’t sell it right now. The FDA says it’s not up to standard. Grandma, can you help?”
“They’re blocking a patch this good?” Liana’s brow creased, annoyance sparking at Zack’s words.
She’d seen countless doctors and pharmacies, and nothing eased her bad back pain like these patches.
If they were gone for good, she’d have no other way to deal with the pain.
Zack’s face was all determination, his voice serious. “Yeah, Grandma! You’ve gotta help my friend’s mom. The FDA’s making it tough for her. This medicine’s awesome; it should be helping lots of people!”
Liana went quiet for a moment, then patted Zack’s head with a warm smile. “We’ll talk to your dad about it when he’s back.”
Feeling better than she had in months, she took Zack’s hand. “Come on, let’s eat dinner.”
Zack shook his head, staying put on the couch. “You go ahead, Grandma. I’m gonna wait for Dad so I can tell him about the patch.”
Liana tilted her head, curious. “Zack, who’s this friend’s mom? Is she someone important to you?”
She’d never heard him talk about this woman before, and his persistence made her wonder.
Zack’s eyes flickered, his cheeks turning pink. “She’s… just my friend’s mom. I just care because the patch helped you, that’s all.”
Liana’s smile grew, touched by his growing thoughtfulness. She grabbed her phone from the couch, heading to the kitchen.
Outside, night had fallen. Byron was at a fancy/small banquet, with Joanna by his side.
The room hummed with clinking glasses and laughter. Joanna, taking advantage of a moment when attention was elsewhere, gave a subtle glance to a
fellow actress across the table.
The actress, a friend from Joanna’s industry circle, caught the hint and raised her wine glass with a playful smile.
1/3
Chapter 31
“Mr. Blair” she said, “you and Joanna have been together forever. When are you going to pop the question?”
Joanna’s cheeks turned a soft pink, and she gave Byron a shy, sideways glance, her eyes sparkling
The table burst into excited chatter, guests jumping in with enthusiasm.
“Seriously, Mr. Blair, it’s time to make it official with Miss Moore!” someone said.
Another one chimed in, “For real! Everyone’s seen how loyal sho
been. You can’t let someone like her get away!”
Byron’s gaze stayed cool, a faint smirk on his lips. “Sounds like you’to
all more
excited than Joanna is.”
The group laughed, their faces flushing. They’d been prompted by Joanna earlier, and now their scripted push felt a bit too obvious, leaving them squirming.
After his divorce from Sylvia, Byron had thought he’d move fast with Joanna.
But lately, that excitement had faded, and thoughts of Sylvia kept slipping into his head.
After the divorce, Byron was sure Sylvia would come begging to get back together, unable to make it on her own.
Now she was back, but not at all how he’d pictured.
She hadn’t even glanced his way, let alone asked to patch things up. Instead, she’d turned into the founder of some new brand, standing stronger than
ever.
“Okay, everyone, let’s not push Byron. No need to rush,” Joanna cut in, smoothing over his sharp tone.
She forced a tight smile, hiding the nerves twisting inside her.
Just then, Byron’s phone buzzed in his pocket.
Liana’s voice came through, sounding urgent. “Byron, can you come home? Zack needs to talk to you about something…”
Byron gave a quick nod, hung up, and stood, grabbing his suit jacket from the rack.
Joanna jumped up, her voice sharp. “Byron, where are you going?”
“Zack needs me,” he said, his tone short, already heading for the door.
He stopped at the doorway, turning to throw a cold look over the room. “If you’re all so worried about Joanna, maybe you should set her up with someone.”
He was done with her little schemes.
Joanna’s face went pale, her carefully planned move falling apart. The other guests swapped awkward glances, their chatter fading.
Byron drove home, his jaw clenched, and went straight to the living room.
Zack was still on the couch, his small frame looking oddly lonely under the lamp’s soft light.
Byron softened, sitting next to him. “Grandma says you’ve got something to tell me, so big you skipped dinner?”
“It’s about a medical patch…” Liana began.
She quickly filled Byron in on the details.
Byron’s eyes stayed on Zack, a hint of surprise in them.
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Chapter 31
Zack had always been reserved, like him, rarely getting worked up over someone else’s issues.
This was… new.
“Who’s this friend of yours?” Byron asked, leaning in, his curiosity growing.
“Dad, don’t ask so many questions!” Zack hopped off the couch, reaching into his pocket.
He pulled out a medical patch and shoved it toward Byron, his voice urgent. “It’s this patch! Just get the FDA to approve it, okay?”
He didn’t dare say it was Sylvia’s, scared Byron would shoot it down.
Byron tossed the patch onto the coffee table with a casual flick. “We’ll handle it tomorrow.”
To him, it was no big deal, hardly worth his time.
Zack’s face fell, but he pushed on. “Dad, let me come with you tomorrow!”
“Tomorrow’s Monday. You’ve got school,” Byron said, his tone turning cold.
“I can go with you first, then get to class. I promise I won’t miss anything!”
“No,” Byron snapped, a flash of annoyance showing.
He was getting more curious–who made this patch that had his son so worked up?
Zack’s shoulders drooped, hurt crossing his face. Without a word, he shuffled toward the stairs, head down.
Byron watched his son’s defeated figure, a pang of guilt hitting him.
He called out, his voice gentler. “Alright, don’t mope. Forget tomorrow–we’ll go to the FDA tonight.”
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