Chapter 38

Chapter 38

She stepped forward and yanked Christina away. The hatred in her eyes nearly swallowed Christina whole.

Gabriel pulled Christina close and checked her wrist. Her skin was delicate, and the brief tug had already left it red.

"Chloe, what are you doing?" Gabriel's voice carried a clear warning.

Tears streamed down Chloe's face at once.

If Gabriel treated everyone this way, she wouldn't care. But Christina had become his exception.

What was so special about Christina?

"Gabriel, I'm sorry. I just instinctively pulled you two apart. After all, siblings shouldn't act like that. I forgot you're not siblings anymore, but an engaged couple."

Seeing them so close had confused her for a moment. That was normal enough.

However, Gabriel's face was cold. "Don't let it happen again. Remember, Christina and I are engaged."

He watched Christina’s reaction, worried she might pull away again because of Chloe's words.

Christina had finally admitted she liked him.

Gabriel took Christina’s hand and led her away, casting Chloe a cold glance.

Chloe stood there, watching them leave. Their hands were still intertwined. From behind, she could see Gabriel’s profile as he kept his attention to Christina. Chloe clenched her fists so tight that her manicured nails dug into her palms, but she did not feel the pain.

She hoped Nora would bring her good news soon.

Turning away, she headed into Clarence's house.

But Clarence ordered her out.

"Uncle Clarence, what did I do wrong?" Chloe looked hurt.

"Chloe, I may be shameless. Over these years, I've dated women younger than you. But I only want them to be willing, even if they're with me for my money."

Chloe pressed her lips together, unease rising in her chest. Did Clarence find out something?

"Did Nora tell you anything? I did approach her, but I didn't force her. She agreed to everything herself."

"Really? Then why didn’t she come to me? Even when I went to find her, she didn't dare tell me you approached her."

Chloe knew it was over.

She stopped arguing and left.

Without realizing it, her car ended up downstairs from Nora's place.

She wanted to go upstairs and question Nora, but when she thought about Clarence being the former head of the Stone family, she held back.

Instead, she called Nora.

"I'll pay more. You've already done it anyway, so you might as well get the most out of it."

There was a long silence before Nora finally answered, "Okay."

Meanwhile.

Austin agreed to travel with Mary.

After being turned away three times at Christina’s door, he still had his pride.

Mary leaned against him, looking at the dark circles under his eyes with concern. "Austin, isn't Ms. White going too far? I know you like her and can't let her go. I’m not asking for much. As long as I can stay by your side, I can accept anything. But this isn't a long-term solution."

She paused, then continued softly, "Her heart is with Gabriel now. Why don't you disappear for a while? When she realizes she can't live without you, she'll come back, just like I did."

Austin hesitated. What if Christina did not come back?

Gabriel seemed even more persistent than he was, and he lived close to Christina. Unlike Austin, who couldn't even get into her house.

At that moment, Gregory sent another message.

"How are they still together? Gabriel betrayed Christina. It was such a good opportunity, and you didn't seize it?"

A screenshot followed.

Austin tapped it. It was a photo of Christina and Gabriel attending a party together.

After what happened yesterday, she still went to a party with him?

Austin clenched his jaw. Was she trying to provoke him?

Back when he had been close to Mary, Christina had not tolerated it at all. She confronted him the same day.

So what was she doing now?

Trying to prove she had not made a mistake by leaving him?

"Let’s go on that trip tomorrow," Austin said.

Mary was surprised, then her face lit up with joy. Austin had finally been persuaded by her.

As long as he left with her, she believed she could win him over.

"Mom, life is a wilderness."

"The place we once planned to visit together... I ended up going alone."

Recently, Christina had been busy preparing for the engagement party. She barely had time to rest.

She was serious about it and wanted to handle everything herself.

At that moment, she was on the phone with Juniper, inviting her to attend the engagement.

Juniper agreed immediately and said she would come early to explore Aurora City. Then she mentioned Austin and Mary's social media posts.

Christina had no intention of following them, but she had not expected their posts to become a source of amusement.

She zoomed in on the screenshot Juniper sent her and let out a mocking laugh. "What are they even doing? They're using the same photos. How can Austin have the nerve to say he went alone? Didn't anyone in the comments call him out?"

"In our circle, who would contradict him? Even if someone wanted to, it would probably only be Gregory, and he’d say it in private. But with Austin's personality, he wouldn’t listen."

That was true.

"Let's hang up. I'll pick you up at the airport later, then take you to meet my friends."

"Okay. By the way, did you invite Gregory?"

"I did. He said he’ll come two days early."

Gregory had always treated her well. Even though things with Austin were over, Christina would not cut ties with his friends.

"Two days early?" Juniper sounded unimpressed. "He doesn't have much to do these days. In families like ours, where the elders won't step down, once you reach a certain age, all you can do is travel around. I'll go find him and have him come with me."

"I'll ask him." Christina knew exactly what Juniper was thinking?

"Really? Christina, you're the best!" Juniper blew several kisses through the screen.

At that moment, Gabriel walked in and appeared in the camera frame.

Juniper's expression instantly turned to disgust.

Gabriel froze. What had he done wrong?

Juniper knew it was not entirely his fault. She was just felt upset seeing him in the news with another woman, with rumors of cheating spreading, even though Christina had explained it was part of a setup.

"Don't let me see you right now. I might start cursing."

How could Gabriel not understand?

Gabriel wrapped his arms around Christina. "Christina, I'm wronged. You know I'm completely innocent. I only belong to you."

Juniper's eyes widened. Was that what she thought it meant?

The way he said it sounded very suggestive. Christina quickly hung up, her face turning red.

"What were you saying just now? Juniper definitely misunderstood."

Gabriel looked at her flushed face and smiled. "Christina, don't you think hanging up like that makes it sound even worse? She might think we’re about to do something inappropriate."

"Stop teasing me!" Christina pushed him away.