Chapter 191
Chapter 191:
Before she could finish, loud banging erupted at the door — violent enough to suggest someone was trying to force it open.
Kristine froze and looked at Vance in shock.
Vance’s gaze flickered with mild surprise. “Wait here. I’ll check,” he said, and pulled the door open.
“Why did it take you so long?” Helen’s complaint cut off the instant she spotted Kristine. She froze in place, staring for a moment before forcing out, “Kristine p>
Because of Vance’s presence, Kristine didn’t feel the surge of resentment she might have expected. Still, unease lingered beneath the surface, and her reply came cool and restrained. “Hello p>
Helen shot her a nervous glance, then quickly averted her eyes.
Back then, Helen’s roommate had called to say Ryan had gone to the dorm looking for her. She rushed back in excitement, only to discover he had already left. When she finally tracked him down, he didn’t hesitate — he told her plainly to cut off contact.
The words hit like a blow.
She grabbed his arm, demanding an explanation.
𝗠𝗈𝘳e 𝘯o𝘃𝘦𝗅s oո 𝘨𝖺𝗅ոо𝘃e𝘭𝘀.со𝗆
Ryan only frowned in irritation. “I don’t like you. I only added you because of Lunatown. To avoid trouble, it’s better we stop talking.” Then he walked away without a backward glance.
Helen stood rooted to the spot for a long time. When she finally came back to herself, her face was already soaked with tears. Without thinking twice, she hailed a cab to Crestwood.
Perhaps luck played a part. Less than two minutes after she stepped out, a familiar luxury car drove past — Colton’s vehicle, unmistakable and unique in Gridron.
“What are you doing just standing there?” Vance asked gently, unaware of Helen’s turmoil. “Come in. We made ravioli p>
“Ravioli? But you hate ravioli,” Helen blurted out — then immediately sensed something was wrong as both Vance and Kristine stiffened.
“You don’t like ravioli?” Kristine asked, confused. If that were true, why would he have said otherwise?
As the question left her mouth, Colton’s face flashed through her mind, and understanding dawned, tinged with something she couldn’t quite name.
“Don’t listen to her,” Vance responded, casting Helen a warning look before turning back to Kristine. “I like ravioli p>
Kristine fell silent.
Helen, on the other hand, was stunned. She had assumed Kristine had gone back to Colton. It wasn’t until that afternoon, while chatting with friends, that she learned Kristine hadn’t returned at all and that Colton was preparing to marry Elyse. There were even rumors that Entertainment had been handed over to Elyse.
Alarmed, Helen had rushed over to confront Vance — only to walk straight into this scene.
Unease churned inside her. She spoke quickly. “Kristine, Vance doesn’t like ravioli. You’ve known him for years. How could you not know that p>
Kristine felt a flicker of embarrassment. Though she and Vance had known each other for seven years, the number of times they had shared a meal was surprisingly few.
“Helen.” Vance’s expression hardened — something Kristine had rarely seen. “Why did you come today? What do you want p>
“Can’t I just visit you?” Helen shrank back slightly under his tone.