Chapter 37

Chapter 37

As soon as Clarence arrived, he heard Joseph speaking ill of him, Clarence couldn't help but feel helpless.
"Christina, don't worry. I do have principles. I never go after women who don't want to be with me."

Christina actually believed that Nora was a perfect example.

"Mr. Stone."

Christina lowered her head. She really hadn't figured out how to face Clarence yet.

"I just told Gabriel yesterday to bring you to see me soon, and here you are today. Since that’s the case, let me invite you personally - come to my house. We haven't seen each other in three years, let's catch up properly."

"Okay."

Seeing that she was resisting him because she was on Gabriel's side, Clarence didn't mind.

After all, Gabriel and Christina had years of history together - he could understand that.

What reassured him was that there was no romantic love between them.

After Christina got home, she told Gabriel about meeting Clarence.

Gabriel understood immediately. Clarence had been worried he wouldn’t agree to bring Christina over.

He sighed softly. "Are you free tomorrow? I'll take you to see my dad tomorrow."

The next day.

Since she was meeting an elder, Christina wore a white dress that reached her calves, with a light purple knit cardigan on top. She looked gentle and elegant.

As soon as she finished getting ready and came out, Gabriel had already been waiting downstairs for a while. Hearing footsteps, he stood up, his eyes lighting up.

He was a bit jealous. "Christina, why do you dress better to meet my dad than to meet me?"

"Do I?" Christina didn't think so. She was dressed simply, in a very common outfit. She didn't think it was anything special. "Isn't it possible that you're the only one who thinks that?"

When they arrived at Clarence's house and rang the doorbell, surprisingly, it wasn't Clarence who opened the door, but a man about Gabriel's age.

Looking closely, you could even see they looked somewhat alike.

Christina suddenly turned around and found that Gabriel didn't look surprised at all.

She grabbed Gabriel's arm and whispered to him, "You knew all along we'd run into him here?"

"Him" referred to the man who opened the door - Gabriel's brother, Cecil Stone.

Gabriel nodded calmly.
“They live together. If we’re here to see my father, it’s only natural we’d see him too.”

Christina suddenly felt like leaving. She hadn't expected things to turn out this way. Seeing Cecil must make Gabriel feel terrible.

But Gabriel held her hand and walked steadily through Clarence's front door, step by step.

The moment Cecil saw Christina, he was certain - it was her.

Last time in Harborview City, during dinner, he heard a commotion downstairs. He leaned against the railing looking down, but his gaze was drawn to Christina on the second floor across from him.

Afterward, he stayed in Harborview City for a few extra days, wanting to find out who she was. He wanted to have her.

Who knew that his investigation would lead straight to Gabriel's fiancée.

He eagerly poured coffee for everyone.

He found a topic to chat with Christina about.

"Ms. White, you haven't been in Aurora City for three years. Are you getting used to being back?"

Christina frowned, glanced at Gabriel and Clarence who were talking about something with obvious tension, and answered Cecil's question.

"It's okay. After all, this is where I lived for twenty years."

"I heard Ms. White left Aurora City to escape an arranged marriage. Now that you're back, you dealt with Maya and Fiona decisively as soon as you returned. You came back to keep the White Group from falling into someone else's hands, right?"

"Not really, it just happened by chance." After all, she didn't even know Joseph had softened and fake-married Maya before she came back.

"Then why? To get engaged to Gabriel? That's not it, right? The way you look at Gabriel, there's no love there."

Christina frowned. Cecil's questions were getting too personal for two people meeting for the first time.

Cecil thought her silence meant he'd guessed right.

“Ms. White,” Cecil continued, unfazed, “if you don’t like Gabriel, what do you think of me? We’re both from the Stone family, and I’m not exactly unattractive.”

So he was still holding onto the idea of taking over the Stone family.

She was Joseph's only daughter.

Whether she married or not, the White Group would fall into her hands. Marrying her was equivalent to marrying a powerful business partner.

If he could steal her away from Gabriel and gain the support of the White family behind her, Cecil might really be able to cause Gabriel quite a bit of trouble.

But it would only be trouble.

Christina stood up. "Excuse me, I need to use the restroom."

Cecil watched her leave, tilting his head thoughtfully.

So she didn’t like Gabriel, but she didn’t like him either.

Meanwhile, Clarence kept pulling Gabriel into conversation, deliberately distracting him.

When Christina got up to go to the bathroom, Gabriel's face darkened. "Clarence, did you want to see Christina, or does Cecil want to see Christina?"

Clarence looked embarrassed. He knew it was a bit unethical to help Cecil steal Gabriel's fiancée.

But this was the first time Cecil had fallen for a girl. He couldn't bear not to help him.

Besides, Christina had run away from home to escape the arranged marriage - didn't that prove she didn't like Gabriel?

If she didn't like him, there was no need to force it. She could give Cecil a chance.

Gabriel stood up. "Drop your little schemes. She doesn't like me, but the daughter of the White family won't marry an illegitimate child either!"

Christina had just finished using the bathroom and came out to hear this, then Gabriel pulled her away.

Christina looked at Gabriel's cold profile and looked back at Clarence and Cecil.

"Mr. Stone, I don't like Gabriel, but I just don't like him now. From the moment I decided to agree to get engaged to him, in the future I can only fall in love with him."

She naturally didn't need to say more details, just making her position clear was enough.

As for Gabriel.

Gabriel was worth loving, wasn't he?

He treated her well. He cared for her deeply. And she could already feel herself beginning to soften.

Falling in love with Gabriel was just a matter of time.

She was just informing others of this in advance.

Gabriel's grip on her hand suddenly tightened.

It wasn't until they left Clarence's house that Gabriel let go of Christina.

“I know you said that because you were angry,” he said quietly. “But you don't need to force yourself. Whether you like me or not, you're free. You can get engaged to me or not , whatever you decide, I'll accept it."

Christina looked at Gabriel. She could tell he was speaking from the heart.

“But Gabriel, what should I do?” she said softly.
“I think I’m starting to like you.”
Watching Gabriel's pupils dilate slightly at her words, Christina suddenly felt like kissing him, for some reason.

Thinking this, she did it. Standing on tiptoe, Christina cupped Gabriel's face with both hands. Gabriel froze but instinctively crouched down a bit. Christina's slightly cool lips touched his eyes.

"Gabriel, we'll be fine."

"Christina, what are you doing!"

Chloe was going crazy. What did she just see! How could Gabriel let someone else kiss him!