Chapter 175
Chapter 175:
Years of knowing Colton had never prepared her for the expression she had just seen in his eyes. It sent a chill down her spine.
Time dragged on. The quiet outside finally eased her nerves, and she slowly checked the peephole — nothing but an empty hallway. Colton was gone. Relief weakened her knees, and she slid down the door until she hit the floor.
Colton lived by his own rules. In Gridron, no one dared restrain him. Cutting him out of her life completely meant leaving Gridron behind — yet who would ever dare provoke him on her behalf?
A weary, hopeless smile tugged at her lips. She regretted ever letting herself become entangled with someone so dangerous.
Downstairs, Colton stood on the street, eyes fixed on the twenty-eighth floor. He waited for any sign of light, but darkness held steady, and his expression grew even grimmer beneath the pale moon.
That night, he had only meant to bring Kristine the tiara as a surprise. What awaited him instead was a shock he never anticipated — Kristine returning with Vance at her side, and worse, Vance laying his feelings bare.
Colton’s fingers curled tighter around the box. The sharp reminder still lingering on his lips told him again and again that Kristine no longer wanted him.
After showering, Kristine finally calmed herself. She picked up her phone and pulled up Asher’s contact. Their last exchange still sat there — the message where she had asked him for help leaving Gridron.
The thought of asking him again crossed her mind, but she dismissed it immediately. She typed instead: “Have you been doing well recently p>
Asher replied almost immediately. “You really don’t need to dance around it with me. What do you need p>
𝖶𝗁a𝘁 e𝘷e𝗋𝗒oո𝘦 𝗂𝗌 𝗋е𝖺𝖽іn𝘨 𝗈𝗻 ѕ.𝖼𝘰𝗺
That simple response eased something tight in her chest, and warmth spread quietly through her. She decided not to circle the issue.
Once Asher understood that she wanted help connecting with collectors who needed antique restoration, his answer came without hesitation. “Would it be easier if we talked over video p>
Her gaze lingered on the screen, then drifted down to her nightgown — light, comfortable, and far more revealing than she had intended.
“That’s fine, but give me a minute,” Kristine replied.
“All right. Call me when you’re ready p>
She stepped into the bedroom, slipped on a jacket, and picked up her phone again. For reasons she could not explain, a quiet nervousness settled in her chest.
The call connected almost instantly. Asher’s face appeared on the screen, gentle and warm. Even in that small frame, his presence felt like a steady flame cutting through the cold, easing the restlessness in Kristine’s heart.
“In Peudon, you’ll find no shortage of people who are passionate about antiques,” Asher remarked, his tone measured and relaxed.
A broad window stretched behind him, framing the city as moonlight spilled across Peudon, washing everything in a gentle silver that seemed to soften the tension in Kristine’s face. A note of curiosity crept into his voice. “Still, there are so many conservators here in Peudon already. Why would anyone feel the need to look elsewhere p>