Chapter 373

Chapter 373:

“It’s just…” Fernanda said between chuckles. “I call Michelle Mrs. Morgan, and you call Haley Mrs. Reed. The way we address our stepmothers is the same.”

Cristian joined in her laughter.

But the situations weren’t quite the same. Michelle was Fernanda’s guardian, a figure with no true familial bond. Haley, on the other hand, was both Cristian’s aunt and stepmother—a far more tangled relationship. His circumstances carried a weight hers never would.

“When I spoke with Bobby before,” Fernanda said after a moment, “he told me about your family. He mentioned that your grandfather is very traditional… even superstitious.”

As Bobby had recounted, Cristian’s mother had passed away during childbirth. In the aftermath, his grandfather sought out a fortune teller, who ominously foretold that Cristian would bring misfortune to the family. This prophecy cast a dark shadow over his life, leading to mistreatment from everyone within the Reed household.

“Yes,” Cristian said with a nod. “He is superstitious.”

“And your aunt—how’s your relationship with her?” Fernanda asked tentatively.

Cristian snorted. “There isn’t one. When I was a kid, she pretended to care, but I always saw through her. She was two-faced, and I couldn’t stand it. After I left the family, she married my father. Any respect I might have had for her disappeared. We don’t interact, and frankly, she means nothing to me.”

“But earlier,” Fernanda said, her brows furrowing, “she seemed like she wanted to get closer to you.”

Cristian’s lips curled into a disdainful smile. “Plenty of people want to be close to me. That doesn’t mean they get what they want.”

Fernanda opened her mouth, ready to say something, when he turned toward her. His voice softened, a rare vulnerability in his eyes. “But I only want to be close to you. Would you like to be close to me?”

Fernanda was puzzled by how effortlessly Cristian could shift from a serious topic to a lighter one. Caught off guard, she was momentarily at a loss for words.

Moonlight streamed through the trees above, casting shifting patterns on the cobblestone beneath their feet. A ray of moonlight caught Cristian’s eyes, turning his gaze into endless pools that threatened to pull her in.

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Overwhelmed by the gravity of his look, Fernanda found herself unable to refuse him. She averted her eyes, whispering, “I haven’t given it much thought.”

“If you haven’t considered it, that’s okay,” Cristian responded with a gentle exhale. “Perhaps you might think about it someday.”

Fernanda kept quiet. She recognized a significant change in her emotions. Initially, she had kept her distance from Cristian. Yet, as time passed, they had grown closer, even sharing moments of closeness. Where she once would have sharply countered his remarks, now those responses seemed to catch in her throat. Her attitude toward Cristian had softened.

Cristian, perceiving this shift, smiled and reassured her. “Okay, I’ll stop making fun.”

Fernanda met his gaze.

“I won’t pressure you,” Cristian continued. “Let’s just see how things go naturally.”

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