Chapter 503

Chapter 503:

“My family doesn’t like me,” Cristian murmured. “To them, I’m just crashing the party. No matter my intentions, they see me as a bad omen. It’s like I’m not one of the Reeds, but rather a sworn enemy. Actually, I didn’t want you to see that.”

He lifted his hand to shield his face, his laugh hollow. “It’s okay if everyone else sees, but not you.”

He hated the thought of Fernanda seeing him like this—vulnerable and exposed. She was right there, after all. She must have noticed how he tried to hold back, to keep himself in check.

He didn’t want her to view him as weak. He wanted to be seen as her rock—someone strong enough to weather any storm for her. That was how he wanted her to see him, not as someone whose image could shatter at any moment.

Fernanda had her own share of rough patches. Cristian wanted to be her steady ground. The family chaos, the tense vibes—he worried they would push her away.

Then it clicked for Fernanda. Cristian was scared.

Growing up, it was terrifying to embarrass oneself in front of someone you care about. And as an adult, it was even worse—years of building a persona, only for it to crumble over something as simple as harsh words.

Choosing Cristian meant getting wrapped up in the Reed saga, being sucked into another complex whirlwind. Family ties, moral duties—they could be chains that were hard to break.

Cristian feared that all this mess would make Fernanda drift away.

“Actually, before you got there today…” Fernanda started softly. “I talked to your granddad for a bit. He was really nice, quite the charmer.”

From the birthday banner that welcomed guests to the Reed’s grand villa to Curran proudly showing off his cherished artworks, Fernanda found him to be endearing. But his warmth faded when he turned to Cristian.

To Curran, it seemed Cristian was less of a grandson and more of an old rival.

gαℓησν𝒆𝓁s﹒c𝗈m has it all

“I remember Bobby once told you why they treat me like this,” Cristian murmured. “My mother passed away when I was born, and after that, a lot of things went south for the Reeds. They pinned it all on me and called me a jinx. Later, my grandfather even got a fortune teller involved, someone the family trusts for major decisions. The guy tagged me as bad luck, and just like that, I was out of the family.”

With a wry smile, Cristian shrugged, rubbed his forehead, and let out a deep sigh. “Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?”

“It does,” Fernanda agreed earnestly.

Cristian’s mother’s death was a tragic accident, one that left him more devastated than anyone else. The downturns that followed in the Reed family—whether their business woes or personal squabbles—had their own causes. It was absurd to dump the blame on Cristian.

Yet, a few words from the fortune teller loaded him with such accusations.

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