LOGIN"Come in." Christopher's voice came from inside, calm and distant.Even through the door, Amelia could already picture the cool expression on his face.She opened the door and walked in. Christopher was sitting behind his desk, going over a stack of documents.She asked casually, "Were you busy just now?"Christopher looked up at her. He set down his pen and leaned back slightly in his chair. "No. Samantha just left." His tone was completely matter-of-fact."You two seem pretty close."Christopher held her gaze. "There's nothing going on between us."After a brief pause, he added, "Samantha is Navitech's representative. She was only here to discuss a possible partnership on the 07 project. That's it."Amelia hesitated.He rarely went out of his way to explain himself like this.She phrased the question that way on purpose, never expecting him to give her such a direct explanation.The truth was, Christopher had always understood what was going on. Back then, he simply let
Shane went still.He clearly hadn't expected that from Jessica."Ms. Reid, don't joke about something like this."For years, he had stayed by her side as her bodyguard and nothing more, always careful to keep a professional distance and never cross that line.Jessica let out a cold laugh. She stepped closer. The belt of her robe loosened a little more, exposing the graceful line of her collarbones."So I guess you don't actually do everything I ask."After all these years, she thought he might at least hesitate. That she might see some sign that she affected him.Instead, all she saw in his eyes was restraint and distance, as if she were a stranger asking something completely unreasonable."Get out."Her voice was ice-cold.Shane lowered his gaze. He didn't turn around or try to explain himself. He simply walked out and quietly closed the door behind him.The second the door clicked shut, Jessica grabbed the front of her robe and pulled it tight, drawing a sharp, angry breat
Jessica had never stopped to consider that Shane had a life of his own, or that one day, he might actually choose to leave.Shane turned to look at her, his gaze unusually heavy."Ms. Reid, I'm only your bodyguard. Protecting you is my job." His voice was steady, though a slight roughness had crept into it. "Even after I'm engaged, if you ever need me, I'll still come whenever you call. My life is yours."Jessica took a slow breath.Looking at him, she suddenly felt completely helpless.How was that not a confession?And yet somehow, it wasn't.Shane had always made her feel completely safe. She knew that when he said his life was hers, he meant every word.But that was as far as he would ever go. She knew that no matter what she said, he wasn't going to change his mind.Silence settled over the car.Jessica leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. She didn't want to look at him anymore, and she didn't have the energy to keep arguing.A tightness sat heavy in her che
Knowing her father had arranged the whole thing only made it harder for Jessica to accept.Christopher studied her downcast expression, realization slowly settling in. After a moment, he said, "If you don't want Shane to leave, maybe you should do something about it.""Do something about it?" Jessica let out a bitter laugh. "My dad doesn't change his mind once he's made it up. Besides, Shane agreed to the engagement himself. What am I supposed to fight for?"Shane treated her with all the care and devotion of someone who loved her. And yet when it mattered, he drew a clear line between them.The living room fell silent again.Neither of them knew how long they sat there.Eventually, Jessica stood and packed up her medical bag. "I'm leaving the medication here. Take it exactly as prescribed, and come in for your follow-up next week. Try not to let yourself get worked up like this again. I don't want another emergency call."Christopher nodded but said nothing.Jessica turned tow
"Take your medication first."Jessica hurried over to Christopher, pulled the pills from her medical bag, and handed them to him with a bottle of water.Christopher pushed himself upright, took the medication, and swallowed it. It helped a little, but the sharp pain tearing through his body still wouldn't ease."Did something happen again?" Jessica sat down in the armchair across from him. "Your condition is getting harder to control. If this keeps happening, we could lose all the progress we've made."Christopher leaned back against the couch and closed his eyes. For a long moment, he said nothing. When he finally spoke, his voice was rough. "I can't control it."He always believed he was good at keeping his emotions locked down. But when it came to Amelia, that control seemed to vanish.Everything he tried to bury, every emotion he forced himself not to feel, always came rushing back at once until it completely overwhelmed him.Jessica checked his temperature, and her expres
Jessica hit the brakes and pulled onto the shoulder, the tires squealing against the pavement. She went still, her grip tightening around the phone. "Shane's getting engaged?"The news came so completely out of nowhere that she couldn't process it at first.Shane had been by her side for years, protecting her around the clock. He had never given her any indication that anything in his life was about to change.How could he suddenly be getting engaged?"Yeah. It's a good match." Dennis sounded completely casual, as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with her. "There was no reason to tell you. It's his personal life. Besides, Shane is only your bodyguard because I assigned him to you. I can replace him whenever I want."A wave of irritation rose in Jessica for reasons she couldn't explain. She took a deep breath, forced it down, and let out a cold laugh.Of course. As far as Shane was concerned, there was always a clear line between them. She was his
Christopher said, "I'm skipping breakfast."Amelia said nothing.In the end, to avoid drawing Dorothy's attention, Christopher got into the car with her.He settled into the passenger seat and spoke as if it were natural. "Take me to the company."At 6'3", he was a giant in Amelia's compact car.
Evelyn's heart skipped a beat.For a moment, she almost wanted to go. Christopher never acted like this.Whenever they came to visit Dorothy, Nathan was always there too. He would cling to Christopher and always be the one in his arms.But now…Evelyn bit her lip, then turned quickly and wrapped
If Amelia came back, Nathan's life would be so much easier."Nathan," Amelia said, looking at him with a deep breath. "If you need anything, go talk to your new mommy."Nathan stared at her, dazed, and didn't say a word.Amelia was already back, yet she still said things like that. Deep down, he
The teacher lowered her eyes to the score sheets. "I am pleased to announce that the first-place winner of the math competition is Evelyn Zepyhr!"A look of quiet pride spread across Amelia's face. Evelyn was so excited she nearly jumped for joy."What do you mean?" Nicole frowned at Christine. "W







