Chapter 147
Chapter 147:
A hesitant voice broke the silence. “Kristine p>
Helen paused mid-step when she spotted her in the living room. Instinctively, she moved as though to shield someone standing behind her — but the attempt came far too late.
Peering over Helen’s shoulder, Ryan could not conceal his excitement at the sight of Kristine. “Kristine, why are you here p>
Surprise crossed Helen’s face at once. “You two know each other p>
The last thing Kristine had expected was to see Ryan there, and the shock left her momentarily at a loss for words.
“She’s the client I told you about earlier,” Ryan said, his tone calm and matter-of-fact.
𝖶𝘦 uрdаte е𝗏е𝗿𝗒 weе𝗄 𝗈𝘯 ѕ.𝖼om
Helen blinked. “Is that so p>
Back in college, she and Ryan had been classmates. During the freshman icebreaker, Helen had quietly fallen for him, drawn to both his striking looks and his obvious talent for drawing. Despite that, Ryan’s cool attitude toward women had never given her any real opening to approach him.
Last Christmas, while spending the holidays in her hometown, she had posted a series of photos of Lunatown on Facebook. Out of nowhere, Ryan reached out and asked where the pictures had been taken. That unexpected message became the beginning of their conversations — infrequent and brief, but enough to keep her hopes alive — until Ryan suddenly stopped replying altogether.
After asking around discreetly, she found out that Ryan had taken a job from a wealthy woman. The discovery unsettled her deeply. Because of that growing unease, she had gone looking for him and volunteered to show him around Lunatown herself.
The agreed-upon day had finally arrived. Even though she knew bringing an outsider was far from appropriate, she chose not to disappoint Ryan and brought him anyway.
Unaware of the shift in her mood, Ryan approached Kristine, his usually relaxed expression unusually bright. “Kristine, what is actually going on here p>
She was about to answer when Susan’s voice rang out from outside. “Is Helen back p>
Moments later, Susan stepped in with grocery bags and immediately spotted Ryan. Her face hardened, and she moved quickly to position herself in front of Kristine. “Who are you p>
Sensing Susan’s protective instinct, Kristine spoke up at once. “He’s a friend of mine p>
When she heard that Ryan was Helen’s guest, Susan’s expression eased slightly, though a trace of disapproval lingered on her face. She chose not to say anything further, gesturing instead toward the seating area. “Since you’re already here, sit down. I’ll prepare something for everyone to eat p>
Kristine, who had been helping Susan in the kitchen over the past few days, followed her inside without hesitation. That left only Helen and Ryan standing together in the living room.
Catching Ryan glancing toward the kitchen, Helen stepped in front of him, her irritation plain. “Are you into Kristine p>
The question startled him, and he let out an awkward cough as heat crept up to his ears.
Helen pressed on without hesitation, her lips set in a thin line. “Then tell me — what do you like about her p>