Chapter 1001
Chapter 1001:
Cristian had been pushing himself so hard lately, yet he actually took the initiative to eat. That was a first.
After ending the call, Fernanda noticed a message from Ashley on her phone. It had been sent a few minutes ago. “Fernanda, come out for some dessert.”
She stepped out of the bedroom and found Ashley lounging in the living room. A soft white wool shawl was draped over her shoulders as she flipped through a photo album.
When Ashley noticed Fernanda, she lifted her chin and gestured toward the small plate on the coffee table.
Ashley shared the same opinion as her daughter, Judie, believing that Fernanda was too thin and needed to eat more.
“Were you on the phone with Cristian just now?” Ashley asked casually.
Fernanda gave a slight nod. “Yeah. Christmas is around the corner. He should be wrapping up work soon.”
Ashley smiled. “This year, I can finally spend Christmas with him.”
Fernanda blinked. “Hasn’t he spent Christmas here before?”
“Never. He never had time.” Ashley let out a weary sigh. “When he was studying abroad, he was completely devoted to his academics. After he came back, he threw himself into building Vertex Investments. I’m lucky if I see him twice a year. That’s why I’m glad to hear he’s in love.”
She closed the photo album and leaned back against the sofa. Her gaze drifted toward the fireplace, but her expression was distant, as if she were looking at something far beyond the flames. “Cristian has always had something to prove. The more people doubted him, the more determined he became to prove them wrong. But he wasn’t always like this. As a child, he was quiet, almost withdrawn. Back when he lived with the Reed family, he barely spoke to anyone. Even when his cousins picked on him, he never fought back. He never asked for anything. He just sat on the balcony day after day, lost in his own world. My biggest fear back then was that one day, he’d get tired of it all and commit suicide.”
Fernanda’s mind wandered as she listened. She found herself remembering a summer long ago in a quiet riverside village in Zhota. The image of Cristian plunging into the water resurfaced in her thoughts.
“Later, he changed, but not in the way I expected. He started acting out, stirring up trouble. One by one, he became a thorn in everyone’s side. The tension between him and the Reed family only grew worse.” Ashley shook her head slightly. “That was his way of reminding them that he existed. But in the end, it backfired. They sent him away. And as his grandmother, I wasn’t even told where he had gone.”
She turned to Fernanda then, her gaze searching. “Bobby mentioned that you met him during that time?”
𝓒𝓱𝓮𝓬𝓮 𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓉𝓮𝓇𝓈 𝒊𝓷 g𝓪𝗅𝗇ovέ𝗅𝓈.𝓒𝓸 m
“Yes.” Fernanda nodded and recounted how she and Cristian first met, leaving nothing out.
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